How the Fever are surviving without Caitlin Clark - ESPN

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark didn't miss a single game between her four years at Iowa and her first WNBA season, playing in at least 206 consecutive contests dating back to high school. But that was before a left quad strain sidelined the 2024 Rookie of the Year only four games into the 2025 campaign, foreshadowing a season filled with frustrating injuries.

After that early absence, Clark returned for five more games, starting with her best performance of 2025 so far: a 32-point outing at home against the defending champion New York Liberty. But a left groin ailment sidelined her again in late June, this time for four games. And after returning for four more games at less than 100 percent healthy — she averaged an uncharacteristic 12.5 points on 31% shooting over that span — an injury to the opposite groin landed Clark back on the injured list for the Fever's past 10 games.

With their best player sidelined for 19 of a possible 32 contests (plus the Commissioner's Cup championship game), the Fever's season could have been a disaster, but that hasn't been the case. Instead, they are on track to make the playoffs and are projected to improve on last season's win total by 4.5 victories in the latest Elo forecast, especially if they can rally after losing guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson to season-ending injuries on Friday. They even won the Commissioner's Cup without Clark.

The Fever (18-14) haven't quite thrived without Clark; they lost to the Los Angeles Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury by an average of 22 points to end a four-game trip last week. But they have survived to go 10-9 without her, including 6-4 over the latest stretch. Let's dive into four reasons they have been able to make the most of missing the