NEED TO KNOWIndiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said she's making a change to her game after being sidelined with a groin injury last season
Clark told reporters she's being "a little smarter with my body" and learning to be successful while relying on her teammates
"I've never really sat on the sidelines before, so that's a really humbling experience and it gives me a good perspective on how to be a great teammate and a great leader," Clark said
After she spent weeks sidelined with a groin injury for most of the Indiana Fever's season last year, the 23-year-old WNBA star revealed how she's approaching her game differently this year and being "a little smarter with my body."
Clark spoke to reporters at the Fever's media day on Wednesday, April 22, revealing that she's planning to take fewer reps in training camp drills and work on being effective away from the ball by letting her teammates take on more responsibility on the court — all in the hopes of going easier on her body.
"I'm the best transition player in the league," Clark said. "That's where I thrive. Everyone knows that's my game. So, getting the ball off a rebound in transition, that's probably when I'm going to be a primary ball handler more than anything, so, I think there's a lot of different things that can give us a lot of different looks and just make us harder to guard."
Clark admitted in another media availability on April 19 that it's difficult for her not to participate in every drill, but she's aware that she needs to be stricter with herself. "I'm the person that doesn't want to sit out a single rep, I want to be in there every single time," Clark said. "I just love competing and I love playing, and none of that has changed, but just being a little smarter with my body and understanding what it takes."
Clark used "training camp days" as an example, explaining, "These days are really long; you're on the court for two and a half, three hours, putting in a lot of stuff, so taking care of my body at this point in the season is probably the most important thing."
"I've never really sat on the sidelines before, so that's a really humbling experience and it gives me a good perspective on how to be a great teammate and a great leader," she concluded.