Alissa Pili's WNBA rookie season can't really be described any way other than "disappointment."
The former Utah star was drafted No. 8 overall by the Minnesota Lynx, and the landing spot alone should have told fans that they were in for a slow rookie campaign. The Lynx are one of the deepest teams in the league and head coach Cheryl Reeve isn't known for her reliance on new players, so breaking into the rotation would be tough.
Ultimately, Pili played in 22 games, averaging just 6.3 minutes per contest, putting up 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
This offseason, the Lynx made a move to shore up their wing depth, something that seemed to signal dim prospects for Pili as far as a potential second-year breakout. On April 14, the day of the WNBA Draft, the Lynx traded a future first round pick to the Mystics for Karlie Samuelson.
Can Alissa Pili have a breakout 2025 season?
Samuelson has bounced around the WNBA, but really found her footing in Washington last year, where she averaged 8.4 points per game while shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range. Her ability to knock down shots from the outside has been huge in keeping her around the WNBA, and it's something that the Lynx need.
But while Samuelson is expected to be a key reserve, Reeve is a smart coach who is willing to adapt when necessary. This is the same coach who took a huge risk in 2020 by giving big minutes to a rookie Crystal Dangerfield, who went on to win Rookie of the Year, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, cut her just over a year later. Reeve will make ruthless moves to better her team. Even though the team used a first round pick to acquire Samuelson, she's replaceable if the right player breaks out.
Tuesday night's preseason loss to the Sky was just one game. It's a very small sample. But if the regular season starts off in a similar way, Reeve might be inclined to give a lot of Samuelson's wing minutes to Pili.
In the loss, the two were the leaders in minutes played off the Lynx bench. Samuelson did a good job getting to the free throw line, but she was 0-for-3 from the floor.
Meanwhile, Pili couldn't miss — literally. The second-year forward was 3-for-3, with all three of the attempts coming from deep.
Pili was a lights out shooter in her last two college seasons, hitting 42.6 percent and 39.0 percent of her 3-point attempts in her two seasons with the Utes. She can be just as valuable as Samuelson as an outside catch-and-shoot threat.
But what makes Pili more intriguing and a potential threat to take Samuelson's minutes is that she can do more than just hit catch-and-shoot looks. Pili has the size to work her way inside as well, attacking the basket in a way that Samuelson likely won't.
Both players should have a role in 2025, but if Pili can keep up the momentum from the team's preseason game, she could end up siphoning off a lot of Samuelson's minutes.
I'm not saying Pili is a Most Improved Player candidate or anything like that, but she should turn into a solid depth piece for this Lynx team.