Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says Minnesota is entering a post-all star “sprint” with 16 games left until the postseason — starting with Tuesday’s home tilt against Toronto — but that even with roster changes the team is “not in experimentation mode.”
Twenty-eight games into the season, the Lynx are No. 1 in the league in terms of record (22-6) and net rating (plus-10.3) and on a seven-game winning streak. Their rookie guard, Olivia Miles, is one of the best players in the league. Now, two-time MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier is back in action after being sidelined for most of the season due to double-ankle surgery.
“We’re not changing what we’re doing,” Reeve said. “Our identity is formed. We can move that identity. We can morph it into different things. But we have an identity that isn’t, at this point, going to change.”
As they work Collier back into the lineup, Reeve admits they’ll have to “tinker a little bit” with rotations.
In Collier’s return on July 22 against Seattle, she finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and one assist in just 22 minutes. Reeve says the return performance is “above anything” she could have imagined.
Against Seattle, the Lynx didn’t run any plays for Collier, yet she still found 20 shots. Reeve says that’s a testament to Collier’s ability to “fit in.”
“’Phee’s not a player that a lot needs to be run for her,” Reeve said. “She finds offense because of the way she moves and playing off of others.”
For a superstar joining a league-leading roster, that adaptability is invaluable. Reeve wants her squad to keep playing the brand of basketball that has fueled its success. She has talked to Miles about not changing her game with Collier on the court.
“I know what’s in her head is ‘Oh, Phee’s back, where’s Phee, where’s Phee, try to throw it to her,’ and that’s just simply not the best basketball.” Reeve said. “So just making sure that she understood that Olivia Miles being Olivia Miles helps Napheesa Collier be Phee.”
The Miles-Collier duo has been highly anticipated.
“It’s been really fun to kind of learn Liv and play with her,” Collier said.
Euroleague MVP Dorka Juhász is also assimilating after missing much of the season. She suffered a right mid-foot sprain during the Euroleague playoffs in April, the day before being awarded the league’s MVP award. In her six appearances this season, the forward is averaging five points, four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes played per game.
The roster changes likely will push Nia Coffey back to the bench. She has been averaging a career-high 26 minutes per game, up from 10 minutes in 2025. She’s averaging 7.7 points per game on 45% shooting from the field, along with five rebounds and two assists.
There might be more changes coming for the team. The WNBA trade deadline is August 2, and the Lynx aren’t counting themselves out of a roster reshuffle.
“We’re certainly a team that’s been quote ‘open for business,’ open-minded to things that are being talked about,” Reeve said. “It’ll be a busy week for us.”
Reeve plans to use the new collective bargaining agreement’s season-ending injury exemption on Emma Cechová for a second developmental spot once the trade deadline passes.
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