Lynx fans have had little to complain about all season long. Minnesota has clearly been the best team in the league, and the roster has few weak spots. One problem was that there was no proven wing depth behind Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton once Karlie Samuelson suffered a season-ending injury. Another one was Carleton’s shooting slump early in the season.
Recent hot shooting performances from Carleton seem to have alleviated the latter problem. Trading for DiJonai Carrington more than solved the first issue. Adding Carrington to the roster also puts added pressure on the Lynx to win at the highest level and on Carleton to continue her good 3-point shooting, though.
Carleton’s 3-point shooting is crucial to the Lynx’s success
Bridget Carleton emerged as a much-improved 3-point shooter last season. Her hot shooting was a big part of the Lynx’s success. She struggled to replicate last season’s 3-point shooting early in the season, but has since been much more aggressive looking for her shot and rediscovered her accuracy. Carleton shot 47.8 percent on 4.6 attempts per game over her last five games.
Her 3-point shooting will be even more important now that the Lynx traded Diamond Miller for DiJonai Carrington. With the Wings, Carrington only shot 26 percent on 2.5 3-point attempts per game. While that may improve in a new system and under a better coach, Carrington hasn’t been a good 3-point shooter so far in her career.
She brings many other things the Lynx need, though, like stifling perimeter defense, someone who can put pressure on the rim, and an additional ballhandler. She should be able to thrive in a spaced system like the Lynx’s with plenty of driving lanes available. 3-point shooting is, after all, one of Minnesota’s biggest strengths. They lead the league in 3-point percentage.
Jessica Shepard and Maria Kliundikova are not 3-point shooters, Alanna Smith’s shooting percentage has dropped significantly compared to last season, and Natisha Hiedeman still has to prove that her recent success from three is sustainable. So, if Carleton fell back into her early-season patterns, the Lynx would have few reliable 3-point threats left.
Carleton earned the benefit of the doubt with her performances last season, though. Even if she is not hitting many shots, she is someone defenders respect and don’t want to leave open behind the arc. On top of that, Carleton is also a good defender. She can positively impact games without scoring much. Still, the Lynx are a much better team when Carleton is shooting well from three. They will also need all the extra scoring they can get now that Napheesa Collier will have to miss two weeks with an ankle injury she suffered in the blowout against Las Vegas.