In our two-part Midseason Analysis series, Mitchell Hansen and Leo Sun will take a deep dive into the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. To kick things off in Part I, here’s a look at the Lynx offense so far.
The WNBA’s Olympic Break is officially here as the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the league pause the regular season for nearly a month.
Before the regular season resumes on Aug. 15, we want to look back on the year that was and break down the season thus far for the Minnesota Lynx, who sit at 17-8 overall at the break with just 15 games remaining before the postseason.
In our two-part Midseason Analysis series, Mitchell Hansen and Leo Sun will take a deep dive into the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. To kick things off in Part I, here’s a look at the Lynx offense so far. Keep an eye out for Part II this week.
The Numbers
The Lynx got off to a hot start to begin the 2024 campaign, and although defense got a lot of the praise, Minnesota was doing just as well on the offense side of the ball and notably from deep.
Entering the regular season, Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve noted her desire for the team to “be in the top four” of the league in 3-point attempts, and that quickly became the case.
At the break, Minnesota has tapered off a bit offensively, but still sits sixth in the WNBA in offensive rating (101.1) while ranking first in 3-point percentage (38.4%), first in assists (23.3) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62).
As mentioned, the Lynx have dropped a bit on the offensive side as of late, though they have managed to make up for that on the defensive end. Since the victory in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship, Minnesota has regressed to the mean a bit, in part due to the absence of star Napheesa Collier with a left foot injury.
Before that Commissioner’s Cup win, the Lynx were third in the WNBA in offensive rating, first in 3-point percentage and assists, and second in field goal percentage over those first 16 games (13-3 record). In nine games since (4-5 record), Minnesota is 11th in the league in offensive rating, last in field goal percentage, second in 3-point percentage and fifth in assists.
The recent struggles — or maybe not as strong of play as we saw earlier in the year — shouldn’t cast a shadow on what Minnesota was able to accomplish offensively to begin the season. This team has the ability to match up against any team in the WNBA, both offensively and defensively, and the Lynx’s ability to take the next step on that side of the ball has been shown clearly with the numbers thus far.
The Players
Where to start with the individual performers on the Lynx this season? This team has shown great depth and balance to this point of the year, with players stepping up on seemingly a nightly basis.
Rather than going into each player, let’s break them down by starters and bench players.
Starters
Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton, Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith
Of course, the offensive performance of this team rides on the success of Collier and McBride, as we have seen in past years. Good news for Minnesota is those two All-Star’s are having impressive seasons.
Collier is having an MVP-type of season once again, leading the Lynx in scoring, rebounding and steals while ranking second on the team in blocks and assists. She also ranks eighth in the league in usage percentage (26.9%), showcasing just how valuable she has been.
McBride has been an excellent pairing with Collier yet again, and she’s been shooting the absolute lights out this season. Along with averaging the second-highest point total on this team, McBride is shooting a career-best-tying 42.7% from three while having her best season as a Lynx. Oh, and if anyone was wondering if McBride’s age was becoming a concern, think again.
Carleton has been what Minnesota hoped she would be and more so far in 2024 and is having the best season we’ve seen from her through 25 games. Carleton stepped into a starting job early in the year with Diamond Miller going down with an injury, and has forced the Lynx to leave her as a starter with her level of play. Carleton has lived up to the ask of being more aggressive this year, and she is stepping up big late in games while providing Minnesota with a steady offensive threat on a nightly basis.
The newest additions of Williams and Smith have done a great job in filling two key holes in the Lynx starting lineup and have thrived in those roles. Williams has provided Minnesota with a steady, energetic veteran who can distribute and also hurt teams with her jump shot, while Smith is having a career year in the paint for the Lynx while showcasing why Minnesota made the right choice in signing her this offseason.
Bench
Dorka Juhász, Cecilia Zandalasini, Natisha Hiedeman, Diamond Miller, Alissa Pili, Sika Koné, Olivia Époupa
As mentioned, this Lynx team can attack you from all over the place, and that is especially the case from the bench players. It seems like with every game, there is a standout off the bench that is a difference-maker in helping the team pull away to victory. That is a valuable trait to have, especially down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason.
A few players who have seen regular time as the first few options off the bench and have stepped up as a result are Juhász, Zandalasini and Hiedeman.
Juhász is building off an impressive rookie season by coming off the bench and providing Minnesota with valuable post depth, also having shown the ability to step into the starting lineup whenever called upon. Juhász is the top scorer off the bench, averaging 5.7 points per game, but it would be nice to see her be a bit more aggressive over the final stretch of the year. But after all, she’s just in her second year. And will be a key piece for Minnesota far beyond this season.
Zandalasini is a player who has surprised somewhat, returning to the WNBA after not playing in the league since 2018. It was curious to see if Zandalasini would showcase what she showed flashes of with Minnesota a handful of years ago, and she has done that and then some. Zandalasini looks more confident, more comfortable and more consistent than what we say a handful of years ago, and that in return has led to her playing a key role off the bench. It’s fun to see Zandalasini, a player we weren’t sure if she would ever play in the WNBA again or not, back playing in the WNBA and playing so well to boot.
Hiedeman has had a bit of an up-and-down start to the season after being acquired via trade by Minnesota this offseason. She has shown flashes of being able to provide a spark off the bench for this team, but she has struggled shooting the ball a bit which has hampered her ability to remain on the floor off the bench. Hiedeman has notably struggled from deep this year, shooting a career-worst mark, so her improving that and contributing a bit more consistently offensively will be key in the final 15 games.
The Future
When it comes to what lies ahead for Minnesota over the last 15 games before the playoffs, obviously getting Collier back on the court is a must, something that shouldn’t be an issue barring any injuries suffered in the Paris Olympics.
When Collier is able to get back to the court, it will be important for the Lynx to try and find what worked well early on in the season and getting back to letting their defense set up their offense on any given night. One thing that Minnesota has had great success in has been slashing, cutting and driving into the lane and kicking the ball out to shooters on the perimeter. Getting back to that style and being a bit more aggressive on that front should help this offense get back to form.
This team is too talented, too deep and coached too well not to figure things out after experiencing their first road bump of the year in the games leading up to the Olympic Break.
The good news for the Lynx, though they still have to take care of business when the games tip off, is they have the easiest remaining schedule of any WNBA team. According to Tankathon, Minnesota last 15 games will come against teams that combine for a winning percentage of .441, the lowest in the league. That is also worth noting — and crediting — the Lynx faced off against some very talented and title contending teams in the first portion of the year leading up to the break. Which makes the strong start to the year even more impressive.
Although a lot of the attention for the Lynx comes defensively with their league-best defense, the offense has performed well this season, something Reeve and Company set out to do after a first-round exit in the playoffs in 2023. This team can attack you from any an all angles, and that’s a credit to the players brought in and the personalities settling into their roles so far in 2024.