type 'Null' is not a subtype of type 'num' of 'other'

I'm developing a multiplayer sentence game using Flutter and ran into a problem with handling dynamic data coming from a server. Specifically, I'm encountering a TypeError related to null safety in Dart, and I'm having trouble identifying the source of the null value causing this issue. The error occurs when I try to access player information in my SentenceGame widget.

Code Snippet:

sentence_game.dart


class SentenceGame extends StatefulWidget {
  const SentenceGame({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  State<SentenceGame> createState() => _SentenceGameState();
}

class _SentenceGameState extends State<SentenceGame> {
  var playerMe = null;
  final SocketMethods _socketMethods = SocketMethods();

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _socketMethods.updateGame(context);
  }

  findPlayerMe(GameStateProvider game) {
    game.gameState['players'].forEach((player) {
      if (player['socketID'] == SocketClient.instance.socket!.id) {
        playerMe = player;
      }
    });
  }

  Widget getTypedWords(words, player) {
    var tempWords = words.sublist(0, player['currentWordIndex']);
    String typedWord = tempWords.join(' ');
    return Text(
      typedWord,
      style: const TextStyle(
        color: Color.fromRGBO(52, 235, 119, 1),
        fontSize: 30,
      ),
    );
  }

  Widget getCurrentWord(words, player) {
    return Text(
      words[player['currentWordIndex']],
      style: const TextStyle(
        decoration: TextDecoration.underline,
        fontSize: 30,
      ),
    );
  }

  Widget getWordsToBeTyped(words, player) {
    var tempWords = words.sublist(player['currentWordIndex'] + 1, words.length);
    String wordstoBeTyped = tempWords.join(' ');
    return Text(
      wordstoBeTyped,
      style: const TextStyle(
        fontSize: 30,
      ),
    );
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final game = Provider.of<GameStateProvider>(context);
    findPlayerMe(game);

  if (game.gameState['words'].length > playerMe['currentWordIndex']) {
      return Padding(
        padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(
          horizontal: 20,
        ),
        child: Wrap(
          textDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
          children: [
            getTypedWords(game.gameState['words'], playerMe),
            getCurrentWord(game.gameState['words'], playerMe),
            getWordsToBeTyped(game.gameState['words'], playerMe),
          ],
        ),
      );
    }
    return const Scaffold();
  }
}

Error Message:

Exception caught by widgets library ═══════════════════════════════════ 
The following _TypeError was thrown building SentenceGame(dirty, dependencies: [_InheritedProviderScope<GameStateProvider?>], state: _SentenceGameState#2ae6e): type 'Null' is not a subtype of type 'num' of 'other'

The relevant error-causing widget was SentenceGame

What I've Tried:

• I checked for null values in the gameState['players'] list and ensured that the data received from the server is correct and not missing any expected fields.
• I added null checks before accessing player['socketID'] and player['currentWordIndex'], but the error persists.

Questions:

• How can I identify the exact source of the null value causing this TypeError?
• What are the best practices for handling null safety in this scenario, especially when dealing with dynamic data from a server?
• Is there a more efficient way to ensure that playerMe is not null before attempting to access its properties?

I appreciate any guidance or suggestions on how to resolve this issue.