Caitlin Clark stands out at Team USA camp for a surprise reason

Anticipation continues to grow over Caitlin Clark's debut with the United States national women's basketball team.

While the general consensus is that Clark will be part of Team USA at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Clark can actually debut much sooner for the national team.

Clark has been invited to a three-day training camp this weekend in Durham, North Carolina -- where she is one of 18 players taking part in the initial preparations for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Germany next fall.

An injury-plagued 2025 season with the Indiana Fever may leave Clark with something to prove as she fights to make the cut for the World Cup, which tips off on Sept. 4.

And in the first hours of this weekend-long training camp, Clark is starting to demonstrate that her injury woes are behind her.

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A video posted by Front Office Sports' Annie Costabile shows Clark (#17 in red) moving quickly and decisively on defense. Most importantly, Clark showed off some nice lateral movement that would have been harmed by her nagging groin strain -- the injury that shut her down for 2025 after just 13 games played.

Everyone knows what Clark can do with the basketball in her hands. The Fever point guard is a two-time All-Star due in large part to her shooting and playmaking qualities.

But showcasing a hunger and a drive on defense will get Clark closer to the national team debut that she covets in 2026.

More WNBA news:

• A'ja Wilson reveals what bothered her about Caitlin Clark's WNBA emergence

• Fever's Sophie Cunningham's free agency could be interrupted by WNBA expansion draft

• Sky's Hailey Van Lith on precipice of being cut loose ahead of pivotal WNBA offseason

• Caitlin Clark salary breakdown reveals how underpaid she is in the WNBA

• The reason why Caitlin Clark fans are mad at USA Basketball again