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What does success look like for the Minnesota Lynx in the 2023 WNBA season?

By Lukas Petridis

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Aerial Powers #3 of the Minnesota Lynx jumps for the ball against Nneka Ogwumike #30 and Jordin Canada #21 of the Los Angeles Sparks in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on July 31, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Aerial Powers #3 of the Minnesota Lynx jumps for the ball against Nneka Ogwumike #30 and Jordin Canada #21 of the Los Angeles Sparks in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on July 31, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Lynx are looking to answer questions for their WNBA future by focusing on what they have today. Success may feel intangible at times.

With the retirement of Sylvia Fowles, basketball royalty has left the Minnesota Lynx. She is an irreplaceable player and the hole left by her is not something the Lynx should look to fill, but instead, find a new direction for the franchise. Napheesa Collier only played in four games at the tail end of the season, so the offseason and a chance to reset was timely for Minnesota.

Players aged 26 or younger now make up more than half of their roster, so the organization has taken the hint. These aren’t all newcomers, however, with Jessica Shepard and Bridget Carleton, as well as Collier, already being part of this team’s rotation. Minnesota should be looking to maximize these players’ talents as well as use them to blend the new with the old.

The Minnesota Lynx need their WNBA veterans to help build up their young players

As for the more experienced players, Kayla McBride will continue to be a consistent performer and a galvanizing force that the team can look to as a nucleus. Rachel Banham should see more minutes and provide lights-out shooting. Natalie Achonwa and her steady play may lay a foundation of what it means to be a role-playing big on a team with solid guard play and Aerial Powers can display that guard play, leading by example.

Powers’ ability to put the defense in compromising situations can help the younger players find their feet early into their WNBA careers, attacking closeouts as their opponents pinch in on Aerial’s drives. This development will also be crucial in the Lynx 2023 campaign. Of the remaining young players, four are rookies and the other two are in their first three seasons. This is a great opportunity for both the franchise to take stock of who they’ve got and for the players to earn their spot in a WNBA rotation.

Such a situation should work in symbiosis and prove very fruitful for the Lynx. Fostering a healthy ecosystem that values hard work and selflessness could lead to perennial playoff appearances being closer than we may think.

There is a good structure and a clear long-term plan in Minnesota. They may not have the most talented roster in the league but they have an infrastructure and a pathway that fans should be happy about.

I think success this season won’t look like “what now?” but rather, “what next?” Although this is a somewhat ambiguous criteria, I’m sure Lynx fans will know if it has been answered by the season’s end.

There is a lot on the line for the Minnesota Lynx in the upcoming WNBA season.

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