Raven Johnson uses her eight assists to show how Fever want to play
Steals, blocks, and transition success from a Fever rookie.
A SMALL BAR IN MICHIGAN – The Fever opened preseason play on Saturday against the Liberty, rolling to a 109-91 win in the exhibition. Check out the box score here and quickly glance at the rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, fouls, and turnovers column. Look, specifically, for a number higher than seven.
You'll only find one: Raven Johnson's eight assists. The rookie guard didn't miss a shot and added two blocks plus a steal. Three columns to the right, you'll see zero turnovers. Johnson was productive in all the ways the Fever will hope she can consistently be one day – it was a solid debut for the rookie.
More pointed, her first game showed exactly how the Fever hope they can play as a team this season. Dropping 109 points without Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, and Tyasha Harris available is impressive. Caitlin Clark shot 2/10 and the Fever still put up numbers. Their offense hummed, and their identity was the why.
Tony East
"I think we'll be able to do some more things on the defensive end of the floor. I think we'll hopefully be a better rebounding team as well, and that will allow us to play a little bit more in transition," head coach Stephanie White said early in training camp of her team's look for the coming season.
To get into transition, stops are required. Look no further than Johnson, who was disruptive often and helped her new team get into the open floor.
Johnson's first assist came as a result of her pesky defense. While operating as the low man, she crept toward the middle of the floor with New York's ball handler far from Johnson's matchup. Then the South Carolina product slid over to block a shot attempt from a driving Ny'Ceara Pryor.
The Fever rookie rebounded her own block, pushed with a breakaway, then found Shatori Walker-Kimbrough for an open three pointer:
Assist number one for Raven Johnson.
In the next quarter, Johnson rotated under a rolling Xu Han to steal a floating pass before finding Monique Billings in transition for her second assist. A Billings block got the Fever into a fast break later in the same quarter, and that open-floor sequence led to Johnson finding Kelsey Mitchell for another assist, her third. Assist number four came off of a Sophie Cunningham steal — Johnson and Cunningham linked up in the two-player game to capitalize on their numbers advantage.
Four assists in and Johnson had helped produce points by turning defense into offense multiple times after the Fever forced a turnover. Using transition as a weapon is how the Fever will be at their best this season – late in the game, a Walker-Kimbrough steal created the numbers advantage that led to Johnson's eighth and final assist:
Assists number two, three, four, and eight for Raven Johnson.
To turn defense into offense, stops are required. Johnson, in her preseason debut, helped make those stops happen. Even when she, specifically, didn't steal the ball or block a shot, she ran the floor and pressured the Liberty with speed.
When the ball did come her way, she made the right reads. That's what heady point guards can do in transition, and Johnson looked like more than a rookie in that department during her first preseason outing.
As White said, the team wants to play more in transition. Johnson can help them get to those situations.
Once the Fever are on a fast break, the 10th overall pick from earlier this month can both push the ball ahead and find her open teammates. In tandem, those skills are exactly what Indiana hopes to see more of this year across the board.
Clark is the best transition player in the league, making that style a must for the Fever to be at their best. And Mitchell is among the WNBA's fastest players. Using the open floor is a must for that duo, and thus the team in general.
Last season, the Fever were just okay with their speed. They finished the season third in pace, which looks good on paper. But that number is inflated by a quick trigger in the halfcourt. Off of missed shots, the Fever were fifth in pace. After a steal? Also fifth. Their highest pace rankings came after dead balls and timeouts, which is still good for a Clark and Mitchell team but short of perfection.
Saturday night in New York, the Fever flew when given the chance. Johnson had two other open-floor assists that didn't come as a result of defensive playmaking — rather, the Fever simply got a stop and rebound before these chances.
Assists number six and seven for Raven Johnson, both after Fever rebounds.
For finality, here is Johnson's only assist of the game that came after a Liberty make. Note that A) this is a very generous assist and B) this is a still-zippy possession from the Fever.
Assist number five for Raven Johnson.
One player's successes in one game do not define a team, especially in an exhibition battle. The Fever were missing some starters. New York was too.
But the Fever's stated changes for this season all involve better defense leading to better offense, plus a general focus on faster tempo. In preseason game one, the team showed that isn't just lip service. And Johnson was the best representation of the tweaks that Indiana hopes will guide them to a higher ceiling this season.
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