The Minnesota Lynx have been one of the league’s best teams for the last three seasons. They’ve made it to the playoffs four times in the last five seasons, coming closest to winning it against the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Finals. Then last year, Napheesa Collier suffered two ankle injuries in the span of just two months. It eventually forced her to undergo surgeries on both her ankles. But more than her body, it was Collier’s mind that suffered during that absence.

At the start of the 2025 season, Collier was the leading candidate for the MVP award. However, she injured her right ankle in a game against the Aces on August 2. Facing MVP competitor A’ja Wilson, Cheryl Reeve kept Napheesa in the game because the Lynx star wanted to go head-to-head against her only competition in the league.

HC Cheryl Reeve was heavily criticized for her decision, given that the Lynx were up by 43 points when Napheesa Collier suffered the injury. The Lynx star’s dream ended the same night. Her ankle stretched, and she couldn’t feel her foot. She knew it was over. With 15 games remaining in the season, Collier was ruled out for several weeks.

“It took me months not to feel like s—,” Reeve told ESPN, with a quivering voice and tears streaming down her cheek. “S— happens, but d—-. I don’t blame myself, but I was so upset for her. I know I wouldn’t have made a different decision because I am so down for a player reaching their goals. … Something that was supposed to be beautiful became such a bad day.”

Napheesa Collier returned on August 24 for the Lynx’s playoffs. They swept the Valkyries in the first-round series, and it seemed like the Lynx and their big star were back in business again. But the tragedy struck again in the second round against the Phoenix Mercury.

In Game 3 against the Mercury, Collier suffered a similar injury to her left ankle when she collided with Alyssa Thomas. Her dreams crumbled, and with her, the Lynx’s hope also ended as the Mercury won the series 3-1.

Following the setback, Collier underwent the first surgery on her right ankle in January 2026 and then on her left ankle in March 2026. The six-month recovery meant she would miss the first 10 weeks. Many pundits projected that Lynx’s successful run could take a big hit this year as their franchise star wouldn’t be there for an entire half of the season. Yet, no one, not even Napheesa Collier, saw the silver lining that arrived in the form of Olivia Miles.

The Lynx found an anchor in Olivia Miles

Miles came into the WNBA as the No. 2 overall pick and the highly touted 2026 Big 12 Player of the Year out of TCU. Yet, despite her talent, few expected the rookie to step up and lead the Lynx to become the most dominant team almost right out of the gate.

Olivia Miles quickly took the offensive charge as Reeve moved Courtney Williams to the scorer’s position, giving playmaking responsibilities to her rookie. She became the Lynx’s best player in Napheesa Collier’s absence and is not only in the running for Rookie of the Year, but is in the conversation to become the second player after Candace Parker who may win both ROTY and MVP honors in the same year.

“Getting Olivia was almost like, with all of the hardships we faced over the last few years, a blessing,” Reeve said about the rookie.

The Lynx went 16-6 in the first two months of the season, while Miles was leading the team in points and assists. Reeve had found her alternative, which meant that Napheesa Collier had ample time on her hands for recovery.

The former Defensive Player of the Year finally returned to the court almost a year later on July 22, right before the All-Star break, and since then Miles has made Collier feel like she isn’t under the pressure to carry her team. In fact, the rookie has given Collier the confidence she needs to take it slow and prepare herself for the playoffs.

“Before, I wanted [to win] everything. This year, everything feels… maybe slower. It’s freeing. I’m just trying to make sure that I am at my peak for playoffs… So, as far as personal goals, that’s it,” Napheesa Collier told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews in an exclusive on Sunday.

She has played only 11 games so far and is already averaging 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and a block per game. The Lynx have just five games left before the playoffs, and that’s all that matters to the Lynx and their superstar.

The WNBA will pause its schedule from August 31 to September 16 as Team USA, including Napheesa Collier and other national teams, head to Berlin for the FIBA World Cup. The World Cup will also help Collier to gain momentum ahead of the playoffs.

“I’m using it as a part of this process. One of my big goals was to make this [USA Basketball] team. I didn’t want this to be a break. I need it to make sure I’m good enough for the playoffs.”

However, just because Napheesa Collier found her silver lining while the Minnesota Lynx remain the only team this season with fewer than 10 losses, Collier knows her team isn’t invincible.

Napheesa Collier is aware of her team’s previous failures

The Lynx have simply been the best regular-season team in the league for the last three years. However, losses in the WNBA Finals and bad luck have previously become impediments in their path to the title.

This season, it’s the same story. Best team in the league, but as the playoffs near, they face an important question: can they do it this time? Napheesa Collier believes there is a need for change in how the Lynx approach the postseason.

“We have been the best team the last two years, and now we are in the same spot. But if we don’t do anything different, we won’t have a different outcome. We were the best. But we have to be better. Maybe this is the break I needed to propel us all the way and win this thing.”

At this point in the season, the Lynx barely have a rival team in the league. Las Vegas, Indiana, and the Golden State Valkyries have been some of the best teams in the league, but their depth doesn’t match the Lynx’s, especially with Minnesota’s star back in the lineup.

The Lynx are already better in one aspect. Unlike the last two times, they have Miles, a player the team can rely on to make and create buckets. But again, it’s the playoffs; Minnesota will need its offensive leader and defensive anchor to be at her best, and she will be.