INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark will not play in the team’s preseason opener against the Washington Mystics due to a left leg injury, the Fever announced Saturday, shortly before the teams squared off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark initially popped up on the injury report Friday, and before Saturday’s game she described the injury as “just a little tightness” in her left leg. Despite participating in practice all week and going through her typical pregame warmup, Indiana erred on the side of caution with its franchise player. The Fever have a quick turnaround with another preseason Sunday afternoon against the Brazilian national team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa, where Clark spent her college career.
“The biggest thing is we gotta think long term,” Fever coach Stephanie White said pregame. “We gotta make sure that we’re not putting Caitlin at risk for injury. We’re not putting our team in a position where we’re thinking short term and not long term.”
The WNBA moved up to 44 games this season, the most in league history, and White noted the increase in games as another factor the team must consider regarding its players’ health. Clark appeared in all 40 regular-season games last year, plus two more playoff games. She played in…
