When Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever as a top pick in this year’s WNBA draft, she wasn’t the only rookie who joined the franchise. Alongside her was Celeste Taylor, a defensive standout from Ohio State, who was selected as the Fever’s No. 15 pick in the 2024 draft. However, Taylor’s first season has been anything but smooth, as she’s already found herself on her third WNBA team in just her first year.

Taylor is now switching her franchise for the second time as she has signed a contract with the second-placed Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference. The team announced that they had secured the rookie guard’s services on a short-term contract of seven days. The 23-year-old player hasn’t got much time on the court in her debut season as she just clocked 8.8 minutes per game. Not just that, after appearing in just five games for the Fever, she was waived off by the same franchise as they upgraded their roster by activating forward Damiris Dantas.

However, she found herself in WNBA action once again before the Olympic break when she joined Phoenix Mercury. Playing for Mercury, she featured in four games and managed to score 10 points, her most impactful performance being her latest game against Chicago Sky in which she bagged 6 points along with 2 assists for the team.

Before the short-term contract with Mercury, she also signed a one-year-long contract with Sydney Flames, an Australian professional basketball team. But, it feels she is pursuing to prove herself in the WNBA itself as she will again deliver a short stint with Connecticut Sun. However, it’s surprising that franchises haven’t utilized Taylor much, despite her impressive collegiate stats, particularly on defense.

Celeste Taylor’s defensive potential

When Indiana Fever waived Celeste Taylor, they were struggling with their defense with the second-worst rating at that point. And their decision to part ways with Taylor was not put under scrutiny as she had some solid defensive performance for Ohio which was not utilized much by the Fever. Taylor averaged 10.1 points per game in her final college year, but what elevated her performance were the steals as she made 2.5 every game.

The guard was also named as a 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year with a complete all-round performance. In her senior college year for Dukes, she averaged 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. However, she made her presence felt back in 2019 when she started owning it for Texas Longhorns. Scoring 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, she led the team with 31 three-pointers and found herself on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Taylor was expected to make a good pair with Clark in the Fever as the latter being an offensive threat, Taylor could have handled the team defensively. But unfortunately, she had a rocky start in the WNBA. Despite that, she continues to chase her dreams as she joins the Connecticut Sun, which reflects her resilience and determination, which will also be a crucial element for Sun’s path ahead.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.