I'll be wrong about this, but here's how I see Karlen: She actually IS a good player, but she needs a couple of things that she isn't getting and might not get much all season.
1.) Playing time. She looks to me like someone who develops into the game as it goes. BUT, with three three AA guards (positions she doesn't play anyway) and the AA wild woman King, four positions are locked. That leaves just the "big." Well, Ivey knows what Westbeld can do if she gets it back together, and Koval is uniquely "big" on the team vs certain types of opponents. They are going to get minutes. Also, Cassandra is starting to strut her stuff, and that won't always be at one of the guard slots, but at King's position. I imagine that Ivey will see the value of occasionally going "small ball" with the guards plus King and Prosper as a defensive shock change-up. ALL of those things steal time from Karlen, who, as I said, needs significant minutes to get her game on;
2.) Shots. Some people have the ball and make their own opportunities, and some depend upon the ball-handlers and the schemes. I don't think either of these things on Notre Dame favors Karlen. We're deadliest when we're essentially clearing or somehow making space for Hidalgo or Miles to slash into the defense and shoot or dish. Sure we pick and roll, but our heart still seems oriented to Hannah or Olivia doing something themselves off it. By the way, Soni is also dependent upon getting scheme set-ups as well, and you can see games where that just doesn't happen for her and she doesn't get many shots. The unusual double-dynamic guard situation that we have really leans into the non-scheme issues of letting Hannah and Olivia "do their stuff." King still feasts because she cleans up their messes.
