How Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx Became WNBA Championship Contenders

Could the Minnesota Lynx really win it all? After finishing ninth in ESPN’s preseason rankings last year after a sub-.500 season, they now sit near the top of the WNBA standings, having won 11 of their last 12 games.

Minnesota (29-7) has had one of the league’s best defenses all year, is the most consistent three-pointer in the W and has a winning record against all but one playoff team (the Connecticut Sun).

A big part of the Lynx’ success is three-point shooting — the team is shooting 38.7 percent from beyond the three-point line, which is the best in the league. Four players are shooting above 40 percent. They have more assists (23.3) per game than any other team in the W and consistently have one of the best defenses in the league.

Yet despite a season of excellence, the Lynx have managed to fly under the radar. They’ve gotten their flowers every now and then, but have been largely overlooked in the national discourse surrounding the WNBA this season, which has centered around Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and last year’s Finals teams, the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.

And that’s been going well for most of the year, although head coach Cheryl Reeve did demand that her team get some credit after beating the Liberty in June to win the Commissioner’s Cup midway through the season.

“You have to talk about us now, you have no choice,” Reeve said. “We don’t really care what you think, except now, when we can say to you, ‘You have to talk about us.'”

“We just beat a super team. Do you know how hard that is? Because you guys love your super teams. That’s all you want to talk about. But we just beat a super team. Let’s talk about it.”

Let’s talk about it.

There are a number of reasons why the Lynx have been successful this season, and Reeve, who is a favorite for Coach of the Year, deserves a lot of credit for how she has blended so many pieces together. But there’s no better place to start than with their franchise player, Napheesa Collier.

How Napheesa Collier Became the Head of the Serpent

At 27 years old, Collier has established herself as a true superstar, averaging 20.4 points on 48.6% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks. She is one of the most effective offensive players in the league, while also being a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Her impact on the court is undeniable; Collier owns the third-highest plus-minus in the league at +8.7.

Additionally, while the Lynx have been phenomenal this season, their 27-9 record would likely be even better had Collier not missed time in July with a foot injury. The Lynx have lost three of five games since being shut out on July 4 against the Sun. If they had been able to avoid that injury, they would have been in serious contention for the best record in the WNBA (the Liberty are currently 32-6).

“I think the mentality that I bring to the game the last couple of years is just a lot different,” Collier told ESPN’s Malika Andrews earlier this week. “Since Syl (Syliva Fowles) retired, especially knowing that time is on my shoulders a lot more, and just taking that responsibility really seriously, going out there every day and knowing that I have to perform well for our team to perform well.”

Kayla McBride, a four-time All-Star, has also provided critical scoring as one of the league’s best high-volume three-point shooters this season. McBride is scoring 15.6 points per game while shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc and has the league’s sixth-best plus-minus rating at +7.1.

The key to the Lynx’s success has been their depth

Collier and McBride are the All-Stars, but they aren’t the only reason for the Lynx’s effectiveness.

“Everyone has their moments, but collectively I think we just have a certain toughness in us,” McBride said after a win over the Dream earlier this week.

Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith both signed two-year contracts with the Lynx this winter after losing seasons as unrestricted free agents with the Chicago Sky, and they made an immediate impact.

Photo by Ben Brewer/Getty Images

Williams, the veteran guard, is averaging 11.2 points on 44.1 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. She was huge in the Lynx’s win over the Aces last month, posting 20 points and 10 assists, prompting Kelsey Plum, who defended her, to admit, “She cooked me.”

Smith has defended Minnesota well and has scored well, averaging 10.4 points on 48% shooting, including 42.9% from three-pointers.

Smith has also proven to be a valuable asset defensively, so much so that Collier told her she was the missing piece of the puzzle.

“I’m really fortunate that Phee and I have really good defensive chemistry,” Smith said. “That’s something that’s happened with us from the beginning. It’s just that we read each other really well and worked really well together defensively without having to do much.”

Rounding out the starting lineup is Bridget Carleton, who has been the team’s leading three-point shooter so far, making 43.2% of her attempts for 9.5 points per game.

The Lynx were already in the midst of a stellar season, but the midseason addition of Myisha Hines-Allen has made them even more formidable; Hines-Allen has averaged 16.9 minutes per game as a substitute since being traded from Washington to Minnesota, putting up 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds a night. She’s done a little bit of everything for the Lynx since her arrival and has drawn praise from the coaching staff.

“That’s why we made the deal,” Reeve said, according to the Star Tribune. “Because she fits what we were doing. Who she is as a person. She fits all of our requirements.”

Previewing a Path to a WNBA Championship

As it stands, the Lynx would face the Mercury in the first round of the playoffs. Basketball is an unpredictable sport, of course, but they are 3-1 against the Mercury this season. Furthermore, the Mercury haven’t looked great lately — they’ve lost five of their last six games and don’t seem ripe for an upset.

If the Lynx make it past the first round, they would face the winner of Sun-Fever in the semifinals. Minnesota has already beaten Indiana twice since the Olympic break, so they should be feeling good going into that game. Connecticut, on the other hand, has had Minnesota’s number in a way, winning both games so far this season. But one loss came in overtime and the other without Collier. The two teams face off again on Tuesday.

In the Finals, the Lynx would likely play the winners of a Liberty-Aces series (though either team could be upset in the first round). The Lynx have defeated the Aces by double digits the last three times the teams have faced each other and hold a 2-1 series lead over the Liberty in the three games they have played this season. While both the Liberty and Aces would get more attention in the Finals, the Lynx wouldn’t be a bad choice given how well they have fared against other teams in the league this season.

It’s been years since Minnesota’s glory days, when they won four championships from 2011 to 2017 under the leadership of Maya Moore.

Collier believes they can get back on track next month, and the Lynx’s season so far confirms that belief.

“Our team is so special. I think we really have a chance this year,” Collier said. “The way we defend, the amount of threats we have on offense, just the way we’ve really gelled together this year. It feels like a perfect storm for us.”