Why Caitlin Clark’s second WNBA season has been so ‘challenging mentally’

So much comes easy to Caitlin Clark on the basketball court, yet there’s only so much she can do when it comes to her health.

After missing zero games in both her high school and college careers, the Fever superstar has been sidelined for 10 games this year — nine regular-season contests and the Commissioner’s Cup final — due to two injury stints.

“It’s been challenging mentally, just staying in it,” Clark said Tuesday before returning from her latest injury Wednesday for an 80-61 home loss to the Valkyries.

“It’s definitely challenging, and I think it’s been so challenging because I’ve never been through it before, so just giving myself grace as I continue to come back and get my feet under me.”

Clark has been sidelined for a pair of five-game stretches in her sophomore campaign this season.

She missed five games in late May and early June after suffering a left quad injury, and the Fever went 2-3 in that stretch.

Clark made her anticipated return June 14 to hand the Liberty their first loss of the year and appeared in another five games before again being sidelined, this time due to a left groin injury.

Indiana went 3-2 without Clark, including a triumph over the Lynx in the Commissioner’s Cup title game, giving the Fever a 5-5 total mark without their superstar.

Clark returned Wednesday against the Valkyries and they stymied her for the second time this season, limiting her to 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes.

“It felt good to be out there,” said Clark, who hit just two of her five 3-point attempts. It’s going to take me a second to get my wind back. There’s not really anything that can replicate it than a true game. I felt pretty good, I was trying to play shorter stints, but sometimes it’s almost harder to sit on the bench than come back into the game, so I was finding a balance of that. Just trying to get my legs under me there in the fourth quarter and get my wind back, which will come over the next few games.”

The Fever (8-9) are in a three-way tie for seventh, but the expectations are sky high this season after several notable offseason acquisitions designed to aid the championship pursuit.

But any title hopes rely on Clark being healthy and productive.

Clark’s scoring and shooting stats are down this season compared to her rookie year, averaging 17.4 points on 38.6 percent shooting and 30.1 percent from 3.

The former Iowa star scored 19.2 points on 41.7 percent shooting and hit 34.4 percent of her 3-point attempts last season.

Clark is hopeful all this time on the sideline will pay off later in the season.

“But I think it’s also been an amazing opportunity for myself too, allowed me to learn a lot,” Clark said. “I think when we get to the end of the year and get here in the playoffs, I think this is a moment I can look back on and be really proud of myself for everything I went through and how I dealt with it.”