How Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx became WNBA championship contenders

The Minnesota Lynx were projected to have one of the WNBA’s worst records. Instead, they’re battling for a championship

Could the Minnesota Lynx really win it all? After being ranked 9th in ESPN’S preseason rankings after a below .500 season last year, they sit near the top of the WNBA standings, winners of 11 of their last 12 games.

Minnesota (29-7) has had one of the league’s top defenses all year, been the W’s most consistent three-point shooting team, and have amassed a winning record against all but one playoff team (the Connecticut Sun).

A big part of the Lynx’s success has been three-point shooting — the team’s 38.7% mark from beyond the arc is the best in the league, and four players shoot above 40%. They dish out more assists (23.3) per game than any team in the W, and have consistently had one of the league’s best defenses.

Still, despite a season of excellence, the Lynx have managed to fly under the radar. They’ve gotten their flowers from time to time, but generally remain overlooked in the national discourse around 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 for much of the year, that’s been fine, though head coach Cheryl Reeve did make sure to demand her squad received some credit after they toppled the Liberty to secure the midseason Commissioner’s Cup back in June.

“You got to talk about us now, you’ve got no choice,” Reeve said. “We don’t really care what you think, except for right now, when we get to say to you, ‘You’ve got to talk about us.’”

“We just beat a superteam. You know how hard that is to do? Because you guys love your superteams. That’s all you want to talk about. But we just beat a superteam. Let’s talk about it.”

So, let’s talk about it.

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

How Napheesa Collier became the head of the snake

At age 27, Collier has established herself as bonafide superstar, averaging 20.4 points on 48.6% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks. She’s been one of the most effective offensive players in the league, but at the same time, is a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Her on-court impact has been undeniable; Collier has had the league’s third-highest plus-minus at +8.7.

Moreover, while Lynx have been phenomenal this season, their 27-9 record would probably be even better if Collier didn’t miss time with a foot injury in July. The Lynx lost three of five games after she went down against the Sun on July 4th. Had she avoided that injury, they very well might be in the running for best record in the WNBA (the Liberty currently sit at 32-6).

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

Kayla McBride, a four-time All-Star, has also provided critical scoring as one of the league’s top high-volume three-point shooters this season. McBride is scoring 15.6 points per game while shooting 40.6% 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’ve been far from the sole reason for the Lynx’s effectiveness.

“Everybody had their moments, but collectively, I just think we have this toughness about us,” McBride said after a win against the Dream earlier this week.

Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith both signed two-year deals with the Lynx this winter after being unrestricted free agents fresh off of a losing season with the Chicago Sky, and immediately showcased their impact.

Williams, the veteran guard, has averaged 11.2 points on 44.1% shooting alongside 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. She was huge in the Lynx’s win over the Aces last month, recording 20 points and 10 assists and prompting Kelsey Plum, who was guarding her, to admit: “She cooked me.”

Smith has provided great defense and a scoring punch for Minnesota, averaging 10.4 points on 48% shooting, including 42.9% from three.

Smith has also been an enormous asset defensively, so much so that Collier has told her she was the missing piece on that end.

“I’m really lucky in that Phee and I play really well off of each other defensively,” Smith said. “That was kind of something that happened from the very start with us. It was just like, we read each other really well and worked together really well on the defensive end, without having to do much.”

The starting lineup is rounded out by Bridget Carleton, who’s been the team’s top three-point shooter, hitting 43.2% of her attempts for 9.5 points per night.

The Lynx were already in the midst of a great season, but the midseason addition of Myisha Hines-Allen has made them even more formidable; Hines-Allen has averaged 16.9 minutes per game off the bench since she was traded from Washington to Minnesota, posting 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 earned praise from the coaching staff.

“That’s why we made the trade,” Reeve said, per the Star Tribune. “Because she fits into what we did. Who she is as a person. She checks all the boxes with us.”

Previewing a pathway toward a WNBA championship

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

If the Lynx were to advance out of the first round, they’d face the winner of Sun-Fever in the Semi-Finals. Minnesota has already beat Indiana twice since the Olympic break, so they’d have to feel good entering that matchup. Connecticut, on the other hand, has had Minnesota’s number in a sense, and has taken both matchups so far this season. But, one loss came in overtime, and the other without Collier. The two teams will face off again on Tuesday.

In the Finals, the Lynx would be 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 faced off, and have a 2-1 lead over the Liberty in the three games they’ve played this season. While both the Liberty and Aces would have more buzz entering the Finals, the Lynx wouldn’t be a bad pick considering how well they’ve fared against the league’s other contending teams this season.

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

Collier thinks they can get back there next month — and the Lynx’s season so far validates that belief.

“Our team is so special. I think we really have a chance this year,” Collier said. “The way we play defense, how many threats we have on offense, just the way that we’re really gelling this year. It feels like a perfect storm for us.”