There is no doubt that Olivia Miles has become one of the leaders of a Minnesota Lynx side that is sitting pretty at the top with a 31-9 record. However, despite her 19.7 points-per-game average and being a Rookie of the Year candidate, the upcoming playoff will be her first. So beat writer Andrew Dukowitz asked what advice WNBA veteran and Caitlin Clark’s former teammate Natasha Howard had for the rookie.
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“You’ve been in a lot of playoff battles, even with Indiana… What are you telling her to kind of prepare her body and mind for that kind of abuse?”
“It’s more mental. You got to be mentally sharp at all times… there’s going to be ups and downs in the playoff series, so for us we got to maintain our emotions, our mindset and stick to the plan.”
Howard, Howard acted as a great support system for Clark during her brief time at the Fever, said with Miles right beside her.
Olivia Miles has recorded one of the greatest rookie campaigns in recent memory, so much so that she is in the conversation to become the first player since Candace Parker in 2008 to potentially win both the league MVP and the Rookie of the Year award in the same season.
Moreover, Miles took the lead role with Lynx star Napheesa Collier out injured for half the season and recorded averages of 19.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. She has also been named an All-Star, won Rookie of the Month four times this season, and is the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 650 points and 200 assists.
And with such accolades, there was no doubt that Miles will be a frontrunner for the MVP honors. While that is harder to predict, considering the likes of A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark are also in the running, Olivia Miles and the Lynx have more than decent chances of winning the WNBA championship this season.
Head coach Cheryl Reeve has led the Lynx to four titles, with the last one coming in 2017. The Lynx have come close to glory since then, losing the 2024 Finals to the New York Liberty in controversial fashion after Reeve later said the title was “stolen” from her team due to bad officiating.
The next season, the Lynx entered the playoffs as the top seed, but could not go past the Phoenix Mercury after Collier injured both ankles. Natasha Howard, who was on the 2017 winning team, knows all about it and believes this is the year the Lynx go all the way.
“I feel like Minnesota could have won the championship last season. So right now, it’s a chip on everybody’s shoulders, and for me, I see how Minnesota played last season and what they went through, and so, yeah, I’m going to have a chip on my shoulder as well because I’m on this team now.”
“Everybody thinks Minnesota is just a regular-season team… They think Minnesota is going to fold when it’s playoff time. But this is going to be a different story.”
Howard has been having quite a season herself, with the 35-year-old averaging 14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. She also received an All-Star selection, so safe to say confidence is currently through the roof for this Lynx side.
The Lynx still need two more regular season wins to confirm their top seed going into the playoffs. And with the addition of Howard, a rookie sensation in Miles, and Collier back to her usual best, the winningest coach in WNBA history has all the artillery she needs to win her fifth WNBA championship this season.