Clark's Injury Tests Fever as Bueckers Leads Rookie Race

Two of the WNBA’s brightest young stars are underscoring a season defined by both dazzling potential and fragile health, as Caitlin Clark’s lingering injuries clash with Paige Bueckers’ rapid rise. Clark, the Fever’s All-Star guard and former Rookie of the Year, has not played since mid-July because of a groin injury, leaving Indiana to navigate the late stretch of the schedule without its franchise player. Meanwhile, Bueckers has thrived for the Dallas Wings, piling up scoring and playmaking and solidifying her status as the leading contender for Rookie of the Year as the Wings push for improvement.

Clark’s first season in Indiana was historic. She averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, earning a spot in the All-Star Game and sealing the Rookie of the Year honor as she helped the Fever reach competitive form in a challenging season. In 2025, she opened with a left quadriceps strain in May that sidelined five games, then sustained a right groin injury on July 15 that has kept her out for an extended stretch. As Indiana tries to preserve its playoff hopes, her absence has been keenly felt on both ends of the floor. With Clark on the bench, the Fever have...