Despite the chaos and uncertainties of the 2020 WNBA season, it was one to remember for Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton. The 6-1 Canada native began her second season in the league with only eight total appearances on the court: four games for the Connecticut Sun, and four with the Lynx during her 2019 rookie campaign. In 2020, Carleton proved she deserved more time on the floor.
On August 5, just a half hour before tip-off, Carleton was told that she would be starting for the first time in her career as Head Coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve shuffled the lineup to cope with an injury to center Sylvia Fowles. The night was full of surprises, because Carleton ended up having the performance of her career. With the 25 points and seven rebounds that Carleton collected, she put herself in the history books by making her just the third player in the last 20 years to score at least 25 points and get at least five rebounds in her first WNBA start.
After her impressive first start, the second-year forward ended up starting 14 more times during the regular season with 568 total minutes, 529 more minutes than she had the year before. Reeve made one thing clear before the season started: she wanted players to shoot the ball. Fortunately, Carleton is pretty good at that. In fact, she finished the season among the top 17 WNBA players in three-point percentage.
Her second year in the league was Carleton’s breakout year. As her confidence on the court grew, so did her performance. Who’s to tell what she will bring for year three.