
With the official start of the WNBA season looming large, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are shaking off the rust in the preseason.
The former No. 1 pick dropped 21 points, two rebounds and four assists in just 16 minutes in a 95-80 loss to the Dallas Wings. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort after a shaky performance in her preseason debut.
However, Clark left the game in the third quarter and didn't return after a collision with an opponent, and while it was just a precaution, it gave coach Stephanie White a chance to give rookie PG Raven Johnson extended minutes.
The No. 10 pick responded with three points and five dimes, with Clark cheering and clapping on the sidelines. Following the game, the Iowa legend opened up on how she's taken Johnson under her wing.
“It all kind of happens so fast. I remember when I was a rookie, and the terminology is like the hardest thing to understand, and the WNBA is a completely different style than you play in college,” Clark admitted, per James Boyd.
#Fever star Caitlin Clark on her mentorship of Raven Johnson:
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 1, 2026
“It all kind of happens so fast. I remember when I was a rookie and the terminology is like the hardest thing …”
“She asks a lot of really great questions. … Just trying to help her in every way I can.” pic.twitter.com/n2ut9llnQ5
Clark is just about to enter her third year in the league, and she's not much of a veteran herself at 24.
Nevertheless, she's been given that leadership role from the very second she set foot in the building, and she's embracing it while still learning on the run:
“That’s the best way to learn — is to ask questions. I still ask questions to coach every single day because I still need to learn. I’m trying to do that not only for Raven but the rest of the rookies and new players on our team. She asks a lot of really great questions, so I’m just trying to help her in every way that I can,” she added.
Ironically, Clark and Johnson were involved in an incident in college in 2024 that made the then-South Carolina star go viral for all the wrong reasons, so there were doubts about whether they could coexist. That's all in the past now, clearly.
Johnson brings a very different profile to the Fever. She's a physical, gritty, and asphyxiating perimeter defender who will look to pass before taking a shot.
That should be a perfect complement next to one of the most explosive three-level scorers in recent WNBA history.
The Fever are thirsty for revenge after an injury-riddled season didn't end with a parade as they hoped for, and with a healthy Clark and a revamped supporting cast, that's 100 percent on the table.
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