Caitlin Clark explains why she's struggling to get back from injury

Caitlin Clark's return from injury has been rather quiet. The Indiana Fever star has been a bit of a mixed bag since the preseason, prompting some doubts and criticism about her development.

She dealt with multiple ailments last season, and the fans sounded the alarms after watching her leave the season opener to get her back checked.

She ultimately returned and dropped 20 points, but the questions about her long-term health still linger.

Considering that, she opened up about the mental hurdles of returning from such a long layoff. 

Caitlin Clark is being 'hyper cautious' with injuries

“You just become hyper cautious to certain things,” Clark told ESPN's Kendra Andrews. “When my back tightened up I think I almost got confidence from that, because I came back in and I played eight more minutes so, and I felt great the last eight minutes … But it's going to take me a little bit to, like, really get over this mental hurdle of, like, trusting my body.”

Clark is well aware of the narrative and the criticism. More than that, she knows the expectations and high standard she's held to after her legendary college career and being the No. 1 pick: 

“So it's a lot of stress on somebody's body and just the pace and the physicality of it too,” Clark continued. “But I feel really good.”

Still, it looks like she's slowly getting her legs back under her. She was at her best in the Fever's 87-78 win over the L.A. Sparks, dropping 24 points on 9-of-17 from the floor to go along with four rebounds and nine assists.

More importantly, she played 31 minutes and looked sharp and healthy. Coming back from injury is a day-by-day process, and it should be just a matter of time before she stops thinking about it.