Stephanie White Shares ‘Big Piece’ Prediction for Raven Johnson’s Fever Future
The Las Vegas Aces ended the Indiana Fever’s season for the second consecutive year. So, while the Aces, New York Liberty, Golden State Valkyries, and Atlanta Dream battle for the 2026 WNBA Championship, the Fever must look ahead to an important offseason and a 2027 season that will hopefully yield more postseason success.
Despite the early exit, the Fever can take some positives away from this year’s series against the Aces. Caitlin Clark, who missed the postseason last year, desperately needed the experience. Moreover, rookie Raven Johnson played some good minutes. She was a lone bright spot in Game 1, scoring 14 points and knocking down a 3-pointer in 22 minutes on the court. She was also impactful in the Fever’s Game 2 victory with 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Johnson’s first playoff run with the Fever bodes well for her future with the team and offers Stephanie White one solution to the lack of wing depth and defensive tenacity on the roster.
“Everybody would love to have a long athletic wing that can defend around the 3-point line, that can help pick up pressure 94 feet and can rebound and give us another slasher I think in the way that Raven began to do that for us and has the ability to do that for us,” White said in her exit interview when asked about what the roster needed for next season, per a video on the Fever’s YouTube channel. “I think she’s going to be a big piece for us moving forward. I think she’s got an opportunity to slide into a larger role because she can do that.”
Getting consistent production out of Johnson would go a long way for the Fever
Johnson was not in White’s rotation for much of July and August before she got an opportunity in a bad 93-77 loss to the Washington Mystics. That, paired with Ty Harris’s season-ending injury, pushed Johnson into a bigger role for the playoffs.
If she can consistently fill a role like that next season, it would help the Fever navigate the financial realities of keeping their big three together. Aliyah Boston will make $1,470,000 next season, and Clark is also eligible to sign an EPIC extension. Kelsey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent. After the record-setting scoring season she just had, they will most likely have to pay her a max contract to keep her in Indiana.
If they can re-sign Mitchell, the Fever will have a lot of money going to just three players. Monique Billings and Lexie Hull are also on big contracts, which doesn’t give the Fever much financial flexibility to improve the supporting cast. That, in turn, makes figuring out how to get the most out of Johnson and Makayla Timpson, who are on cheap rookie contracts, very important.
Raven Johnson needs to improve her 3-point shot
Johnson can help the Fever with her defensive tenacity, energy, and rebounding. Those are things the Fever need from their role players, and it shows. Johnson was one of just two Fever players to finish Game 3 with a positive +/-. Although an imperfect stat, it shows that Johnson can positively impact games.
However, Johnson would be an even better fit with the Fever if she could take a step as a 3-point shooter. She shot just 23.4% from deep for the regular season and went 1-of-5 in the playoffs.
Johnson doesn’t need to become Caitlin Clark, confidently launching and making deep 3-pointers, but if she can knock down open shots more consistently, she could become a great 3-and-D role player for the Fever.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.