'Caitlin’s Been Scary Hard On Herself': Caitlin Clark’s Injury Sparks Skip Bayless Suspicion Amid Six-Week Absence

“This season, on the road, she’s 2-for-35 from three,” Bayless said (7:55). “I think maybe I can 2-of-35 from three even on the road. On the road, Caitlin’s only shooting 29% from the floor and 5.7% from three.”

For Bayless, those numbers could explain why she hasn’t been rushed back.

“Isn’t it possible she just needed a mental break from her slump? Just that? No doubt. Caitlin’s been scary hard on herself over her poor shooting, you just know she has.”

Clark’s injury—a groin issue—has sidelined her since early July, but even before that she was struggling with efficiency. Through 13 games, she averaged 16.5 points, yet hit just 27.9% from deep.

“I want to see her in practice”: Caitlin Clark’s return depends on Fever Coach’s assessment

While the national chatter swirls, the Fever are keeping their focus in-house. According to ESPN’s injury report, Clark is expected back on September 7. Head coach Stephanie White, though, says her return won’t be official until she sees it for herself.

“I want to see her in practice, live in practice,” White said. “Want to see her continue to work to not just build endurance, but to be able to handle contact 94 feet as it’s going to be in-game, and to be able to do that and sustain it from an endurance standpoint, and that’s going to take multiple practices to make sure that there’s no regression.”

Fans are counting the days until she’s back, and with Indiana still fighting to climb into playoff position, the spotlight only grows brighter. For now, Clark’s return rests on whether she can prove to her coach that she’s game-ready.