Raven Johnson, Olivia Miles and Lisa Leslie Team Up for State Street’s “Year 1” Rookie Panel / sportsearchers.com

South Carolina alum Raven Johnson joined fellow rookie standout Olivia Miles and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie for a panel discussion presented by State Street Investment Management’s SPY, part of a new content series titled “Year 1” that’s set to premiere across WNBA channels next week.

A rookie class already making noise

The pairing of Johnson and Miles on this panel makes sense given how their rookie seasons have unfolded. Both were part of the same 2026 draft class, selected alongside a group that included Lauren Betts, Flau’jae Johnson and Azzi Fudd — a class that’s already drawing comparisons to the league’s most talented recent guard prospects. Miles in particular arrived with an enormous college résumé, leaving TCU as the only Division I player with at least 25 career double-doubles and five career triple-doubles, having averaged 19.6 points and 6.5 assists per game — the second-most in the country — during her final collegiate season.

That production hasn’t disappeared at the professional level. Recent coverage of the league’s evolving style of play has pointed directly to Miles as part of a broader shift toward guard-driven basketball, describing a league “long defined by defense, physicality, and post play” now being reshaped by a new wave of playmaking backcourts. In one notable in-game moment highlighted from a matchup between Indiana and Minnesota, Miles was even seen complimenting Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell mid-game, telling her “You so tough, man. Oh my God.” — a small but telling glimpse of the mutual respect building among this new generation of guards, Johnson included.

Johnson’s own rookie evaluation

Johnson’s rookie profile has been framed somewhat differently entering the season — less about offensive dominance and more about her defensive upside. Evaluators have described her as a legitimate value-add for Indiana specifically because of her defensive tools, calling her “a lockdown perimeter defender who is strong enough to hold up in the post” and someone with genuine “All-Defense-caliber potential.” The consistent caveat attached to that praise has been her outside shooting — analysts have noted that for Johnson to earn extended playing time, she’ll likely need to prove herself as a real threat from three-point range to complement her defensive strengths.

Why Lisa Leslie’s presence matters

Rounding out the panel with a Hall of Fame legend like Lisa Leslie adds a generational perspective that neither current player could offer alone. Leslie’s own legacy in the sport is often invoked as a measuring stick for today’s top talents — Lauren Betts, for instance, was recently named the winner of the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation’s top center during her college career, a reminder of how deeply Leslie’s name remains woven into the sport’s current landscape decades after her own playing days. Having Leslie join two rookies navigating their first professional season offers a direct link between the league’s foundational era and its newest stars.

What “Year 1” aims to capture

State Street’s promotional messaging around the panel emphasized the broader theme behind the content series: framing a rookie season as a chance to learn, grow, and build a foundation for what comes next, rather than simply a debut to be judged in isolation. That framing fits naturally with both Johnson’s and Miles’ current situations — two players with very different rookie profiles, one leaning on defensive versatility and untapped shooting potential, the other already delivering elite playmaking numbers, both still early in figuring out exactly what kind of professional player they’ll become.

What comes next

The full “Year 1” content series is set to premiere next week across WNBA’s official channels, with additional details available through State Street’s promotional page. For fans of South Carolina’s pipeline to the WNBA, Johnson’s inclusion alongside a player of Miles’ caliber — and under the mentorship framing that Leslie’s presence provides — reflects just how much attention her rookie development continues to draw, even amid a rookie class as talented and closely watched as this one.