In the second part of our Midseason Analysis series, we focus on how the Lynx number one ranked defense has put them in championship contention.
In case you missed part one, Mitchell Hansen and Leo Sun have worked together to provide you with Minnesota Lynx content as we reach day eight of a 28 day WNBA Olympic break.
Mitchell kicked things off with a deep dive on what had been driving the offensive success for the 17-8 Lynx. He did an amazing job reviewing the outstanding three-point shooting and passing metrics, highlighted the various weapons on the team including blast from the past, and what Minnesota has to get back to doing in order to contend for their fifth championship.
Offense wins you games, but defense wins you championships. In part two of this series, we review how Minnesota has been the best at this.
The Numbers
Many other teams have gained national headlines this season. The Indiana Fever and the exciting duo of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. The Las Vegas Aces and their quest to threepeat. The Seattle Storm and a newly formed “super team.” Despite all of these catchy stories, Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve got her team to grab their lunch pails, put their hard hats on, and get to work.
The Minnesota Lynx are the number one defense in the league.
At the halfway mark of the season, they’ve posted a defensive rating of 93.7 which is just 0.1 above the Connecticut Sun, who have the second best record in the league. They achieved this despite missing a MVP candidate who is also first in individual player defensive rating, Napheesa Collier, for the last five games before the break. Prior to her nagging plantar fasciitis issue, Minnesota’s DEFRTG was 92.2. After that, it dipped all the way down to 100.0 in the five-game sample size, good for just fifth in the league.
The Lynx have been this solid despite being last in defensive rebounding percentage (67.3%). There are a few other categories where they are just mediocre, such as opponent points in the paint (35.3) and opponent second chance points (10.6). So how are they thriving?
Look at this defense from the Lynx, man
Immediate inverted PnR for Stewie, screen forces a switch, but great early work by Courtney Williams
Watch Phee quickly scram Courtney out (no mismatch)
Phee switches onto Sabrina to deny the drive again, does a great job riding out (1) pic.twitter.com/nfVqQntg5C
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) May 25, 2024
This sequence was from their fourth game of the season against an elite and veteran offensive team. Reeve has the Lynx playing team defense on a string. Their rotations, switches, and closeouts are a thing of beauty. They’re second in steals per game (9.2) which is also reflected in forcing the third highest opponent turnover percentage (20.1%). Their perfectly timed synchronization has helped them avoid fouling their opponents, allowing the second lowest opponent free throw rate (23.2%). What happens when you don’t allow your opponent to get the shots they want, let alone open ones?
A league-best opponent effective field goal percentage allowed, 44.9%.
Look at the defense from the Minnesota Lynx. pic.twitter.com/SVobUQGUer
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 26, 2024
Though their numbers have slipped due to Collier’s injury, there’s good news around the corner. Collier has already returned to the court, playing in her full game in USA’s scrimmage against Germany earlier this week. This will allow her to get back into game shape and hopefully back to 100% in a Lynx jersey. Additionally, as Mitchell mentioned in his piece, the Lynx have the easiest strength of schedule remaining of all 12 teams. They only five of their remaining 15 games are against teams over .500.
The Players
Minnesota’s defense, similar to their offense, doesn’t come from just one source. They all work in unison like a hive of swarming bees attacking an intruder. The type of defense they play doesn’t necessarily funnel all the action to a singular defensive stopper. That said, there are still a few players that stand out.
Napheesa Collier
Phee finished last season with WNBA All-Defensive Second Team honors. It should come as no surprise that she’s continued to thrive with a better supporting cast. But how good has she been?
- Napheesa Collier is first in individual player defensive rating (89.2).
- Napheesa Collier is first in defensive win shares (2.4; Tied with two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, A’ja Wilson).
- Napheesa Collier is first in opponent’s field goal percentage (38.5%).
- Napheesa Collier is second in steals per game (2.2).
- Napheesa Collier is third in rebounds per game (10.2).
