Raven Johnson learning to be a WNBA defender on the fly

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Without Caitlin Clark, the Fever turned to Raven Johnson.

The rookie guard didn’t start in Indiana’s 92-89 win in Phoenix, but she played 23 minutes, the most of any point guard on the team, and while her numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, they needed her for a specific reason.

Defense.

“Raven’s just up for any challenge,” Clark said of the rookie. “She’s super coachable, she listens to everything the coaches say. It’s hard to be a rookie in this league, like you come right out of college, and you’re trying to learn a new system and play a different style or new teammates. It’s a different role coming off the bench, and maybe not being a primary ball handler, getting the minutes you want, or getting the shots you want, but the thing she always does is guard, and she has active hands. She’s physical. I think she’s a great defender.”

But Johnson is still getting used to the WNBA and has had to change the way she plays defense.

“In college you could touch, you can’t even wrap your hand around a post player, but I’m getting better with my fouling,” Johnson said on Wednesday in Los Angeles. “I think just adjusting, just sometimes let them score a hard two (point shot), and then get it back another time. It’s more of a mental thing.”

Johnson was a shutdown defender with South Carolina, earning the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior

So far with the Fever, she has also shown herself to be a responsible ball handler with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.50 over her last six games.

Johnson’s offensive game took a leap in her senior season at South Carolina, going from 4.9 points per game as a junior to 9.9 in her last year with the Gamecocks. She also shot 39.8% from 3-point range on over 100 attempts.

The Fever were betting on that progression to carry over to the WNBA as well.

“You always expect kids who come from South Carolina to be ready on the defensive end of the floor,” said head coach Stephanie White. “The thing that I like about Raven is that she can change the pace of a game. She’s a really good kick ahead, lead guard. She’s really good at attacking the basket, and she plays through mistakes. She plays with multiple levels of effort, and I love that about her. I love the energy that she brings. She cann change the game for us.”

Most rookies come into the WNBA with some offensive skills and then have to adjust to the physicality and pace of the game as a defender. While Johnson has had to adjust to the calls in the league, the transition hasn’t looked difficult, especially compared to other rookies.

Of rookies with at least 20 games played, Johnson ranks eighth in defensive rating, which puts her in the upper third of rookies. That’s all the more impressive considering the Fever’s defensive struggles and how often the backup point guard draws difficult matchups.

“I don’t like when people score with me, so if they have the best shot, I’m probably gonna touch them, but just adjusting, not touching them, using my body more,” Johnson said. “I’m trusting my ability is my strength, so things like that.

“The WNBA is more mental, I feel like it’s more mental than physical in terms of playing. You just got to be strong mentally, and you got to just be ready when the moment is called, and you get out there, you gotta take advantage of it.”

Johnson has still had rookie moments. The shot clock has run out with her handling the ball numerous times, and her 23.8% from 3-point range is lacking.

But she’s already a reliable defender, which is no small feat for a WNBA rookie.

“I came in like giving myself a little bit of grace, knowing that these are top players,” she said. “Like I’m guarding Kelsey Mitchell in practice every day, and she makes me better. And when I tell you, she’s hard to guard, like she’s an All-Star starter, and that helps.”

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