In 2022, Cheryl Reeve basically wrote the prophecy. When the Lynx signed Jessica Shepard to a multi-year extension, Reeve said: “She is a poised competitor who will be an integral part of the Lynx for years to come.” In 2023, Shepard reminded everyone why she was worth the investment. Appearing in 21 games (17 starts), she averaged 8.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 26.9 minutes while shooting 51.6% from the field and 77.4% from the free-throw line. Not bad for someone who would soon vanish from the WNBA landscape. In 2024, she went to fulfill her contract with Italian club Umana Reyer Venezia and was sidelined by the league’s tough prioritization rules. But that 2023 production made her re-signing before the 2025 season a no-brainer once her contract expired.

Last night, the Lynx finally felt the full weight of her return. Nobody expected Napheesa Collier to miss the game with an ankle injury, but it happened. Against an Indiana team, the Lynx were hungry for Commissioner’s Cup payback, and they needed a steadying hand. Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton, and Alanna Smith all showed up, but it was Shepard who carried the weight. By halftime, Indiana held the edge, but Shepard already had 11 points, 10 assists, and nine boards. Then the third quarter hit, and she took over: 11 more points and two more rebounds, another assist.

Postgame, HC Reeve could hardly hide her pride: “Played 40 minutes, first of all. Couldn’t take her off the floor…. Over the last few games that Phee hasn’t been in, Jess has kind of taken on the spot of Phee and has done it quite well.” That’s no small compliment considering Collier’s league-best 23.5 points per game gap is what Shepard filled, and she did it in style. As Reeve put it, “Jessica Shepard was, for just the second time in Lynx history, able to get a triple-double. Almost had it at halftime—just one more rebound.” Alongside being quick and making franchise history, Shepard stacked up a list of milestones like-

• The second player in Lynx history to record a triple-double.
• The first triple-double of her career.
• The fastest triple-double in WNBA history (with 8:03 left in the third quarter).
• The most efficient triple-double in league history (90.9% shooting).
• The eighth player ever to notch a 20-point triple-double.
• Just the third to do it without a single turnover.

You read that right. She did it faster than anyone ever has in the league, needing just under 22 minutes. She made it cleaner, too: 90.9% shooting, the most efficient triple-double in WNBA history. With that, Jessica Shepard toppled Courtney Vandersloot’s 80% mark from 2018. And perhaps sweetest of all was that she snatched the crown from Alyssa Thomas herself, the triple-double queen. Thomas had owned the fastest mark with three records in 2023. That is seven years of efficiency history shattered, a record holder unseated, and a team reminded why Reeve’s words in 2022 were facts. But there was another reminder for her throughout the game.

Shepard laughed in her postgame interview, admitting that her teammates kept reminding her of her stats as the game went on. “I was just trying to do whatever to help the team win,” Shepard said. “Obviously we have players who carry a really heavy load every night and obviously we’re missing Phee so I wanted to be able to help the team and contribute in whatever way I could and I’m just happy we got the win tonight”.

And well, the team really did need help.

What happened to Courtney Williams?

The other headline last night came from a player who barely saw the floor. Courtney Williams, usually good for 29 minutes a game, was virtually invisible in this one. She logged only 13 minutes and scored just two points. For a team already missing its star forward in Napheesa Collier, those numbers raised eyebrows. Was this a message from Reeve?

Some questioned whether this was some punishment influenced by Cheryl Reeve’s candid critique the night before, when the Lynx fell to the Atlanta Dream. In the final moments of that contest, Williams had control of the ball but failed to capitalize, missing chances and eventually turning it over. Reeve was blunt in her postgame assessment, saying Williams overlooked Alanna Smith on a clean look, forced up a low-percentage attempt, and then lost the handle on the team’s last possession.

Not really, though. The Lynx coach addressed it immediately after the 95-90 road win over the Indiana Fever. “Court just didn’t have it. Physically, she’s just dealing with a little ailment,” Reeve explained, per Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage. “And it just became clear we weren’t going to be able to go with her.”

They did not specify the ailment, and Reeve didn’t make it sound serious. But what she did make clear was that this wasn’t punishment or fallout from a previous game. Instead, it was an adjustment born out of necessity. And Natisha Hiedeman was ready for it, who stepped up and finished strong. “And so that’s what [Williams and Hiedeman] do, they celebrate,” Reeve added. “Courtney will go, ‘Hey, leave her, leave her out there.’ And [Natisha] just having her back at exactly the right time. And I was really proud of [Natisha] running our team, making solid decisions, and obviously putting the ball in the hole for us.”

The bigger picture is that the Lynx do have room to breathe atop the standings, but in the W, no team is immune to attrition. Collier’s ankle issue already stretches the rotation, and if Williams’ ailment lingers, the playoff picture changes quickly….