Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A rookie guard delivered a standout performance against a top opponent, calling it her Welcome to the W moment mid-game.
- Her poise and stats have transformed a championship-contending team into league leaders despite missing a key All-Star.
- The team’s 10-game winning streak and +9.3 point differential show no signs of slowing down as they face a struggling opponent next.
The Minnesota Lynx got the win over the Indiana Fever on Sunday, but it didn't come easy for star rookie Olivia Miles. The MVP candidate has torn up the WNBA in her first year in the league, but even the best rookies have to go through initiation, and Miles told Holly Rowe in a mid-game interview that she got her "welcome to the W" moment from Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell.
"Kelsey Mitchell is really the one killing us right now. I'm really just kind of in awe watching her," Miles said. "This is lowkey my welcome to the W moment, just trying to guard her."
"This is lowkey my welcome to the W moment, just trying to guard her."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 2, 2026
—Olivia Miles told @sportsiren that she was "in awe" facing Kelsey Mitchell 😂 pic.twitter.com/IEzBybL6ib
Olivia Miles offers reminder that she's still a rookie, even if she plays like a veteran
You don't usually hear rookies having "welcome to the W" moments for the first time after the All-Star break, but Miles is a special case. From seemingly the moment she stepped on a WNBA court, she's been playing like she's been in the league for years. The Rookie of the Year Award race was over before it began because of how composed she's looked running the Lynx offense so far.
Miles is averaging 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals in her first season. What's even impressive is that she's not just leading all rookies in points, but she's also leading a title contender in points and assists. She wasn't drafted to a team like the Dallas Wings, which haven't been good for some time and needed a star to come in and save them. She was drafted to the Lynx, which are tied for the most WNBA championships in history and have multiple All-Stars already.
The former TCU guard took over the controls for a playoff contender and made them championship contenders. Not having Napheesa Collier around for a majority of the season was supposed to hold Minnesota back, and no one expected them to be the No.1 overall seed in early August. But Minnesota went from irrelevant to favorites, all thanks to Miles.
Amid established vets like Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and Natasha Howard, Miles still shines. She's an elite playmaker and can create space to score from just about anywhere on the court. Right now, she's shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3. Her tempo is unlike any other guard in the W, as she knows just when to put her foot on the gas and when to hang back.
Now that Collier is back in the lineup, this team is even scarier. Minnesota added the MVP runner-up from last season to an already stacked and fiery roster. Currently, the Lynx are on a 10-game winning streak, and they've done so convincingly. They lead the league with a +9.3 point differential, too.
Minnesota has a chance to continue its winning streak on Thursday against the ninth-place Sparks, who won't have Kelsey Plum. This will be the last time these teams face each other and the Lynx have won their other two matchups.
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