Ever since Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark’s entry in Indiana, the Fever have been building on their offensive presence. But while offense has done some wonders for them, the defensive side of the ball has gone unnoticed. So, to build on their defense, specifically on the perimeter, they drafted Raven Johnson out of South Carolina. Yet, the WNBA-ready guard hasn’t received the time on the floor where she can make a difference.

Just look at their season-opener against the Dallas Wings, where they got eviscerated by Paige Bueckers’ 20-point performance. However, over time, Stephanie White is putting more trust in her rookie, and that is clearly visible, as analyst Rachel DeMita pointed out.

“I was kind of wondering at the beginning of the season because there were times when players from opposite teams were going off, and I’m like, ‘Why aren’t you putting Raven in?'” Rachel A. DeMita said on her YouTube channel. “Even the first game against Paige Bueckers, when she was doing whatever she wanted on the court, and it felt like nobody could guard her.

“I was like ‘Why not give Raven a shot at guarding Paige Bueckers’, and that was the instance today where I feel like the Fever are really leaning in on Raven.”

Against the Golden State Valkyries, Johnson got 21 minutes of play, and against a physical team, she proved her mettle. She caught rebounds, blocked opponents, and was able to defend them efficiently. So, even though she is only a rookie, her skills from being under a legendary coach like Dawn Staley clearly show. And that’s exactly what the Fever needs after being at the lower end of defense in the league for the last two years. But that trust didn’t come as quickly.

In the season-opener, Johnson only played 12 minutes. Lexie Hull, the Fever’s go-to perimeter defender, had a 15-minute stint in the game, as the team was cautious, especially with her returning from a hamstring injury.

White had a chance to test Johnson on Bueckers, but White opted for frontcourt depth in the form of Mikayla Thompson and Damiris Dantas off the bench instead. The choice backfired almost immediately.

Bueckers took over, scoring 20 points with 8 of 10 from the field as the Wings clinched the win.

In such a situation, Johnson could have been a substantial option, and she makes a good point. We’ve seen during her time in college with the South Carolina Gamecocks that she often locked down the opposing team’s best perimeter player.

We saw a glimpse of her defensive prowess in the preseason game against the Dallas Wings, when she recorded 5 steals in 21 minutes. Yet despite that, her minutes this season have been limited. So far, the Fever guard has played around 13.9 minutes per game, almost half of fellow rookie Flau’jae Johnson, and significantly less than No. 2 pick Olivia Miles. As a result, she has only recorded one steal so far this season.

In fact, the Fever’s last game against the Golden State Valkyries was only the second this season in which Johnson logged 20+ minutes. She made good use of the opportunity, recording a season-high 16 points with 7 of 10 from the field. And Stephanie White has praised Johnson’s development despite limited minutes.

“I think she’s been really good,” White said a few days back on the Query & Company podcast. “Obviously, there are going to be some growing pains. Certainly, she’s not going to be able to get away with taking some of the chances that she did in college.”

After her impressive outing in a loss against the Valkyries, Raven Johnson can expect to see an improvement in her game time. According to a veteran writer, Johnson’s defense could determine the Indiana Fever’s ceiling.

Women’s Basketball Analyst Shares Her Take on Raven Johnson’s Importance for the Indiana Fever

In a team that features Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, you wouldn’t expect to see a rookie like Raven Johnson to have much of a say in the team’s playoff ceiling. But ESPN women’s basketball writer Michael Voepel disagrees, while making a plausible assessment.

“Indiana desperately needs Raven as a defender, that’s going to be the difference between Indiana going somewhere in the playoffs and not,” Voepel said as per Greenville News. “We know they’re going to be able to score, but can they defend?”

Voepel’s assessment is backed to the hilt. In the limited games we’ve seen of the Indiana Fever this season, defense has been their kryptonite. Offensively, they are one of the best teams in the season. In fact, they are leading the league with 92.9 points per game.

Meanwhile, they have been equally poor on defense. The Fever has given away 80+ points four times this season and has lost three of those games. The team also has a mediocre defensive rating (102.3). A seasoned defensive perimeter player like Raven Johnson will be a vital player going forward if the Fever wants to improve its defensive output.

Furthermore, Johnson isn’t just restricted to that. The Fever rookie also brings in elite playmaking and decent shooting on top of her skill set. Given these skill sets and her performance against the Valkyries, don’t be surprised if Johnson becomes a vital part of the team’s rotation moving deep into the season.