- Napheesa Collier is seventh in blocks per game (1.4).
Tell ya what, man, this has been a fun start to the year on defense for Napheesa Collier pic.twitter.com/Ke0KlkKE2V
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 25, 2024
Yet somehow, the eye test is more impressive that the raw numbers. She has taken on the most difficult frontcourt assignment every game, had to rotate on both the perimeter and interior, while finishing possessions by cleaning the glass. She is certainly in the DPOY discussion this season.
Alanna Smith
The 27-year-old Australian has been the most valuable offseason acquisition for the Lynx this season. Alanna Smith has started alongside Collier all year and has enjoyed a career season as a result. She has been extremely effective on both ends of the court, but if we’re just looking at the defense, Smith has posted personal bests in defensive rating (92), defensive win shares (2.0), block percentage (5.4), among others.
Her tough, rugged style of play has been a nightmare for opponents. Smith constantly gets her hands dirty by tussling in the paint for loose balls and rebounds. More often than not, you’ll see her holding her face or body part after catching a stray flail from a frustrated opponent.
But that doesn’t stop her.
Good defense from Alanna Smith here but watch how the rim run in transition helps open up a 3 for Bridget Carleton. pic.twitter.com/gtcRryvh7E
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) July 5, 2024
Smith has pushed through many minor injuries and continued to be a force, particularly in the paint. Her 1.8 blocks per game is fourth in the league, though that doesn’t reflect the number of shots she’s altered.
Bridget Carleton & Kayla McBride
If you filter all WNBA players by a minimum of 16 games played, take a guess which players have held their opponents to the lowest field goal percentage. Collier was mentioned earlier as number one. Four of the next five players are her teammates.
- Napheesa Collier (MIN) – 38.5%
- Bridget Carleton (MIN) – 40.0%
- Kayla McBride (MIN) – 40.5%
- Tiffany Mitchell (CON) – 40.5%
- Courtney Williams (MIN) – 40.6%
- Alanna Smith (MIN) – 40.6%
Let’s reiterate that defense is a team concept. No one does it on their own. But the pair of Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride have teamed up to hound opposing team’s best perimeter players all season. It has a been a trend that can’t be ignored.
Defense is a team effort, but Bridget Carleton & Kayla McBride are locking Kahleah Copper up tonight. Here are some of the previous primary perimeter assignments:
Loyd: 9/27
Plum: 4/13
Gray: 1/16
Copper: 3/17— Leo S (@Y0Leo) June 23, 2024
The two wings have been the ones that Coach Reeve has relied on the most all season. That’s why they are number one and two in total minutes played for Minnesota (Second and third in per game averages behind Collier). They may not show up on many defensive statistic leaderboards. They may not be featured on social media with big blocks or crazy steals. But their reliability to be in the right place, at the right time has been why the Lynx are bulldozing opponents with their defense.
The Future
We touched on the easiest remaining strength of schedule and the return of Collier earlier. Those are certainly reasons for why Lynx fans can expect to see Minnesota defensive metrics tick back up in the second half of the season. However, there are still plenty of areas where they can improve.
The aforementioned rebounding issues have to be address. New addition Courtney Williams has continued to be one of the most effective guard rebounders in the W. Collier is unsurprisingly effective in this area. Unfortunately, the Lynx aren’t getting much help outside of that. Smith is averaging a career-worst 9.9 rebounds per 100 possessions. Other fellow starters McBride and Carleton can also do much better at cleaning things up. Whether or not their lack of defensive rebounds is a product of their solid perimeter defense, they have to address this issue. A league-worst 9.6 offensive rebounds has contributed to 69.4 field goal attempts (8th) for their opponents.
No matter what shade of sunglasses you wear, the future of the Lynx season still looks extremely bright. Their offense has plenty of room for improvement as they return back to their early season dominance. Their defense can tighten up a few things as their most important player returns to the court.
Buckle up. Minnesota’s championship quest is just beginning.