Indiana Fever General Manager Amber Cox’s eyes lit up when she saw that Raven Johnson was still on the board. “I didn’t expect Raven to be there. She was someone I had in the four, five, six range,” she said. “A point guard like her can come in and run a team with great leadership and competitive drive.” As they start the training camp with the roster announced, Cox has laid out clear expectations for her in this lineup.
Any other team would have drafted Raven Johnson and very few would have batted an eye. Largely because of the abundance of guards in the Fever. With Caitlin Clark and Tyasha Harris already taking up the lead and backup point guard spots, Johnson becomes the third option in this rotation, theoretically. However, Cox sees this as a learning opportunity for Johnson but expects her to contribute as well.
“Because we have Ty Harris and Caitlin back healthy, it gives her a chance to grow. For every rookie coming into this league, there is a learning curve. It is faster and more physical,” Cox said on IndyStar’s Fever Insider Show. “This gives Raven the opportunity to step into camp, learn from our veterans, and contribute. It gives her a chance to get comfortable, find her way, and gives our coaches a chance to figure out where to put her in the rotation.”
Johnson is in a sense the exact opposite of Caitlin Clark. The 5-9 point guard averaged 9.9 points, 5.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Gamecocks. She was selected SEC Defensive Player of the Year and boasted shooting percentages of 48.6% from the field, 39.8% from 3 and 82% from the line. She ranked among the lowest when it comes to turnovers per game at 1.5.
However, Johnson is not a shooter, as she attempted only 2.6 per game. Johnson gives them elite defense and a floor general. On the other hand, Clark is a pure shooter while handing out dimes in her free time. But her turnover rate of 5.5 per game is a drawback she needs to address. Tyasha Harris largely plays off the ball and is a score-first guard. She averaged 10.5 points and 3 assists in 2024.
That gives Stephanie White options as to which kind of guard she wants on the floor. Her stylistic difference from Clark and Harris also might get her into the rotation. “Caitlin is a player who can play on and off the ball. Raven is a point guard that primarily has the ball in her hands, so it gives us versatility,” Stephanie White told the media. “Thankfully having a couple of different guards gives us the ability to allow Kelsey to rest a little bit too.” And for a team with title aspirations like Fever, Johnson needs to deliver. However, her intrinsic drive to push herself will help her in this transition.
Amber Cox Reveals Dawn Staley’s Suggestions After Drafting Raven Johnson
Raven Johnson has flowered into a capable WNBA-ready player under Dawn Staley, much like Aliyah Boston. She scouted Johnson out of Westlake High school and she has improved over the years. So, when the Fever were considering Johnson to bring her in, of course Dawn Staley was one of the first people they connected with.
“I think it’s her competitive drive and leadership and her desire to continue to improve. She wants to win,” Cox said. “One of the things we heard consistently from Dawn and the coaching staff is that she wants to guard the best player every night. She’s up for the challenge. That competitive drive is something you cannot teach.”
If you look at the numbers, Johnson has improved continuously each year. As a freshman she was waved off by Caitlin Clark because her outside shooting was just not threatening enough. Now, she shot more than 40% as a senior and even clobbered Clark herself as a sophomore in the National Championship game. That further exemplifies her mentality. So, even though there are some doubts around her fit with the Fever, Johnson will be determined to prove them wrong.
