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Layshia Clarendon undergoes ankle surgery — here’s what it means for Connecticut Sun

By Natalie Heavren

Connecticut Sun guard Layshia Clarendon (23) during the WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on May 25, 2019. Photo Credit: Chris Poss
Connecticut Sun guard Layshia Clarendon (23) during the WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on May 25, 2019. Photo Credit: Chris Poss /
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Connecticut Sun’s Layshia Clarendon out for three-to-four months after undergoing ankle surgery

The Connecticut Sun, up until last Friday, had the most complete team in the WNBA. They had all 12 players healthy to start the season and the team remained intact during Eurobasket with no one heading overseas.

However, the incredible run of health couldn’t be maintained. On Tuesday, guard Layshia Clarendon successfully underwent ankle surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital.

According to the press release the surgery was “a repair of the peroneal retinaculum and stabilization of the dislocated peroneal tendons in her right ankle… The expected recovery time is three to four months.”

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Based on this recovery timeline Clarendon is unlikely to return this season unless the Sun play well into the playoffs, and even then there is no certainty.

Clarendon has played critical minutes for the team this season, playing double-digit minutes coming off the bench in each of the nine games she’s played in this season.

She averaged 6.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists, before suffering the ankle injury in practice last week.

Clarendon provided energy off the bench that will be hard to replace the last two-thirds of the season. One example was when Connecticut played the Washington Mystics on June 11 when she tied a season-high with nine points, all of which came in the second half. The momentum she provided helped the Sun take control of the game and ultimately pull off the win.

She was also able to provide a quality second option at point guard, something the Sun will miss when Jasmine Thomas gets into foul trouble or needs rest. There is, of course, no easy answer to who will replace Clarendon’s minutes and head coach Curt Miller will likely have the rest of the bench fill in a little bit, though Rachel Banham might take a bulk of Clarendon’s minutes. Banham currently averages 4.9 points in 11.7 minutes per game.

Kristine Anigwe and Bridget Carleton may also see an increase in their minutes, something that could prove to be key to the rookies’ development.

Though Connecticut has struggled at times in the two games Clarendon has missed so far, how they recover and play moving forward will be critical to how the rest of the season goes. The Sun play the Dallas Wings on June 26 at 8 p.m., the second game in their three-game road trip.

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