It has certainly been a wise decision by the Minnesota Lynx to pick Olivia Miles in the 2026 WNBA draft class. The rookie from TCU is certainly putting up numbers and performances for the ROTY. She is on track to have a rookie year on the lines of her predecessors like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.

Miles has certainly shouldered the extra weight thrust upon her. This has made head coach Cheryl Reeve very happy as Miles collects the ROTM and POTW honors. She becomes the first rookie to do so since Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese did it in 2024.

“It’s hard to say it’s surprising,” Reeve said, reacting to Miles receiving ROTM and POTW honors. “…because that would mean we didn’t expect it, which isn’t true.

The Lynx coach has been full of praise for her guard. She insists that they had always backed her to succeed in her role. Well, it’s certainly easy to say that now, even though she may have had doubts before.

“What I said on draft night was that there were two players that had generational skills,” Reeve said in a Lynx media release on Monday. “I would now classify her as a generational talent.”

There was never a doubt about Miles’ ability and talent. But there was certainly a doubt as to where those talents would be best utilized. Lynx has turned out to be a good destination. At least for now. They are fitting perfectly. And winning together. A lot. However, the manner in which she has taken up the mantle has surely surpassed expectations.

Having a mentor like Naismith Hall of Famer and former Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen is certainly helping Miles. Her development as a player has been heavily influenced by Whalen till now.

She has certainly earned the confidence of Reeves and Co. They are now running a lot of plays through her with Miles acting as the floor general. She is dictating plays up and down the court and remains upbeat about her prospects as well.

Miles is all about putting solid numbers this season. She is averaging a team high of 17.2 PTS with a career best 51.9 percent shooting from the field and is currently league best in win shares(2.2), edging out A’ja Wilson. She is also sixth in the league for assists per game, at 6.4. Her 70 assists this season are the 4th highest as well. Miles is certainly using her quickness and agility on the court to her advantage.

Miles makes this Lynx team better

It isn’t just Olivia Miles who is putting up solid numbers. She has made everyone around her perform at their fullest. Miles is proving to be a great passer of the ball. She has excellent vision to find teammates. Her pick-and-roll sequence with Natasha Howard has become somewhat of a regular sight. Courtney Williams may be back to her best. She is averaging 17.1 PTS on a career-high 48.5 percent shooting from the field.

And Miles and Lynx are all doing this without Naphessa Collier. And she was an MVP contender last year. So Miles has come into a team that is pushing to be a title contender. And she is relishing this role.

Lynx also lost a lot of veterans and star players in the last offseason. They only have 4 players from the last season roster. A team that made it to the semifinals. Now, they are 10-2. They are on track to maybe even better their record from last year. Maybe push for a conference title. Maybe even push for the championship. This would be possible in no small part due to Miles.

So it seems for now that injuries to players like Collier, Dorka Juhasz, and Emma Cechova have not impacted the Lynx as such. However, this would be a long season, and only time will tell how successful the Lynx will turn out to be.

For now, Miles is proving to be solid 3 way threat as a guard, running the tempo on the court and dictating play. More power to the goggle-wearing guard.