Bridget Carleton has had a rather rough season, shooting only 39.3 percent from the field and 33 percent from long range. That is a significant drop-off from last season.
2024 marked a breakout year for Carleton. She logged career-highs all across the board. Her 3-point shot was especially impressive. She converted 44.4 percent of her 5.3 attempts per game. Carleton’s accuracy from three was a huge part of the Lynx’s success last season.
They have been able to make up for Carleton’s shooting struggles, leading the league with 21 wins and only four losses. Still, if Carleton can truly rediscover her shot, it would be a major boost for the Lynx, especially considering that the Liberty will get EuroBasket MVP Emma Meesseman soon.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves noted a significant change in Carleton’s game after the Lynx’s win over the Sky.
“She’s kind of turned the page with her aggression and we need that,” Reeves said in her postgame press conference. “Obviously [Bridget Carleton] got seven threes off, you know. All great looks, and obviously it’s really helpful. It’s helpful. It makes everyone else’s life a little bit easier, you know, when a player like her doesn’t go sideways with everything and defers all the time. So, we finally have kind of gotten her switched back to aggression.”
Bridget Carleton played her best game in a while
While Carleton’s season hasn’t been great overall, she put together some impressive games, like her 14-point performance in an overtime win over Atlanta. Her game against the Chicago Sky marked another solid performance and continued an encouraging trend.
The Lynx’s previous game against Chicago before All-Star Weekend was the first time since early July that Carleton made the majority of her 3-point attempts and attempted a high volume. She went 3-6 from three. In her final game before All-Star, Carleton struggled again. However, her shot was back after the break.
She went 3-7 from three and finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one block. She looked for her shot and was aggressive on both ends of the floor.
The Lynx need Carleton to be aggressive
Halfway through the season, three teams have established themselves as true contenders: the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, and the Phoenix Mercury. Minnesota went into the 2025 season with few roster changes, relying on the same core that got them to the finals last year. They have not made any major additions since then. Meanwhile, the Liberty added Natasha Cloud in the offseason and signed Emma Meesseman earlier this week. Phoenix signed DeWanna Bonner after her exit from the Fever.
With Meesseman and Bonner picked up, the Lynx don’t have many options left to significantly boost the roster before the playoffs. So, if Carleton can consistently up her volume and be aggressive, the Lynx would get a massive boost without having to make a big move.