Few could’ve guessed that a No. 2 overall pick from TCU Horned Frogs would make so much of an impact for the Minnesota Lynx that she is now in the MVP conversations for this season. And there’s good reason the Rookie of the Year frontrunner became one of the most important players for head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Miles led the Lynx during the absence of Napheesa Collier, who was out with an ankle injury she suffered during last season’s playoffs. With Collier back, there have been debates surrounding who the leader of the Lynx truly is now. Well, for The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton, there is not much room for debate.
“I think it’s Olivia Miles’ team. I do. I think that her impact is on all levels… Like, all due respect, (Collier’s) an amazing player, one of the best players on the planet, but like, you see what she (Miles) brings as a rookie. You see what she can do,” Hamilton said, on the latest episode of the No Offseason podcast.
“But if all the sort of unspoken subtleties of Olivia’s the centerpiece is going to be a problem, that’s not an Olivia problem. I think that’s a Napheesa problem. Problem may be a strong word: adjustment, whatever you want to call it. I think it’s Olivia Miles all the way now, and you fit that, not the other way around.” Hamilton added.
While The Athletic senior writer believes Miles has taken over the mantle from Collier as the anchor of the Lynx, that does not indicate to him that Collier has fallen off. In fact, Hamilton also stated the importance of Collier, believing that she will undoubtedly be the player the Lynx and head coach Reeve will “ride” upon.
Regardless, Hamilton crediting Miles as the Lynx’s centerpiece this season makes sense due to her impactful rookie year. Miles is currently averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. For comparison, it is slightly more than the seasoned veteran, who has picked things up after her return to the hardwood and is averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
However, if we go deeper, we can truly understand why Olivia Miles is considered to be having one of the greatest rookie seasons in WNBA history. Miles has consistently shown why she is the best rookie out of the lot by winning four consecutive Rookie of the Month honors, including the latest one in August.
Moreover, she won the Western Conference Player of the Week and received recognition as an All-Star starter. And to top it off, Miles recently added the biggest highlight of her rookie season, officially dethroning Caitlin Clark’s 2024 rookie record of 769 points. Miles is now the rookie with the most points in a WNBA season, setting a new benchmark of 790 points.
With such accolades under her belt, Olivia Miles now has the opportunity to become the first player since Candace Parker in 2008 to potentially win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Be that as it may, Brian Hamilton’s opinion of the Lynx being Olivia Miles’ team becomes even simpler when we realise we have already seen Miles as the Lynx’s anchor during Collier’s absence. We have already seen that Miles is capable of leading a team to success, even though she is just a rookie.
The Lynx are currently table toppers with a 32-10 record, and need one more victory in one of their games against the Indiana Fever to secure the top seed in the playoffs. With Collier’s injury, nobody saw this coming ahead of the start of the new season, but Olivia Miles is the difference-making reason.
As for the Miles-Collier dynamic in the playoffs, Lynx beat reporter Andrew Dukowitz asked Collier about the biggest adjustment she had to make since her return to the team. Her answer was obviously Miles, and she only had the kindest words to spare for the rookie.
“I’ve never played with a player like her before… just the way that Liv plays. She can attack in so many different ways, like the way that she can. Her passing ability… So, that is an adjustment. It’s a fun adjustment, something I’ve never done before. So, that’s probably like getting on pace with her.”
Above all, the Lynx are led by the winningest coach in WNBA history, Cheryl Reeve. The four-time WNBA champion is highly respected by all players she has coached, and it will be interesting to see how she uses Miles and Collier in the playoffs.