After scoring 11 points in an 81-76 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on June 14, Cheryl Reeve talked about Lynx forward Bridget Carleton’s impact in the 37 minutes she played.
“She’s just very trustworthy,” said Reeve. “It’s trustworthiness and dependability. … Every player will tell you that you can just depend upon BC.”
Trustworthy is the perfect word for the former Iowa State Cyclone, now in her sixth WNBA season. Her defense and three-point shot-making have elevated Carlton to become a starting forward with the Lynx and a valuable piece on a contending team. However, her starting spot and success this season were never guaranteed.
Carleton was not necessarily a lock as a starter at the beginning of the season. The Lynx had taken Diamond Miller second overall in 2023, and she was coming from an encouraging rookie campaign where she averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game.
Miller started all 32 games she played and averaged 26.1 minutes per game. However, after injuring her meniscus and having surgery, she had to sit out most of the off-season leading into the 2024 season.
After training camp and preseason, Reeve went with Carleton to start the year, assuming that Miller would work her way back into the rotation and hopefully back into the starting lineup. However, Carleton played significantly better than anyone could have expected. That kept Miller with the second until she suffered a right knee injury that required her to miss six weeks.
With Miller out of the equation, Carleton continued to play at a high level throughout the entire season. She has started 32 of 35 games and averaged a career-high 29.6 minutes per game. With the opportunity, Carlton is averaging a career-high in points (9.5), rebounds (3.9), steals (1.1), and blocks (0.3) per game. She has also shot 43.2% from three (fifth-best in the WNBA) and has a remarkable 62.3% true shooting, which ranks fourth in the WNBA.
Carleton has had a career year statistically, taking advantage of the opportunity. As a result, she has retained the starting spot even after Miller returned from injury, largely because of her dependability. No team has held Carleton scoreless, and she has been double figures in 18 of the 35 games she has played.
Her 104.4 offensive rating is 1.1 better than Minnesota’s 103.3 team offensive rating. Her 92.9 defensive rating is 2.0 better than the Lynx’s league-best 94.9. A player’s teammates can often affect her individual ratings. Therefore, Napheesa Collier‘s strong play likely influences Carlton’s ratings.
Still, Carleton’s offensive and defensive rankings are better than the team overall, which suggests that the Lynx plays better with Carlton on the floor, even without Collier.
Carleton’s defensive impact is hard to quantify. She has career-highs in steals, blocks, and rebounds. Her career-best defensive rating suggests she’s an impactful defender. However, the Lynx often use Carleton as a help defender.
In a typical game, the Lynx have guards Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride guard the opposing team’s best ball-handlers. Collier takes the opposing team’s best forward, and Alanna Smith guards the opposing center. That leaves Carleton to guard the opposing team’s less dynamic forward.
Carlton has shined in that role this season. She intuitively knows when to leave her matchup to help double, poke at driving players, pick up cutters, and open players during scrambles when the defense is out of position.
Because Carlton guards typically a lesser shooter, it allows her to jump passing lanes for steals and be in places where the opposing team may not expect her. Carleton’s steals on passing lanes have resulted in her averaging 2.5 points per game off of turnovers, a full 1.5 points better than her previous career high of 1.0.
However, Carelton’s impact is much more apparent offensively. She has become one of the best above-the-break three-point shooters in the WNBA. She shoots 42.8% on 4.5 a game, with 98.5% of her makes coming off of assists.
Carlton’s shooting and ability to space from above the break have been imperative to the Lynx’s offense. It spreads the floor for Collier and Williams to work in the midrange and have less crowding on the wings, forcing defenders to collapse on them on a drive. More often than not, that leaves Carleton open for the kick-out three.
Sometimes, the best players on a team are players who understand their role and play it to the best of their abilities. That’s the case with Carleton. She has become a dependable and trustworthy role player who excels as a three-point shooter and as an off-ball help defender. As the Lynx battle for a top seed in the WNBA playoffs, having a player like Carleton has resulted in their starting five working seamlessly together.
