Minnesota Lynx 2023 Season Preview
The Minnesota Lynx opens its 25th season with new leaders and a new offense.
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2022 Season Recap
The Minnesota Lynx finished the 2022 season with a 14-22 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010, Cheryl Reeve’s first season as Lynx head coach. This was not how the Lynx had hoped Sylvia Fowles’ career would end. The team won only four of its first 16 games, and Napheesa Collier missed all but the last four games after giving birth to her first child.
Minnesota had 20 players play at least one game throughout the season, six more than in 2021 and more than five over the 14.8 players the rest of the league averaged in 2022. Layshia Clarendon and Crystal Dangerfield were cut before the season started, and veterans Angel McCoughtry and Odyssey Sims were brought in but only played a combined four games.
At times last season, President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Cheryl Reeve commented that the team was not buying into the system or playing together. She vowed at the end of last season that would not be the case in 2023.
2023 Season
The Lynx enters their 25th season as a different team after the retirement of Sylvia Fowles. The offense will change to a 5-out offense that emphasizes getting in the paint but passing the ball out for a 3-pointer when warranted by the defense. The success of the offense relies heavily on good decision-making by players to get the best possible shot.
The Lynx added several new faces in addition to keeping most of their core from last season.
Notable Additions:
Draftees
The Lynx had an excellent draft and were given high marks by most women’s basketball media outlets including an A- grade by Her Hoop Stats’ Robert Mummery. Reeve stated after the draft that Maïa Hirsch of France is not expected to play in the WNBA this season. She is only 19 years old, has not signed a contract and does not count against the salary cap. The question remains of how many of the rest of the draftees the Lynx can keep while staying under the salary cap. The organization will have some tough choices in order to finalize the roster as outlined in Richard Cohen’s Training Camp Roster Breakdowns.
Free Agents
The Lynx met with high-profile free agents like Courtney Vandersloot and Breanna Stewart in the offseason. Unfortunately for Lynx fans, both ended up signing with the New York Liberty. Minnesota then signed Tiffany Mitchell, who played for the Indiana Fever in 2022, and re-signed Rachel Banham and Bridget Carleton.
Reeve said everyone in training camp would have a chance to compete for a roster spot. “Maybe if you had a role last year, and somebody is out-playing you, the messaging is going to be that the player that's playing well is going to play regardless of what your name is, or whether you've had a role before. And that's true for the rookies as well.”
Notable Subtractions
Sylvia Fowles (Retired)
There is no replacing Fowles. In eight seasons with the franchise, Fowles led the Lynx to two WNBA championships, was a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and a league MVP. Fowles was tasked with being Minnesota’s primary offensive option, and she responded by averaging nearly a double-double and shooting almost 60% in each of her eight seasons in a Minnesota uniform. Equally if not more important, were her leadership qualities. Her Lynx jersey will be retired in a ceremony on June 11th joining former teammates Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson.
Moriah Jefferson (Unrestricted Free Agent)
Jefferson was picked up last May after being let go by the Dallas Wings to help fill the point guard void left when Clarendon and Dangerfield were not retained by the organization. She started 30 games for the Lynx, averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 assists per game and had the first triple-double in Minnesota Lynx history against her former team on June 28.
Natalie Achonwa (Maternity Leave)
Achonwa had some injury issues last season and played just 22 games. She averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Key players
Napheesa Collier
Collier is the sole Lynx captain this season after the retirement of Sylvia Fowles. “It's really going to force us to play a new style of basketball, something that we haven't done in the past couple years and taking advantage of our new strengths, Collier said. Reeve has stated that Collier is the player they are building the team around.
Aerial Powers
Powers had a good 2022 season overall. She tied Fowles for the team lead in scoring (14.4 points per game) and was third in rebounding (4.7) behind Fowles and Jessica Shepard. At times she struggled with her shot and finished with the second-lowest field-goal percentage of her career (38.5%) after shooting 43.6% the three previous years combined. She worked on that in the offseason saying, “I really focused on my 3-pointer: catch-and-shoot three, fast break three. Powers is looking forward to the new offense saying, “I'm excited. The floor is going to be a little bit more open. We're playing a five out. Getting into the rack won't be as hard, but when I get to the rack, it might be a little bit more collapsing. So I'll be able to find my teammates and vice versa.”
Kayla McBride
McBride is at training camp for the first time since joining the team. She has previously arrived only in time to play the first game. On Media Day McBride said, “Obviously we have a lot of young talent that came in, especially in this draft class, but we also have a lot of players who have been here for like three, four or five years, including myself.” She had a solid season last year averaging 13.3 points per game and shooting 35.6% from 3-point range but was dissatisfied with the results adding, “So I think the end of last year left a sour taste in our mouths. The ones who have been here, and just talking to some of us in the offseason you know, our expectations may look different than what other people think. And that comes from internal leadership because of an internal compassion.”
