Prior to the Indiana Fever’s (20-17) blowout victory over the Seattle Storm (20-19) on Tuesday night, head coach Stephanie White provided a brief update on the recovery status of both point guard Caitlin Clark and forward Chloe Bibby in her pregame comments.

Clark, who made significant strides in her recovery on Sunday, had previously been held out of basketball-related activities (at least as known to the public) since her June 15 injury to her right groin.

When I asked what she would like to see out of Clark’s recovery before feeling confident in the former 2024 No. 1 overall pick’s ability to return to her typical usage, White stated that Clark was involved in the team walkthrough on Monday and prior to Tuesday’s game, but wants to see her live in practice.

During the six-week absence, the former Hawkeye has missed 16 consecutive games, which brings her total injury-related absences to 25 regular-season contests and 26 overall, including the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final.

Related to Bibby, who has been ruled out for the past three games after reporting discomfort in her left knee before the team’s August 22 game against the Minnesota Lynx, White stated that the Australian-born wing does not have a timetable for a return, but the team is hopeful she can rejoin practice near the end of the week.

“I don’t have any specifics on it. I think right now it’s day-to-day,” White said. “She’s progressed in her rehab, and I anticipate, hopefully, by the end of the week, she’ll be on the floor, at least in practice.”

Throughout her nine games with Indiana, Bibby is averaging 3.9 points on 35.7% shooting from the floor, 39.1% from 3-point territory, and 85.7% from the free-throw line, to go along with 1.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.4 assists, and 0.1 blocks on 9:48 of playing time per game.

As the Fever now hold a slim half-game advantage over both the Golden State Valkyries and Seattle Storm for sixth place, as well as a two-game lead on the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks, the team will be playing with a razor-thin margin for error in their final six games.

Based on White’s verbiage, it seems like Indiana could see a return of Bibby on Friday (at Los Angeles) or Sunday night (at Golden State).

However, with the franchise taking calculated measures to ensure Clark is at 100% strength before returning, it seems the wait for her return could extend beyond this weekend’s games.

Despite several baseless conspiracy theories claiming the Fever and WNBA are hiding news that Clark is out for the year to maximize ticket sales, the organization and Clark’s own teammates have maintained a consistent tone throughout the injury absence that their top priority is to see the star guard return at 100% health.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Fever share Caitlin Clark injury update prior to win vs. Storm