INDIANAPOLIS — Raven Johnson was not expecting to hear her name called so early on WNBA draft night.
Sitting at the draft table with her family in New York, her mouth fell open when she heard WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called her name for the No. 10 Indiana Fever selection. That look of slight disbelief stayed as she stood up to hug her family before making her way up to the stage.
“I did not think I was going to get my name called, to be honest,” Johnson told reporters in New York after her name was called. “I was like, ‘What, why are all these cameras coming in my face?’ but when they called my name, I was like, ‘Me?’ I thought I would’ve been a lower pick, honestly, but it’s a blessing to get to hear your name get called. You dream of times like this as a little girl.”
Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox, however, was surprised Johnson didn’t go higher. Following the pick, she told fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that “Raven is somebody that we thought would probably go in the top 4 or 5.”
“She is defensive player of the year. She is a leader. She’s a competitor on one of the greatest programs in college basketball,” Cox told local media following the pick. “She’s won at the highest level, and she continued to just grow her game and to watch her this year take her game to the next level in South Carolina. And we were just so pumped when she was there at 10.”
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Johnson, above all, knows how to win. She went to the Final Four all five of her collegiate seasons, with three of them coming as a starter on one of the best teams in the nation. She won two national championships — one in 2022 with Aliyah Boston, who is now in her fourth year with the Fever, and another in 2024.
Now, she said, she will become a sponge as she steps into her next challenge in the WNBA.
“Aliyah Boston, Cailtin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, I think I’m gonna learn a lot from them,” Johnson said. “I’m gonna be a sponge, I’m probably going to be a gnat too, because I’m gonna ask them a lot of questions … they win. They like to win, and I think that’s really big when looking at a program like that, and they have a chance of winning the WNBA (Finals), so I’m happy about that.”
On the surface, Johnson may be seen as a confusing first-round pick for the Fever; Indiana already has a starting point guard in Clark and a backup in Tyasha Harris, who they picked up in free agency this week, so why would they pick a true point guard in the first round?
But really, Johnson can be a great fit for Indiana both for depth and defensive intensity.
“I love Raven Johnson for them,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said during the draft show. “Why? If she comes off the bench for Caitlin Clark, she brings a totally different type of player, different type of defender. You think about her potentially alongside Caitlin Clark, that can work as well, just a lot of exciting possibilities for Indiana.”
Johnson was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2026, which is a rarity for guards — she was just the third to win it in the last 10 years. She is a ferocious defender, giving Indiana versatility in the backcourt when they need a defensive-heavy lineup.
She is not the best knockdown shooter, but she has steadily improved throughout her years in South Carolina. She was a career-high 38.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26, averaging 9.9 points and 5.1 assists on just 1.6 turnovers per game.
Her addition gives Indiana versatility in backcourt combos, too, Fever coach Stephanie White said. Johnson is a true point guard, but Harris is a combo guard that can play both on and off the ball. White is also hoping to give Clark some opportunities to play off the ball when needed to allow her to stay on the court while getting away from constant double-team defense when she has the ball in her hands.
Johnson as a depth piece will allow for multiple combinations including her, Clark, Harris and Mitchell in the backcourt. White can run with her offensive-minded starters in Clark and Mitchell, but bring in Johnson or Harris when they need a boost defensively.
She can also step in if Indiana gets any kind of injury woes like last season — Indiana lost its starting point guard (Clark), backup point guard (Aari McDonald), and third-string point guard (Sydney Colson) to season-ending injuries last year, and Mitchell developed life-threatening rhabdomyolysis in Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals with the load she took on.
“I think it gives us some versatility,” White said. “Thankfully, having a couple of different guards gives us the ability to allow Kelsey to rest a little bit, too. I think we’ll have a pretty good rotation when it comes to our perimeter players, especially in the one to two spot. I think it’ll give us a lot of different ways that we can play, a lot of different matchups that we can play against. We can get different looks. So I think it’s going to be really important, and we can go with a defensive lineup when you’ve got somebody like Raven.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. 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: How defensive-minded Raven Johnson fits with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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