Caitlin Clark returned from injury. Her own coach says the endurance isn’t there yet.

Caitlin Clark was back on the floor Wednesday night for the Indiana Fever. The result wasn’t what anyone wanted — a 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks — but the bigger story was how Clark looked getting there.

She played 16 minutes in shifts of about three minutes each, a plan to keep her back loose after sitting out since late June with a back injury suffered against the Mercury. And she finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Solid enough for a first game back. But Clark herself admitted it didn’t feel right.

“It’s really, really hard to get into a flow,” she told reporters after the game, per ESPN’s Michael Voepel. “For the most part, I got good looks. Some of them went, some of them didn’t. I didn’t get to have a feel for the game as I usually do.”

She did say her body feels great, which is the part that matters most right now. But getting back to full speed? That’s going to take a minute.

Fever coach Stephanie White didn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s going to take some time to build endurance,” White said. “She hadn’t really been able to practice all that much, either. They pressure at 94 feet, so you’ve got to make sure you’re able to withstand that. It’s never easy when you’re reintegrating after an injury.”

A planned return, not a rushed one

The Fever staggered Clark’s minutes deliberately. Short bursts, then a seat. Back up, another three-minute run. The goal was to test the back without overloading it. Clark said she’ll see how she feels tomorrow before deciding how much she can push next game.

Indiana’s next game is a road trip to Phoenix, where Clark will face the Mercury — the same team she was playing when she got hurt. That game tips off July 9 at 10 p.m. ET from PHX Arena.

The Fever hope to eventually get Clark back in the starting lineup full-time. But for now, the priority is managing her body and getting her wind back. The WNBA season doesn’t slow down for anyone, and Clark is still the centerpiece of Indiana’s offense. They just need her healthy.

What to watch next

Clark played limited minutes against the Sparks but still managed to create decent looks. The shots just didn’t fall consistently — and she admitted that not being able to practice much hurt her timing. Once she strings together a few full practices and gets a longer run on the court, the numbers should start looking more like the Caitlin Clark everyone’s used to seeing.

Until then, the Fever will take the small wins. And for Clark, the biggest win Wednesday night was simply walking off the court pain-free.