Caitlin Clark’s Season-Ending Injury Shows Traces of Costly Iowa Gamble, Finds NBA Medical Expert

As the famous saying goes, “Availability is the best ability.” For most of Caitlin Clark’s career before the 2025 WNBA season, this saying was as true as it comes. Prior to the 2025 season, Clark had not missed a single game throughout her college or her rookie year. But this year, the story has been completely different. In an injury-hit season, Caitlin was only able to play in 13 games, and even in those, she was way below her usual lofty standards. One of the major factors resulting in these injuries is certainly the excessive physicality that she has to face. However, according to Chicago-based sports medicine doctor, Dr. Jeremy Alland, there may be a deeper and more concerning issue that could have played a role in Caitlin Clark’s injuries. 

Speaking on the Chicago Now segment of Fox 32 Chicago, Dr Alland said, “Now with the AAU and the way that’s going, I mean, there’s kids that are playing almost more than like NBA basketball players are playing in a given year. So by the time they hit 18, 19, 20-25 years old, they’ve put on so much more mileage than all of the athletes back in the 80s and 70s had done. And there’s no denying that that’s contributing to this in some fashion.”

Throughout her college career, Caitlin Clark played 139 games. Just like in the WNBA, in college, too, she was the star of her Iowa Hawkeyes team and was always getting the most defensive attention on the court. If we combine this with the fact that till the sophomore year of high school, Caitlin Clark was a multi-sport athlete. She was a rising prodigy not only in basketball but also in soccer. And, according to her coaches, she had enough potential to make it to the professional leagues. While all this is a testament to Caitlin Clark’s overall talent, this has only put more miles in Caitlin’s legs. And a common tactic used by professional teams and athletes to circumvent this issue may not be that fruitful, as revealed by Dr Alland in that same interview.

Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While many may suggest a load-management technique to counter this, as per Dr. Alland, this measure is not just that effective. He said, “In terms of load management, which was a great question, most of that data has more or less has shown that it hasn’t helped out a lot. So, I’m not saying it’s not worth it to load manage people, but at the same time we’re trying to figure out how we keep these guys on the floor and in this case, Caitlin Clark on the floor. How do we make it so they can make it so that they can perform at their highest level, have less injuries? I think from my perspective, we have to look at it before they’re 18 years old and how we manage those loads.”

Sure, there is no substitute for actual live-game action for development, but there needs to be a fine balance between how to develop the players and how their fatigue can be managed. Especially in a sport like basketball, where during the season, athletes don’t even get time to practice, let alone rest. So, as Dr Alland pointed out, maybe things need to change at the amateur level. Otherwise, what’s even the point of putting in so much hard work if they are not able to reap the rewards at the highest level? 

Considering the effect Caitlin Clark has on the whole league, the WNBA will certainly miss out on some revenue and viewership during the playoff stages now that she’s officially ruled out for the season. While the physicality is certainly a big factor, another factor that players and coaches have pointed out is the WNBA’s scheduling. 

Did the WNBA’s scheduling play a part in Caitlin Clark’s injury?

The WNBA typically runs from May to September. This scheduling seemed perfect before this season, as it was in a sweet spot between both the NBA and NFL’s offseason. However, now, the times have changed. With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries to the league, the total games for every team increased to 44 games. Sure, it is great to have another team come into the league and grow the sport. But what did not increase, despite the addition of games, was the length of the league schedule. 

Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts with a possible injury after a play against the Connecticut Sun in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

This season began on May 17, and the regular season is set to end on September 12. What makes the situation even worse is that from the 2021 WNBA season to the current season, the days between games have gone down from 4 to 2.7. And that does not include all the travel days. This situation, if not corrected, is only going to get worse in the future. Next season, both Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are set to join the league. That will make the scheduling even more hectic for the players. 

Moreover, by 2030, three new teams will be coming into the league. Sure, this addition of teams will be a massive boost for the WNBA. But if it’s like this season, where so many star players have either had their seasons end prematurely or have faced a spell on the sidelines, the league may lose out on cashing in the golden chance they have in front of them. 

With players and coaches constantly raising concerns about the scheduling, it is now up to the commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, to find a solution for this problem.

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