In a recent interview with the IndyStar on “Fever Insider LIVE” with Chloe Peterson and Brian Haenchen, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White spoke on the injury-riddled 2025 season for star point guard Caitlin Clark and provided an update on the former Hawkeyes’ recovery status as the WNBA’s lengthy offseason kicks off.

White admitted there was a sense of frustration among both the coaching staff and Clark regarding the star’s injury setbacks throughout the 2025 WNBA season. But, White also emphasized that the future longevity of their franchise cornerstone is much more important.

“Look, I would never speak for Caitlin (Clark). It’s frustrating as an athlete when you go through an injury and when you’re not able to do what you love to do. Certainly, having setbacks and working your way to get back and having other setbacks, all of that is frustrating,” White said.

“As a coach, I control what I can control. When we’re working through this, and it’s like, is it frustrating to not have Caitlin in the game? Of course, it’s frustrating to not have Caitlin in the game. But also, the perspective of Caitlin having a long career and understanding that we’re not going to push the issue if she’s not ready to go, that’s just the reality of the situation.”

White added to that point by relating her injury-plagued career to the 2025 struggles that Clark endured and reiterated that returning their 2024 No. 1 overall pick to full strength and confidence is ultimately the wisest decision, regardless of the circumstance.

“I’m a person who’s had 11 surgeries, so I’ve been through a lot of injuries. Having that perspective gives me a different viewpoint. While it’s frustrating, it’s also important that we get her back at 100% and that she’s comfortable, confident, healthy, and that we can move forward in a way that continues to build for her career and for our franchise.”

When Peterson asked White whether she believes Clark is nearing the ability to begin “5-on-5” play, the Fever head coach said that the team is continuously working with the star point guard towards obtaining full health, but also explained that the fundamentals and smaller details that take a bit more time to regain are equally as important in the process.

“Yeah, I think so. We’re not jumping into anything that’s too much right now. We have the ability right now to take it on a week-by-week basis and do some 3-on-3, doing some 2-on-2, building into 5-on-5. Her being able to play in game-like situations is going to be important. It’s been a long time building back into that, but it is October. She needs to be able to slowly build back so that from an endurance standpoint, she’s laying a really good foundation so that we’re not having any setbacks or any regression.”

“At the same time and just as much as as being on the floor, working on skill set, working on movement patterns is rhythm and timing and balance and and all of those things now. It’s instead of working on one to two things at a time, now it’s three to four things at a time.”

“We got decision-making in live action. We’ve got staying on balance. We’ve got changing direction. We’ve got explosiveness. All of these things and, oh by the way, to be at 90 to 100 percent instead of 50 to 60 to 70 percent. It will take some time, but we do have the opportunity right now to begin to lay that that foundation”

Clark said in her Oct. 2 end-of-season exit interview that getting fully healthy is her top priority this offseason. But, Clark also intends to work with Team USA in preparation for the upcoming 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in September of 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Fever coach comments on Caitlin Clark injury recovery