Caitlin Clark Hoping to Be Smarter with Her Health Heading Into Year 3

Point guard Caitlin Clark is coming off a season where she missed most of the games due to various injuries.

Caitlin Clark Hoping to Be Smarter with Her Health Heading Into Year 3

Fever superstar point guard Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Caitlin Clark aims to prioritize her health and recovery in her third WNBA season.
  • She is taking a more cautious approach to training, reducing her on-court activity to avoid injuries.
  • Clark expresses confidence in the Indiana Fever's roster and their potential for a deep playoff run.

An offseason ago, Caitlin Clark was working on her strength and conditioning, along with rest, with a singular goal to dominate in her second WNBA campaign.

That goal fell short. She struggled with soft-tissue injuries and an ankle injury, which eventually forced her to end her season on the sidelines.

She was merely a bystander when her Indiana Fever surprised everyone by surging to the playoff semifinals. Had they not faced eventual champion Las Vegas Aces, maybe they could have fancied a run at the WNBA Finals.

After the season ended, Clark made it a point that she was going to prioritize rest, which saw her skip Unrivaled or show a lack of interest in other leagues for a second season in a row.

Now she is back for season three. But this time, she and the Fever’s medical and training staff know all too well what can go wrong. With that in mind, she said this when asked about how she was taking care of her body.

Be a little bit smarter with my body, and understanding what it takes… Taking care of my body at this point in the season is the most important thing. Whether that’s recovery, whether that’s pre-court treatment.

Caitlin Clark replied to The Athletic’s James Boyd

It seems the 24-year-old is taking it easy this season and has not worked out as much as she did last year. Many felt that pushing herself to gain significant strength may have put untoward pressure on her soft tissue. That may be why she has taken a different approach this year.

Caitlin Clark is being cautious in her approach to training camp

After she spoke about being ‘smarter’ with her body, Caitlin Clark seemingly opened the doors to more questions about the way she was preparing for her third season.

Caitlin Clark and her teammates at the training camp
Caitlin Clark and her teammates at the training camp (Image via CCTY/X)

One reporter asked her about the reduced activity on the court on the first day of the Indiana Fever’s training camp. But she stressed that she was not told specifically to skip something.

That meant the Iowa native is making her own decisions and not going headfirst into every practice drill. She said that it was her growth as a player, as her younger self would have done otherwise. When another reporter asked her again about the missed practice reps, she replied:

Hey, nobody get hung up on this. I don’t want this to be a story.

She said this with a smile, as the two-time All-Star knew that those repeated questions were possibly about to channel into an article or opinion that could draw unwanted noise.

But then, Caitlin Clark reiterated that she was also intent on helping the younger players on her team. After sitting out most of last season, she managed to learn a lot from the sidelines. That may be the point guard donning her ‘assistant coach’ hat she sometimes wore last campaign.

Caitlin Clark excited with Fever roster ahead of championship push

If she manages to stay healthy, Caitlin Clark will be leading the Indiana Fever to the one goal that has been on their bulletin board since last season.

Some players from their last year’s dream run have signed with other teams. But at the same time, many of the core players have returned. While talking about the roster, the Hawkeyes great said:

I feel like our roster construction is great and gives us an opportunity to do that.

She mentioned that the front office deserves praise for not only bringing her favorite teammates back but also ensuring the team lured some impactful additions to their roster.

After fans decimated the top brass for drafting a player who had a conflict with Clark, her giving them some praise should go a long way toward stopping those narratives.

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