No Cap Space WBB Team Previews: Minnesota Lynx

The Minnesota Lynx were a foul call away from winning the WNBA title in 2024 and didn't change much in the offseason. Is it enough to make another run and bring a championship back to Minneapolis?

May 14, 2025

The Minnesota Lynx under Cheryl Reeve have been a model of consistency. Since Maya Moore burst onto the scene alongside a now legendary roster including Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson, the Lynx have been the class of the WNBA. With Reeve at the helm, Minnesota has only missed the playoffs twice in the last 15 years and have won four WNBA Finals. They returned to the title series last year, falling to the New York Liberty in semi-controversial fashion.

But with Napheesa Collier entering a stratosphere only reserved for the best of the best players in the league, the Lynx officially opened a championship window last year. Their 30-10 finish in 2024 was a surprise and now opponents will be looking out and game-planning for them. Without much change in the roster, will they be able to accomplish what they did last year and potentially take it a step further and win a title?

2024 Lookback:

30-10 overall (Commissioner’s Cup champion)

Lost in WNBA Finals to New York, 3-2

General Manager Clare Duwelis leaves to become Unrivaled EVP.

2024 Leaders:

Napheesa Collier: 20.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.9 SPG

Kayla McBride: 15.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.2 APG

Courtney Williams: 11.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.5 APG

Who Left:

Cecilia Zandalasini (Golden State Valkyries via Expansion Draft)

Myisha Hines-Allen (Dallas Wings via free agency)

Who’s Back:

Napheesa Collier

Bridget Carleton

Natisha Hiedeman (Re-signed in offseason)

Kayla McBride

Diamond Miller

Alissa Pili

Alanna Smith

Courtney Williams

Dorka Juhasz (Contract suspended for season)

Draft Picks:

Anastasiia Kosu (Round 2, Pick 15)

Who’s New:

Grace Berger (Indiana Fever via waivers)

Jessica Shepard (AS Vurona via free agency)

Marieme Badiane (Fenerbahce SK via free agency)

Karlie Samuelson (Washington Mystics via trade)

2025 Strengths:

The Lynx’s consistency within their starting five is a huge strength as many of the top teams experienced some degree of roster turnover via trade or free agency. I’m not sure what to make of Cheryl Reeve’s curmudgeonly press conferences that seem to imply a lack of focus this preseason but I have a feeling it will get resolved by the time the actual games roll around. Napheesa Collier remains the centerpiece of this team as she made a leap from All-WNBA player to one of the top three superstars in the league last season. While they lost some length and shooting in Cecilia Zandalasini, they still have good depth and plenty of versatility to plug-and-play at a variety of positions. Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride made a formidable backcourt in 2024, shooting at a near historic three point clip. McBride, in particular, made the jump into becoming a star in the eyes of many. Which is curious given how remarkably consistent she’s been as a scorer since entering the league in 2014.

I also like the international additions the Lynx made this offseason. Marieme Badiane brings a solid pedigree of experience, talent and size. The 6’4 center was most recently with Fenerbahce, one of the most decorated clubs in Europe. She also played for the highly successful ASVEL Lyon for five years, the same French team that has spawned the careers of stars like Dominique Malonga and Carla Leite. She’s won the EuroLeague and SuperCup and was a part of the French national team that won silver in the Olympics. Russian rookie Anastasiia Kosu is a bit of an unknown at the WNBA level but is considered one of the highest rising young stars in Europe as well. Assuming both pan out, the Lynx will be just as deep as last year behind a supremely talented front five.

2025 Weaknesses:

Cheryl Reeve loves playing her veterans. We know this much. But I am a little concerned about the development of Diamond Miller and Alissa Pili. Both are undeniably talented young players that got buried in the depth chart last season, with Miller in particular facing some dialogue about whether or not she would reach the ceiling so many had for her. She had a great rookie season, averaging 12.1 points per game while starting 32 games but completely fell off the map last year. Part of that was due to an injury that she sustained early in the year and another part was Bridget Carleton stepping into her role and shooting the leather off the ball. With Cecilia Zandalisini now in Golden State, the hope is that Miller can get back into a significant role. Pili’s case is a bit more understandable given some of the questions about her entire defense coming into the league. But it’s clear they’re going to need a depth piece behind Collier this year and I would hope that they utilize her because she has some of the best footwork and most enjoyable post offensive games in the league.

Beyond some depth questions, the Lynx shot at an unnaturally good clip last year particularly from three point range. Are we due for a regression to the mean and what might that mean for the roster? The suspended contract of Dorka Juhasz is also less than ideal and something that Reeve didn’t sound particularly thrilled about. While I’m high on Badiane as a player, it puts a lot of pressure on her to be able to perform immediately as she’ll be called upon a lot especially against the bigger frontcourts in the league. It feels like, on some level, they’re one player short. I have to imagine Karlie Samuelson is going to slide into that 2/3 role to play guard and wing but is that going to be enough behind Carleton? And is there a true shooting guard that can play in a second unit alongside Hiedeman? All of that becomes a lot easier to figure out if Miller is properly utilized but the question is how much Reeve will trust her youngsters when the title window typically demands veteran presences.

2025 Outlook:

While a bunch of teams loaded up to stop the Liberty or try to maximize a one year blip before the new CBA kicks in, the Lynx took a totally different approach. It was, in essence, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. To be honest, I have a hard time arguing against the point. I’m sure there are plenty of Minnesota fans that felt like they had that WNBA title in hand before a pivotal foul call in Game 5. So if you have a core that just finished 1st in the east, won the Commissioner’s Cup and went about as far as you can without holding a trophy at the end of the road, why change anything? Collier has officially made the leap into superstardom and while I’m not sure she can keep pace with what appears to be an early two player race between Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson, her defense and two-way play will keep her in the mix for most of the season.

At the end of the day, this is a veteran laden team with a lot of players that are hungry to win a title. Reeve’s preseason comments are a little alarming but can also be a catalyst. The only major concern I have is the wear and tear of Unrivaled and if that extra month of play does come to rear its’ ugly head towards the end of the year when legs start to get tired. The benefit is that many of the W’s stars were also involved in the 3x3 league so if Collier or McBride or Williams are tired, some opponents might be too. Overall, there’s a good mix of youth and experience on the roster. If channeled properly, I see no reason why Minnesota can’t be right back in the semifinals or finals this season.