We are back for another week of WNBA season previews. Aside from the draft, the rosters are set. So once a week until the season is back, I will be looking at one team. I will discuss their changes and what to expect from them this season.
To build up, I will be going in reverse order from the standings a season ago. Now is when the true fun begins. Optimism was the theme last week. For this week, the sun has finally set on the last remnant of a waning dynasty.
2022 Recap
The Minnesota Lynx have had an aura of a contender for a long time. As one of the few franchises with multiple titles, they have earned that reputation. But last season felt like the final fumes. Part of this was the last ride for Sylvia Fowles. A league legend, Fowles was still great into her final season, averaging 14.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game. Leading the league in rebounds in her final season was a great exclamation point on a great career.
Beyond that, the season was mostly a miss. Losing out on star forward Napheesa Collier for all but four games doomed most hopes from the jump. Dropping the first four games of the season (including at the Indiana Fever) certainly did not help. Angel McCoughtry, the prized off-season acquisition, played only two games before an agreed-upon contract buyout.
The rest of the roster was fine, if uninspiring. Kayla McBride was a solid floor spacer, though her efficiency dropped by more than five full points (effective field goal percentage 52.6 to 47.5). Moriah Jefferson came in as a reclamation project and helped get the team back on track after their brutal start. Jefferson posted her best numbers since her rookie season, averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting a blistering 47.4 percent from distance.
All this said, perhaps the most important long-term positive to take away from the season was Aerial Powers getting on track in her second season with the team. If they are going to remain a playoff hopeful, this will have to continue.
The Power(s) Move
For the first time since 2019, Aerial Powers was able to log a full season. In the bubble with the Mystics, Powers looked like she was about to take a star turn. She was a starter for the first time with Elena Delle Donne unable to play and quickly made the most of it. Then came an injury and her season was cut short after six games. Her first season in Minnesota was similarly hampered, ending after 14 games.
The summer of 2022 was something different. Powers set new career highs in scoring twice with eight games with more than 20 points, specifically two over 30 points. As Fowles had learned to defer to a wing scorer from playing with Collier in recent seasons, Powers did her best to replicate that role. The results were impressive: 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Removing the six bubble games, these are career highs for a season for Powers.
This level of growth is essential. As the Lynx look to rebuild without their last ring-winning Hall of Famer (aside of coach/GM Cheryl Reeve, of course), the current vets in place all need to be better. McBride has been an All-Star three times before. Phee has made it twice. Powers, however, looks like the most likely to make it alongside Collier this season.
Offseason Overview
Out: Sylvia Fowles, Moriah Jefferson
In: Tiffany Mitchell, Kiana Williams, Stephanie Watts
2023 Draft: #2, #12, #16, #24, #28
Re-Signed: Bridget Carleton, Nikolina Milic, Damiris Dantas, Rachel Banham
While only losing two players from a team that missed the playoffs may not be much for some teams, for the Lynx this is troublesome. Sylvia Fowles was arguably the best center in the league last year and leaves an enormous hole in the lineup. Moriah Jefferson was not, in my mind, adequately replaced and the team will rely on their wings more than most to shoulder the playmaking duties.
That being said, the addition of Tiffany Mitchell should not be scoffed at. After seven seasons with the Indiana Fever, Mitchell found her role in the rotation dwindling. With so many young mouths to feed her minutes were put on a squeeze. The result was only her having her best shooting season on notably decreased volume. If she is able to carry that efficiency over a larger sample size she could revolutionize this lineup.
The number two pick in the draft, however, is the most important decision the franchise will make this offseason. Minnesota did not have a first last year and the year prior they selected Rennia Davis, who got injured and ended up playing one game for the franchise last year. Ideally, the vision from the 2020 draft will return that saw them snag Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield in the second round. Whether it be Haley Jones, Diamond Miller, Jordan Horston, or Maddy Siegrist, this could be a true turning point.
Prediction
Ultimately, this season will likely look much like last season in terms of the standings. Napheesa Collier should be appointment television now that she is back, but the league is deeper than the last time she played a full season. If they are able to get an immediate contributor with the second pick they may be able to push past the other teams taking a step back.
Collier and Powers provide more punch than the likes of Indiana and Seattle. But the Sparks and Dream, as I have discussed in past weeks, should be better than they were a season ago. Minnesota is in for a long summer.
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