Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles has surpassed all expectations since her debut in the WNBA, so much so that the unanimous Rookie of the Year is also part of the league MVP conversation. And while Miles did not have the greatest playoff debut against the New York Liberty, Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama believes she is special.
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Miles recorded a modest 11 points and 8 rebounds in half an hour against the Liberty. Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart stole the spotlight with 34 points and 12 rebounds as the Liberty defeated the Lynx 91-75. However, Sarama wasn’t worried about Miles’ slow start while speaking on the Bird’s Eye View podcast.
“I mean, I’ve got no doubt she’s going to be fine… Especially speaking from what we saw in the regular season,” Sarama said when Sue Bird asked him how Olivia Miles will handle the pressure of the playoffs.
“I really think she’s a special player. I mean, just seeing through seeing some of the things she did in the games, I was just like, ‘Wow.’ And it was like multiple times each game where it would be like a no-look skip pass.”
Even the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s words while presenting Miles with the Rookie of the Year honors reflected a similar sentiment.
“Olivia, the skill, the confidence, and poise you’ve shown in just your first season have been nothing short of extraordinary. I knew when I called your name on draft night I would be standing here. I really did.”
She swept all four Rookie of the Month awards, was named an All-Star starter, and set a rookie record for the most 20-point games at 22. The icing on the cake was overtaking Caitlin Clark’s rookie record for most points by a rookie in a single season.
This was enough for Miles to secure all 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, becoming only the sixth WNBA player in history to win the ROTY by unanimous vote.
Alex Sarama also gave credit to the Lynx’s front office for identifying such a talent, which makes sense, as Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve already knew what she was getting into.
“What I said on draft night is that there were two players that had generational skills; I would now classify [Miles] as a generational talent…” Reeve said back in June, as per Lynx beat reporter Andrew Dukowitz.
Reeve was particularly impressed with Miles’ consistency throughout her four seasons in college, be it with her proficient shooting, elite playmaking, or in-game IQ and skills.
With the regular season wrapped up and the playoffs underway, Miles and company need to shift into another gear. That’s because Sue Bird believes the hierarchy of the regular season won’t apply to the playoffs.
“What I think is unique about these playoffs, different from potentially any other playoff, like a group of eight or field of eight in the WNBA’s history, is it’s so much about matchups. It is not necessarily ‘the better team wins’; it’s so much about matchups.”
Even though the Lynx were the top team of the regular season, the eighth-seeded Liberty had their number, winning two out of their three regular-season games. The Liberty translated that momentum into the playoffs, and the 91-75 victory in Game 1 was proof that the Lynx have yet to figure out New York’s game.
Next up is a do-or-die game for the Lynx, that too at the Barclays Center. The Lynx have a 0-3 record whenever they’ve started the first-round series with a loss. Moreover, last year it was the Liberty who ended Minnesota’s title hopes with a 3-2 series win.
The Rookie of the Year Miles, Coach of the Year Reeve, and star player Napheesa Collier need to find a way to stop such an early postseason collapse if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.