Fever's Caitlin Clark is still keeping coaches up at night despite 2025 injuries

Caitlin Clark missed much of the 2025 WNBA season through a series of injuries. The Indiana Fever's star point guard played only 13 games as muscle injuries slowed her down; she missed Indiana's Commissioner's Cup victory over the Minnesota Lynx, and she could not participate in the All-Star Game that was held at the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Ultimately, the decision was made to shut down Clark for the year on Sept. 4. As a result, she played no part in the Fever's run to the WNBA semifinals, which ended one game short of a first WNBA Finals appearance in a decade.

However, Clark's scintillating rookie season served as proof that the exciting, explosive playing style that made her a household name at the University of Iowa was going to translate well to the professional ranks. And even though she missed much of her sophomore season, coaches around the WNBA still have a lot of respect for Clark's skillset.

Brondello: Clark among the hardest to coach against

Newly-minted Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello told WNBA legend and Seattle Storm minority owner Sue Bird this week that Clark and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson are the two hardest players to scout in the entire W.

"(Clark) gave us a lot of handful this year," Brondello said on the Bird's Eye View podcast. "She can shoot it from way out, she can pass it. I think she's been a tough one."

In six career games against Brondello's Liberty, Clark scored 103 total points; only against the Atlanta Dream has Clark poured in more points during her young career. Though she played only two games against New York in 2025, Clark averaged 25 points per game, an average driven by her 32-point, nine-assist, eight-rebound masterpiece on June 14.

That performance helped the Fever to a 102-88 win that ended the Liberty's perfect 9-0 start to the season. And it left a mark on Brondello, whose New York team struggled for consistency the rest of the way.

It shows that Clark still garners a ton of consideration -- and teams will still be scrambling to stop her when she returns in 2026.

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