Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx Look Like WNBA Title Contenders

The Minnesota Lynx are the hottest team in the WNBA. For a team that didn’t make the playoffs in 2022 and lost in the first round of last year’s postseason, the Lynx (22-8) look like title contenders. In June, they won the Commissioner’s Cup, the WNBA’s in-season tournament. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak and haven’t lost since returning from the Olympic break.

The Lynx served notice last week when they defeated the two-time defending-champion Las Vegas Aces twice. The Aces have been inconsistent since the Olympics, and Minnesota took advantage of that in both games. In Wednesday night’s game, when the Lynx won, 98-87, Minnesota shot an efficient 59.4% from the field, while the Aces only shot 46.5%.

Now sitting half a game out of second place and three games from the top seed in the league, the Lynx are serious contenders to reach the WNBA Finals in October. So, how did Minnesota go from being a lottery team two years ago to now competing for a championship?

The obvious answer is Napheesa Collier. While Collier was continuing to develop into a superstar prior to 2022, she took most of that season off after having a baby. She returned at the end of the 2022 season and the Lynx began to rebuild in 2023, following the retirement of eight-time All-Star Sylvia Fowles. Collier has been the Lynx’s best player, and now she’s having her best season yet.

Since the Olympic break, Collier has averaged 25.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, shooting 65% from the field and 41.6% from three. She’s the glue that holds the roster together, motivating teammates and making clutch plays. Collier scored 27 and 23 points in the team’s wins against the Aces last week, grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds in Wednesday’s game. If Aces star A’ja Wilson wasn’t having the best season in WNBA history, Collier would be a contender for MVP.

Still, Collier isn’t the only Lynx player having a career year. Forward Bridget Carleton, always a strong defensive player, has improved her offensive game. Carleton is shooting more than she ever has, with 43.4% accuracy. When the Lynx beat the New York Liberty in the Commissioner’s Cup final, Carleton scored 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Guard Kayla McBride is shooting 42% from three and has a chance to break the WNBA record for most threes in a season. Guard Courtney Williams is leading the team with 5.5 assists per game, and forward Alanna Smith has a team-high 1.7 blocks per game.

The Lynx have also benefited from the play of second-year forward Dorka Juhasz. The 16th overall pick in 2023, Juhasz played professionally in Hungary as a teen prior to playing collegiately at Ohio State and UConn. She came to Minnesota pro-ready and has been a valuable contributor off the bench. This season, she has averaged 5.3 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes per game.

The Lynx’s current hot streak is all the more impressive considering the Olympic break was not a break for several key members of the team. Three of their starters – Collier (USA), Smith (Australia) and Carleton (Canada) all represented their countries in Paris. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve led Team USA to gold.

After two wins against the reigning back-to-back champions, the team’s confidence is high. If they continue to play at this level, the Lynx will be serious contenders to win their first WNBA title since 2017.

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