“Why Wouldn’t I?” Caitlin Clark Focused on Picking Teammates as All-Star Captain

Caitlin Clark is set to return to play for her Indiana Fever as they gear up for the Commissioners Cup Final against the Minnesota Lynx.

“Why Wouldn’t I?” Caitlin Clark Focused on Picking Teammates as All-Star Captain

Caitlin Clark wants to select Fever teammates to East All-Star team (Image via FirstSportz)

Caitlin Clark has missed 7 of the 16 games the Indiana Fever have played so far. The first five were due to a quad strain. The second was a groin injury, which caused her to sit out two crucial games. The first one, the team embarrassingly lost to the Los Angeles Sparks.

The second against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, they won. The tight contest made the game worthwhile for the fans who spend a lot of money. Their hopes were to watch Clark take on her college rival and friend. However, Bueckers’ performance made up for that loss.

In hindsight, it seems that missing that game was the best decision for the Indiana Fever. They do not want to aggravate their leading superstar’s injury, as they have much more important games to get to. For starters, they have the upcoming Commissioners Cup final.

Then they also need her to be healthy and ready to play in the All-Star weekend. As the captain, Caitlin Clark is expected to pick the best players for her side. However, she made it clear that she will not shy away from selecting her teammates first.

Obviously, I’m gonna try to get my teammates on my team. Why wouldn’t I?

Caitlin Clark said to reporters

The 23-year-old knows she has to select a team in order to win. Since she has the power to choose her Fever teammates, she would do that first before moving on to pick the next players to make up the East All-Star roster.

Caitlin Clark wants to win Commissioners Cup

Caitlin Clark said that to reporters after practice at the Indiana Fever facilities. She did not practice before the two games she missed. Hence, her fans were upbeat that the reigning Rookie of the Year spent time practicing wearing leg sleeves to help her with the injury.

Before practice, the Fever were watching game film along with their coaches when WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert rang head coach Stephanie White‘s phone. She personally congratulated Clark for becoming the All-Star captain and then promised to meet at the Commissioner’s Cup final.

Hearing this, the 23-year-old responded by claiming that she and her teammates are going to win the Cup. Any professional athlete would say this, but in this case, it is the first real opportunity for the Iowa native to win her first piece of silverware.

They will face stiff competition in the form of the defending Cup champion Minnesota Lynx. Going up against Napheesa Collier and her teammates in a winner-takes-all environment might be the best way to instill some competitive drive in the Fever as they look to fight off inconsistency.

Caitlin Clark and Fever have chance to regain ground in standings

The outcome of the Commissioners Cup will have no bearing on the Indiana Fever’s regular season standing. They do however have a chance to win some games at home to gain ground in the playoff ladder.

Caitlin Clark and Fever have 5 home games next
Caitlin Clark and Fever have 5 home games next (Image via Open Source/X)

Caitlin Clark and her teammates are 8th in the standings and need to win games to avoid losing ground to teams below them. They have five games at home, where their passionate fans will act be at their loudest to help the team.

Three of those games are against playoff teams, but the Fever have what it takes to beat them. If they can finish this home stretch and the two away games in the positive, they should climb up a spot or two. Most importantly, they will start to gain momentum before the All-Star break.

After the break, they will embark on a difficult closing half of the season. Therefore, they have to start winning soon so that they can place themselves in a prime position to go past the 1st round of the playoffs and onto possibly contending for the title.

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