Olivia Miles has only been a Minnesota Lynx player for just about four days, and she’s already making quite an impression. Of course, she arrived with a stellar reputation, coming in as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. But announcing your presence at an elite level like the WNBA is usually a process that takes time and adjustment. That, however, doesn’t seem like it will be much of a problem for Miles. Because, as it stands, she’s already turning heads inside the Lynx locker room with her display in just a few days with the team.

“I went into the locker room, I was like, yo, you cold… like she’s gonna be a problem.” That was the Lynx veteran guard Courtney Williams speaking about Miles during a press conference that also included Kayla McBride, another veteran presence on the team. And with the way Williams spoke, she looked really impressed, nodding her head alongside. And in fact, all of that buzz and excitement came from just one day of pickup. As Kayla McBride also said, “We are excited of course, even just after one day of pickup.”

Although she was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Olivia Miles was actually projected to go first. And that’s quite true when you consider what she did in her senior year at TCU. Building on what was already a stellar college career, she led the Horned Frogs to a 32-6 record and their first-ever Elite Eight appearance. She also guided the team to the Big 12 title, winning both the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the process.

Statistically, she averaged a career-high 19.6 points per game. Alongside that, she delivered 6.6 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game, which was the highest rebounding average among Big 12 guards. She also broke TCU’s single-season assist record with 246 assists, and became the only player in NCAA history to record at least 2,100 points, 875 assists, 850 rebounds, and 225 steals in a career.

With this résumé, Miles is indeed a strong addition to this Minnesota Lynx team. And as it appears, she’s already demonstrating exactly enough for her teammates to believe in the potential that she has. As Kayla McBride puts it, “Once she really gets acclimated and comfortable, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.” In fact, even with the WNBA being a little bit faster and more physical, she believes Miles can adjust really well.

Olivia Miles excited to be around Minnesota’s championship-level team

It’s not every day that a team that just finished with the league’s best record walks away with a top-two draft pick. The Minnesota Lynx went 34–10 in the regular season to secure first place in the Western Conference, and also made it all the way to the WNBA semifinals before falling to the Phoenix Mercury. Normally, the top four picks go to teams with the worst combined records over the previous two seasons. But the Lynx didn’t traditionally earn this pick; they acquired it from the Chicago Sky. And as it turns out, it has worked out perfectly for Olivia Miles.

Speaking at her first press conference after the draft, Miles pointed out the championship pedigree of this Lynx team. She also expressed her excitement to be a part of it. “This staff is full of just championship culture and championship-level players and coaches. And it’s something that I’m really excited to be around,” she said. She also sees being here as an opportunity to now be able to look up to such amazing, strong women who have truly seen it all. As she also said, “I can’t wait again to be a sponge and soak up all of their information and everything that they have to share.” 

Although the Lynx roster has undergone significant changes, losing six of their top nine rotation players from the 2025 season, Miles will still have the opportunity to play alongside a strong core that includes Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, as well as Napheesa Collier, who is currently out injured. Also, among the new additions she will share the court with is two-time All-Star and former Lynx champion Natasha Howard.

With Collier potentially missing the start of the season, the expectation is that Miles will step straight into a starting role. The Lynx will kick off their regular season on May 10, hosting the Atlanta Dream at the Target Center. But before then, in about seven days, when they play their first preseason game against the Washington Mystics, Miles might get the opportunity to show the already impressed McBride and Williams what she can really do on the court. Hopefully, she impresses again.