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A worrying stat regarding Caitlin Clark and her availability on the court has come to light - just one week after she was slammed to the floor in a scuffle.
Indiana Fever star Clark has dominated the WNBA since being drafted into the league last year, however has endured some hardship in recent weeks.
The 23-year-old had her worst game of the season on Tuesday against the Seattle Storm, scoring just six points on 3 of 13 shooting with eight turnovers.
And while she's scoring just a point less (18.2 per contest) than her rookie year, Clark's efficiency has plunged in her first nine games this season.
Now, a worrying statistic has emerged and it could spell disaster for Indiana Fever as the season continues.
The stat references the fact that Clark has already missed six games this season. In comparison, she did not miss a single game across four years at Iowa.
Caitlin Clark's struggles have continued throughout the start of the WNBA season
Clark has missed six games for the Indiana Fever this season after struggling with injuries
Out of the Fever's 15 games thus far - where they have won seven and lost eight - Clark has only been able to feature nine times.
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year missed five games earlier this season due to a quad issue, and has struggled badly from the field at times since returning earlier this month.
Clark was then ruled out of the Fever's Thursday night matchup against the Sparks with a left groin injury.
Meanwhile, her three-point percentage has fallen to 29.5 percent from 34.4 percent, while her two-point field goal percentage has also fallen from 53.3 percent to 50.8 percent.
Clark's continued injury struggles could perhaps be related to the numerous on-court scuffles she has found herself in throughout the season.
Last week, Clark was caught in shocking on-court altercations against the Connecticut Sun as she was targeted by rivals Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey.
Sheldon and Clark primarily guarded each other during the WNBA Commissioner's Cup clash between the Indiana Fever and the Sun, with the former Iowa star first taking issue with Sheldon's aggressiveness in the second quarter.
Sheldon's teammate, Mabrey, quickly stepped in and gave a little shove to Clark as she walked away from the confrontation. No technical fouls were called on that exchange.
Clark did not miss a single game during her four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes
The 23-year-old has been involved in a number of on-court scuffles during the season
However, the explosive game escalated to a shocking level in the second half when Sheldon appeared to jab Clark in the eye. In defense, the Fever star retaliated by giving shield a nudge away from her only for Mabrey stepped in again, this time, slamming Clark to the ground.
During last month's opening-weekend showpiece game for the league, Clark was involved in another on-court confrontation with arch rival and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.
Reese had to be restrained after Clark knocked her down and caused her to spill the ball moments after she grabbed an offensive rebound near the end of the third quarter.
As tempers hit boiling point, Clark turned her back and walked away as players from both teams got between the two to stop things spilling over. Reese then walked to the side of the court where a Sky official stepped in front of her to try and get her to cool her temper.
