Caitlin Clark continues to spend her time on the sideline.
The Indiana Fever superstar can't get over the groin injury that has prevented her from playing since July 15.
More than a month later, the news doesn't even feel that encouraging.
Fever coach Stephanie White was asked by a reporter if she felt Clark would be back by the end of the regular season.
"That's the hope," White replied.
Just being down to hope at this point is a pretty brutal reality.
The Fever need Clark, of course, and so does the rest of the WNBA. She's a needle mover in a way that no one else in the league is.
The WNBA regular season still has about four weeks left. The last day of the regular season is Sept. 11.
The Fever enter Sunday with an 18-16 record, with the seventh seed in the overall WNBA standings, third place in the Eastern Conference.
They've had plenty of talented players step up in Clark's absence, but the injury bug is biting lately.
They lost both Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald to season-ending injuries, so all of a sudden, Indiana had to go outside the organization for some fill-in point guards as Clark continues to recover.
Who knows how healthy everyone else will be when Clark returns? It can't be simple to carry heavier workloads than planned for for a longer period of time than planned for.
Kelsey Mitchell has led the charge, scoring more than anyone in the WNBA, and the likes of Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull have all had their moments.
But of course the reality is this: The Fever want Clark back on the floor. And right now, all they're clinging to is hope.
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