Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- One of the WNBA's top teams, the Lynx, prepare to welcome back star Napheesa Collier tonight after months of waiting.
- Her season-long absence has not slowed their rise to the league's best record, but her skills could elevate them further.
- The adjustment back into a rhythm that already features three dominant guards will test the team's chemistry before the All-Star break.
The Minnesota Lynx have looked like a juggernaut this season. They have the best record in the league, the third-best offense and the second-best defense. Their net rating is the best in the league and the difference between them and the second-place Golden State Valkyries is roughly the same as the difference between the Valkyries and the seventh-place New York Liberty.
And they've done all of that without a single minute from their best player and last year's MVP runner-up — Napheesa Collier. She underwent offseason surgery on both ankles and has yet t play this season. But that could change tonight ...
Napheesa Collier is probable for tonight's matchup against the Storm
The WNBA's official injury report lists Collier as probable and all indications are that she'll play tonight, in the Lynx's last game before the All-Star Break. Don't let the Lynx's dominance to this point throw you — Collier's return is a huge deal.
She's a two-way force who, at age-29, is still very much in her prime. Last year, she became just the second player in WNBA history to post a 50/40/90 season, while averaging 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She's made First Team All-Defense twice and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. She's finished second in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons.
Simply put, Collier is one of the three or four best players in the WNBA and she's now joining a roster and rotation that's been blowing out the competition.
Projected Lynx starting lineup with Napheesa Collier
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Olivia Miles | PG | Maya Caldwell |
Kayla McBride | SG | Antonia Delaere |
Courtney Williams | SF | Anastasiia Kosu |
Napheesa Collier | PF | Nia Coffey |
Natasha Howard | C | Nia Coffey |
The Lynx frontline is undersized and Collier's return will be a huge relief for Nia Coffey and Natasha Howard who have been shouldering an enormous load at both ends with her out. Howard likely retains her starting spot, with Coffey moving to the bench and backup both bigs.
As head coach Cheryl Reeve told ESPN, "They are anxious to have more help. We've got a front line that's been sort of overworked."
The three-guard core of Miles, McBride and Williams stays intact and this has been the driving force for Minnesota's success. Miles is the presumptive Rookie of the Year and has honestly played her way into the MVP conversation, shooting 50 percent from the field and averaging 19.6 points, 5.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. All three of them may see fewer shots and touches now, something else Reeve highlighted to ESPN.
"There are going to be side effects. Ultimately, people are going to be affected minute-wise and maybe therefore production-wise. They are still going to be valuable, [but stats won't] look as gaudy as when Phee was out."
That's an adjustment for the Lynx to work through but they have a strong team culture and no one really expects Collier's return to somehow fracture their locker room or identity. The biggest actual adjustment may be finding their driving lanes a bit more crowded with Collier drawing defenders to the paint.
Tonight's opponent — the Storm — aren't one of the best teams in the league but do have the size and athleticism to give Minnesota some problems. They've been starting twin towers Awa Fam (6-foot-4) and Dominique Malonga (6-foot-6) and rookie guard Flau'jae Johnson has provided some perimeter scoring punch, averaging 13.6 points per game.
The Lynx have the talent to overwhelm the Storm but this one won't be easy as Minnesota tries to figure out how to reincorporate their biggest star without sacrificing their rhythm or momentum.
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