Olivia Miles is leading the race for Rookie of the Year as the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx, gear up for the playoffs. However, the Lynx were dealt a humbling loss by the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, where they lost 80-66. For coach Cheryl Reeve, it is games like these that serve as a reminder for the young rookie not to get complacent or overconfident, even as she shatters another WNBA record.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“I want games like this for Liv (Miles) as a rookie. We need games like this so that there’s learning that happens,” Reeve said in the post-game conference on August 24, which was then beat writer Andrew Dukowitz clipped to X.
“There’s disappointment maybe that she’s feeling. For sure, she needs that, and we need that, and so that’s the kind of stuff that makes us a better team, and I’m quite confident that, you know, the next time that we’re in a hard situation, what we went through tonight would be really valuable to her and to our team.”
This loss against the Valkyries served as a reminder for Miles and Co. of the tactical gaps still present in their style of play. The loss was marred by poor finishing on Minnesota’s part, as they recorded an FG% of just 35.6. Their shooting from beyond the arc was just as inefficient, recording a 3P% of just 33.3%.
Miles personally had a night to forget as well, as she made only three of her 12 field goal attempts and could convert only one of her five shots from beyond the arc. To add to the misery, she gave away the most turnovers on the night, recording 4 of the Lynx’s 17 turovers on the night.
This admission from Reeve comes against the backdrop of Miles recording her 225th assist of the season, taking her to 2nd in the WNBA’s all-time list for assists by a rookie, surpassing Ticha Penicheiro. Penicheiro originally set the rookie benchmark with 224 assists during the 1998 season.
Besides some nights like the defeat against the Valkyries, Olivia Miles has had a sensational rookie season, making the absence of their star forward less impactful.
Olivia Miles Performances Kept Lynx Consistent in Napheesa Collier’s Absence
Napheesa Collier has been the Lynx’s main anchor in recent years. She finished second in MVP rankings last year and the year before that, behind only A’ja Wilson.
As Napheesa Collier missed 27 games at the start of this season due to injuries, Miles took on the playmaking burden quite effortlessly and is averaging 20.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 steals, and has started all 36 games she has played for the Lynx this season.
The number two pick from this year’s draft leads this Lynx team in points and assists per game this season. Her significance for this team can also be gauged from her high usage rate of 27.5%, according to Basketball-Reference.
All this has made the Lynx the team with the best record in the WNBA, downplaying the impact that Collier’s absence would otherwise have.
But Miles has, at times, shown some signs of being a young player in the league. In a game against the Sparks in June, a hot mic captured her saying, “You can’t f****ng guard me,” on a night in which she posted her then-career-high total of 31 points.
While trash talk has, and always will be, a part of the basketball culture, any team that aims to go deep in the playoffs needs an experienced veteran on the court, like Collier. But the 29-year-old has not missed a beat as she returned to the hardwood.
In the 10 games she has played, Collier has picked up where she left off last season, starting all 10. The University of Connecticut alum is averaging 19.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game this season. The Lynx still clearly need Collier to push for this season’s finals. Chasing their first championship since 2017, Collier and Miles will both need to be at their best to get Minnesota across the line.
Miles and Co. will hope to address the gaps exposed in the Valkyries’ loss in the coming days. With a 31-8 record, the Lynx can lock in the number one seed in their next game against the Atlanta Dream at the Gateway Center in College Park.