“I have not been able to get them to understand defensively what we need to get done and, clearly, our offence is one of the worst in the league.” As head coach of the Minnesota Lynx since 2009, Cheryl Reeve and frustrated outbursts have been a popular theme. And maybe, like a true diamond in the rough, this is how the Lynx have often delivered, securing 4 championship rings. Now, we can call it an empty jab for motivation all we want, but if the HC’s harsh call-outs hold any truth to them, especially the most recent one, it is time to sound an alarm.

Lynx was probably a winner even before the off-season bells announced trade commencement– their entire starting line-up from last year’s Finals run was returning intact. They were easily breaking into the Top 4 favorites to adorn the ring. But there came their first hurdle when the preseason games took off. The Chicago Sky, which is being touted for a playoff spot in the best-case scenario, had handed them a 69-74 defeat to begin the campaign. Though they managed to bounce back 92-87 in the next matchup, Reeves wasn’t in the best of moods with the atmosphere at practice.

Venting out after the training session, Reeve confessed, “The way they showed up today it felt like they were not interested in really being here and working on anything so… I was still in training camp, they weren’t. They were on to something else.” A visibly frustrated Reeve smells trouble, and the team is aware of that. But is this the kind of push they really need moving ahead?

Looking at HC Reeve’s temperament ahead of the regular season, seems like Minnesota has landed in deep trouble. At least that is what national analyst, Rachel DeMita, has to say after analysing the whole scenario.

“That is not what you want to see from a team that was in the WNBA finals last year. Cheryl Reeves here is basically saying they didn’t want to practice,” Rachel said. “You do not want to not want to practice when the season hasn’t even begun yet. For her to say that they had a lack of effort, a lack of excitement, a lack of focus when you’re only in training camp, that is not a good look.”

As aforementioned, the Lynx are the early favorites to win it all with the return of Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Napheesa Collier, Bridget Carleton, and Alanna Smith. The recent faring, however, has suggested anything but. Angel Reese & Co. managed to hold down Napheesa Collier to a mere 8 points while Smith led with 10. Adding to the disappointment, no one else managed to crack the double-figure mark.  It was a day the Lynx would rather forget, and so would DeMita, who had them No.1 in her power rankings.

“And this was a team originally in my power rankings. I had them number one. After seeing their performance in preseason, I am not sure about that,” the analyst said. In their second showing, too, the Lynx trailed their opponents by two points up until the final four minutes of the game. Now their disinterest during the training despite being championship contenders? Yeah, we get where Rachel is coming from.

But maybe we don’t count them out just yet, give them the benefit of the doubt. Sure, game 1 was a disaster, and Cheryl Reeves’ comments aren’t doing them any favor, but they did bounce back in the second showing. Collier herself dropped 26 points and assured to work on the team chemistry. The defense, of course, can use a little work, but that result showed grit, determination, and a team everyone had on their favorites list.

So which Lynx is the real one this season? We are going to know when the regular season kicks off on May 16th against the Dallas Wings. For now, looks like Collier is carrying all the hopes.

Napheesa Collier’s efficiency as leader of Minnesota Lynx

Napheesa Collier is nothing short of “the epitome of what we want to see,” for HC and President of Minnesota Lynx, Cheryl Reeve, A true leader who fails to disappoint the HC and the team, Collier has been harbouring the team’s responsibility as an efficient leader, both on the court and off of it.

In fact, national analyst Rachel DeMita was all praise for the forward player despite the team’s average preseason performance. After all, the 4x All-Star had managed to put up 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 threes, and 1 steal.

Reinstating the belief that Collier has the potential to instil the hunger in her fellow teammates, Rachel was quick to add, “It really is probably at this point up to her to make sure that she can get in the locker room and make sure that everyone is on board. Because if they want to win this year, if they want to be in the place that they were last year, they have got to get it together because there are a lot of teams that have a lot of firepower around them. So, they really can’t be sleeping, especially this early in the season.”

Now whether Collier can buckle up and take the reins in her hand to turn the fate of the team in their favour is yet to be seen. But one thing is clear. As other power-hungry W teams get ready for the upcoming regular season, the Minnesota Lynx need to travel the extra mile and wake up before they find themselves on the losing end of the spectrum.