Jessica Shepard
Shepard had a breakout season in 2022 with career-highs in minutes, points, field-goal percentage and rebounds per game. She was an elite rebounder, grabbing at least 10 rebounds in 12 games last season and ranked eighth in the W in rebounds per game. She is also a great passer which will be key in the Lynx offense.
Rachel Banham
Banham played in every game last season although she started only five games. She shot 38.5% from 3-point range and is considered an excellent passer. Reeve, speaking to Banham’s value, said, “Her knowledge of how we want to play, her knowledge of me, that's valuable. Certainly the 3-ball, her passing, and Rachel has really taken on some of the leadership part of it and is using her voice in ways that she hasn't before.” Banham spent the offseason as a quality control coach for her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, and explained how that helps her with the Lynx saying, “Being on the coaching side always helps with leadership because you are leading a group. We have a lot of young talent, so I was being a mentor for them. Being a point guard, you have to have that natural leadership and tough conversations.”
Lindsay Allen
The Lynx signed Allen in July of last season. She played nine games averaging 6.7 points on 52.6% shooting from the field, 57.1% from beyond the arc and 3.4 assists per game. Allen described her role this season, “For me, it's kind of just being like that poise, person and leader on the court. And just making sure that we know what we're running, you know what we're doing, kind of getting the ball to whoever needs the ball in that moment, but also being aggressive and getting to the paint and looking to drive and kick and looking to score and just being able to kind of control the game out there.”
Diamond Miller
Although she has yet to play a regular season game in the WNBA, Miller has received nothing but praise from her coach and teammates. Reeve said after the first preseason game, “Diamond wants to win every possession and that's really endearing. Makes a ton of mistakes, but that's to be expected. She'll listen, that's important. So this is her floor. And I know we're going to work really hard each game. I tell her each game is going to be a learning experience. Celebrate your small successes. The stuff [she’s] not doing well, which she'll tell you, she'll want to get in the gym and figure it out. She's gonna watch videos. She wants to figure it out.” On Media Day Reeve commented on the fact that, even though they saw a lot of her play in college, it’s even more amazing to see it in person. “Diamond Miller gets to the basket faster than anybody I've ever seen,” Reeve said. “I've watched it in college, and you just don't have a feel for it until you're here. She is so fast. She covers ground like nobody's business.” On Miller’s training camp so far Reeve said, “Her athleticism is maybe beyond any player. I've ever coached. Every day is a learning experience for her, but she's not lost. Diamond has not looked like a rookie in terms of the schemes, the things that we're asking her to do, because what gets her through every situation is how hard she plays. And that's just been really endearing to our group, to our coaching staff.”
Preseason Games
The Lynx played the Washington Mystics on May 5 and won 72-69. With not all the regulars available for that game, the rookies played significant minutes and did well. Dorka Juhász had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Diamond Miller had 19 points including 8-for-12 from the free-throw line. Napheesa Collier (10 points, eight rebounds) and Rachel Banham (13 points, five rebounds) also had solid games.
On May 13, the Lynx played a historic preseason game against the Chicago Sky in Toronto, Canada. The first ever WNBA game in Canada sold out in minutes. Canada native and Canada National Team member Bridget Carleton spoke at Media Day about the significance of the game “I'm excited to be part of Minnesota and the WNBA experiencing what Canada is like, but also, you know, Canadians being able to experience what the WNBA is like and the Minnesota and Chicago teams. I see both sides of it, and I'm just super excited to be a part of it and to obviously, play in the game. I'm sure it'll be super, super fun.”
The Lynx, playing without Collier and Shepard, lost 82-74. Tiffany Mitchell was the star of the game with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Minnesota has asked her to take on more of a point guard role and she has responded well. Kayla McBride and Rachel Banham added 13 points each and Taylor Soule also was a standout with eight points and three steals.
Expectations
Both the players and Reeve have said the team chemistry is better this year compared to one year ago. Collier is back at full speed and the Lynx had an excellent draft. Reeve had this to say about setting expectations compared to previous teams, “I think in terms of following legends, everyone always has a succession plan, and there isn't one for legends. It's very hard to replace every position that had a legend in it. And so if you now look at this season, I'm energized and enthused by having someone like Collier be the player that we will build around. And then the luck that we had in the draft lottery last year should not be understated. Because we got ourselves a really good player [Diamond Miller], and you guys will see that.”
Reeve continued her definition of success for this team, “I'm motivated for this team to be the best version of themselves. From an effort standpoint, do things that we were missing last year, and from a chemistry standpoint, how we treat each other, how coachable we are. That's my expectation. It's always been about how we do it.”
Addressing the team chemistry, Reeve said, “And so now, just the connectedness, even though they don't really know each other that well, there's a lot of other things we still have to learn. But now, this team has that part. Which is fun.”
Minnesota has some proven veterans that want to erase the memory of a season that did not go well mixed in with talented rookies that are eager to learn. The ingredients are there for an exciting season.
The Lynx open the season on Friday, May 19 at home against the Chicago Sky.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.