INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark exited Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Mercury with 5:15 left in the third quarter.
Fever rookie Raven Johnson was the “next person up.”
She delivered.
Johnson recorded two points, five rebounds, seven assists and a steal in 19 minutes in Indiana’s 111-109 loss to Phoenix. Johnson posted six assists and three rebounds in the 13 minutes she played following Clark’s exit. Her only points came off a 19-foot jumper with 2:45 left in the fourth that cut the Phoenix lead to 100-98.
“That experience is gonna keep affecting the PG that she is and the PG she’s gonna be for us. That comes with experience,” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “She got through the fire as far as this situation is concerned, and I thought that she responded well.”
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Mitchell, a nine-year veteran, praised the rookie for being aggressive and being “present” at the point of attack. Coach Stephanie White lauded Johnson for staying active on defense. White added the former South Carolina star did a “good job” of moving the ball down the floor and operating with pace in the open court.
While Johnson proved helpful in Clark’s absence, White wants the 23-year-old to grow in discipline. Johnson committed an away-from-the-play foul on Mercury guard Kahleah Copper with 59.6 seconds left, sending Copper to the charity stripe. Copper’s made free throw extended the Phoenix lead to 107-105 and ended a 6-0 run by the Fever.
“Some things she was used to getting away with in college that you can’t in the pros. Just discipline from that standpoint. She’s going to learn that,” White said. ”Offensively, (there were) some opportunities that she probably had to rip and go on some extra passes, and she gave it right back instead of attacking, but the thing I’ll always love about Raven is she’s not afraid to take big shots. She’s not afraid of the moment; she gets to the next play.
“She’s going to keep getting better.”
Because she wants to get better.
“The thing I love about Raven is she wants to learn. That’s very admirable,” Clark said Saturday before the Fever‘s loss to the Atlanta Dream. “She’s always watching films, she’s always asking questions.”
Mitchell said it’s “unfortunate” Clark wasn’t available to close the game, but knows “that’s what this game is about.”
“It’s the next-man-up mentality. And so the next person up is Ray, and so you pour into Ray like you would anybody else,” Mitchell said. “And I would like to think that that’s how our locker room is. It sucks that CC wasn’t part of it down the stretch, but this is what it’s about. And you’ve got to be able to take the challenges.”
Johnson told IndyStar on June 15 that one of the hardest parts of her transition to the WNBA was “trying to get used to (my) teammates.” With Johnson at the helm late against Phoenix, Johnson’s teammates got a little more used to her.
The Fever drafted Johnson with the 10th pick in April’s draft. Two months is too little time to comprehend a person’s depths. The Fever have more to learn about their rookie. Though partly known, she’s fully respected.
“Those are the people you want to fight with, go to war with,” Mitchell said of Johnson. “And they’re the ones you want to rock with every night, no matter what.”
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @HeronReports. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever rookie put ‘through the fire’ against the Phoenix Mercury. She left refined
Reporting by Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
