Raven Johnson was drafted in the first round because she is a proven winner and a defensive menace. She took a step forward offensively in her final college season under Dawn Staley, but it was still obvious that her scoring would be a work in progress in the WNBA.
Johnson played pretty consistent minutes to start the season, but fell out of Stephanie White’s rotation for most of July and August. Then, Ty Harris suffered a season-ending injury, and Johnson was pushed into the playoff rotation.
She has lived up to the challenge.
Raven Johnson played pretty well in her first two playoff games
Game 1 of their first-round series with the Las Vegas Aces was not the Fever’s best showing. They lost 102-85, as they conceded 28 points off turnovers and were just utterly incapable of slowing down A’ja Wilson. Johnson was a bright spot. She knocked down a 3-pointer and scored 14 points. She also got two steals.
She delivered once again in Game 2—a 99-89 win to keep the Fever’s season alive. Johnson played 22 minutes off the bench and finished the game with 6 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. She tied Caitlin Clark for a team-high +/- of +15. The only other reserve with a positive +/- was Myisha Hines-Allen.
The Aces have several dangerous guards in Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd. Having a defender of Johnson’s caliber is invaluable in a series like this.
After the game, head coach Stephanie White credited Johnson as a difference-maker.
“I give Raven a lot of credit, too,” White said in the postgame media availability. “When Raven comes in, she changes the landscape of what we do on the defensive end of the floor.”
She added, “She won four high school state championships. She won how many national championships? It’s not the same thing as the WNBA playoffs, but the mentality that it takes—you gotta be fearless, and she’s fearless.”
Making a game-changing impact in the playoffs isn’t easy as a rookie. Even Olivia Miles struggled mightily in her first playoff series, as the New York Liberty upset the Minnesota Lynx in a two-game sweep. Of course, Miles has to shoulder a lot more responsibility than Johnson, and the Lynx’s success depends on her performance a lot more than the Fever’s success does on Johnson.
Still, it’s impressive to see Johnson adjust to the playoffs so quickly. It’s what made her such an intriguing draft pick. She’s a winner.
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