Kayla McBride's excellence was on full display when she broke the WNBA record for most 3-pointers in a single game with 10 on Sunday night. The veteran scored a career-high 43 points and showed how she is the Lynx's X-factor.
Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles are certainly important players on this championship-favorite team, but McBride has been the piece that's been really fueling their success without getting the credit.
Kayla McBride is a superstar on the Minnesota Lynx
The 34-year-old was the other player, besides Miles, to really step up while Collier was out. Without her shooting performances and veteran leadership, Minnesota wouldn't be where they are right now, atop the league. The biggest storyline surrounding the Lynx has been Miles' phenomenal performance as a rookie, but McBride has been overlooked in the process. Which she shouldn't be, because numbers don't lie.
From the box score, she's averaging 18.4 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Her averages in points and steals are a career-best in her 13-year career. She continues to somehow elevate her game, despite getting older. Not only is she averaging high numbers, but her shooting percentage has been killer her entire career. She's never shot less than 40 percent since 2018 from the field and has been shooting the 3-ball better too. In the last three seasons, she hasn't shot less than 29 percent from the 3-point line.
Through July, the Lynx went on a nine-game winning streak, during which McBride averaged 23.9 points and 2.2 steals per game. During the surge, she was the leading scorer in six out of the nine games. Her scoring started to dip a little when Collier came back and she wasn't getting as many touches. But that's what sticks out about her greatness. She plays any role that's asked of her and excels at it. McBride has been surrounded by great players her whole career, meaning she needs to take a step back at times. Collier wouldn't have been the runner-up MVP last season if it weren't for McBride's dishes to her.
Minnesota gets scarier as time goes on. In the last 13 games, the Lynx have only lost a single game. McBride has been an underrated part of the success, but what other teams fear is any of the three Lynx players having a career night. On Sunday, she shot 8-of-9 off passes from rookie phenom Olivia Miles. No matter who is having their best night, others make a perfect supporting cast.
McBride's numbers will inevitably drop with Miles and Collier taking most of the offensive load, but it's what doesn't show up on the box score that surely makes her a difference-maker. She is the most underrated and crucial asset on this team.
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