Caitlin Clark and company are off to a hot start before tonight's game against the Atlanta Dream. They destroyed the Chicago Sky in the opening game of the season on Saturday — they won by 35 points and Clark had a triple double to open their season.
They are not, however, firing on all cylinders, as free agent Sophie Cunningham did not dress for the season opener. She has been nursing a right ankle injury since rolling it during a preseason game on May 10. She was seen on the bench cheering on her teammates during the victory.
She did participate in practice on Monday, and the question is whether or not she will see her first minutes tonight against the Fever.
Head coach Stephanie White spoke to reporters about the possibility of Cunningham entering the line-up.
“She’s progressing well, and we see her every day with her movement,” the coach said. “Every day we see her more confident, a little more balanced. I’m sure Sophie [Cunningham] wants to play tomorrow, but she has to go through more tests to see if she will be ready.”
Sophie Cunningham could be a key piece for the Fever
Once she enters the lineup, it will bring another piece for White and Clark to distribute more of the ball. Last season for the Phoenix Mercury, Cunningham averaged over seven points and four rebounds a game.
Once she does, another question would be how many minutes Lexie Hull will receive. She played nine minutes in the trashing of the Sky on Saturday, but with the addition of Cunningham, one may wonder if Hull's minutes will go down.
These are good questions for White and Clark to have. This may be the reason why White is making sure that Cunningham is fully healthy before entering her into the lineup.
“I want to make sure she’s 100 percent ready,” White said. “We’ve got a lot of games in a short period of time. We need her on the floor, and I don’t want to rush it and have any setbacks, so I will watch how her testing goes today and will see the results.”
As the Fever prepare to start the season 2-0, don't be surprised if Cunningham is still out for tonight. They have a quick turn around and play the Fever in 48 hours on Thursday. Cunningham may see minutes on Thursday rather than tonight.