South Carolina Has No Returning Point Guard — Which Makes Tessa Johnson’s Next Step Bigger Than Anyone Expected

South Carolina opens the 2026-27 season without a single point guard on its roster who has run the position at this level before. That’s not speculation. It’s the roster.

When Raven Johnson left for the WNBA in April, the succession plan looked straightforward: Maddy McDaniel, a former five-star point guard who had played behind Johnson for two seasons, would step into the starting job. Then, on July 16, McDaniel announced she was stepping away from the program to focus on her mental health. WIS News 10 Three weeks later, on August 7, she withdrew from the university entirely and will not return to the team. ABC Columbia

That leaves Dawn Staley with a roster that has, in the words of one report, Tessa Johnson as the lone returning starting guard, joined by Texas transfer Jordan Lee, five-star recruit Jerzy Robinson, wing Agot Makeer and reserve guard Ayla McDowell Wikipedia — and no true point guard among them. The question of whether Johnson can evolve from shooter into decision-maker isn’t a development storyline anymore. It’s the thing South Carolina’s offense is going to be built around, by necessity.

What Johnson actually is right now

Start with the numbers, because they explain both the opportunity and the risk. Last season Johnson averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, ESPN and she led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally in three-point percentage at .448, earning All-SEC second-team honors. Fanstake That shooting profile is elite by any measure. What it isn’t, yet, is proof of point-guard-level playmaking. Her assist numbers are modest by comparison to what the position typically demands — nowhere close to what Raven Johnson provided in her final season, when she averaged 5.1 assists to go with 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals Wikipedia on her way to becoming a first-round pick, selected No. 10 overall by the Indiana Fever. University of South Carolina Athletics

Tessa doesn’t need to replicate that. But with McDaniel gone, someone has to absorb a version of it, and right now there’s no obvious candidate with prior point-guard reps at this level.

The backcourt Staley actually has to work with

None of those four have run a college backcourt as the primary decision-maker. Lee is the closest thing to a plug-and-play option — Staley called her a player who can score in a variety of ways, handle the ball and use her size to create shots for herself or her teammates Central Oregon Daily after she signed — but she’s walking into a new system with an SEC schedule immediately in front of her.

That’s the backdrop that turns Johnson’s development from interesting subplot into central question.

Why Staley might not force Johnson into a traditional role

The more likely path isn’t turning Johnson into a copy of Raven Johnson. It’s distributing playmaking across multiple bodies — Lee, Robinson, Makeer, even Joyce Edwards initiating some sets from the frontcourt — while asking Johnson to do more without demanding she become something she isn’t. Her value comes from forcing defenders to respect the catch-and-shoot before anything else happens. Strip that away by making her a pure initiator, and South Carolina could lose the exact thing that makes her a problem for opposing defenses.

The more interesting version: Johnson attacking closeouts, drawing a second defender, and delivering the ball on time — without ever needing to become the possession’s starting point. That’s a skill set South Carolina’s staff can build around a shooting guard rather than force onto her.

The WNBA is already watching

None of this is happening in a vacuum for Johnson’s own future. A recent 2027 mock draft from Bleacher Report projected her going No. 7 overall to the Phoenix Mercury, Tankathon calling her the best off-ball shooter in college basketball Tankathon with a career 46.6% field goal percentage and 44% mark from three. Tankathon That’s a first-round grade built almost entirely on her shooting. Added playmaking — even modest, controlled growth — would only strengthen that profile heading into her senior evaluation.

What to actually watch this season

Not her scoring average. Watch who brings the ball up when Lee or Robinson isn’t available. Watch whether Johnson is comfortable initiating a possession with the shot clock under ten seconds. Watch how Staley closes tight games in November and December, before the rotation settles. South Carolina’s roster is loaded up front — Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins all return — but the backcourt is the one place on this team where nothing is settled. How Tessa Johnson answers that question will shape South Carolina’s point guard situation for the entire season.

FAQ

What happened to Maddy McDaniel? She stepped away from the South Carolina program on July 16, 2026 to focus on her mental health, then withdrew from the university entirely on August 7, confirming she won’t return to the team.

Who is South Carolina’s point guard for 2026-27? No player on the roster has previously run the position as a starter. Texas transfer Jordan Lee, freshman Jerzy Robinson, and Tessa Johnson are the most likely candidates to share those duties.

What are Tessa Johnson’s career stats? She’s a career 44% three-point shooter and averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season, leading the SEC in three-point percentage at 44.8%.

Where is Tessa Johnson projected in the 2027 WNBA Draft? A recent Bleacher Report mock draft has her going No. 7 overall to the Phoenix Mercury.