2019 Minnesota Lynx at a glance: A team in transition
May 4, 2019 at 9:46PM
Went 18-16 as the defending WNBA champion and finished in fourth place in the Western Conference. As the seventh seed, they lost their lone playoff game at Los Angeles 75-68. Their top players were F Maya Moore (18.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and C Sylvia Fowles (17.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg). Longtime point guard Lindsay Whalen retired at the end of the season.
Lynx in 2019
Coach Cheryl Reeve reconfigured her roster in the offseason. A lot of familiar faces are gone, and fresh ones have replaced them. Here are five key newcomers:
Odyssey Sims, G: A familiar face to Lynx fans, the 26-year-old was acquired from the Los Angeles Sparks in a trade for Alexis Jones. She'll provide toughness and scoring and figures to play major minutes.
Napheesa Collier, F: The Lynx used the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft — their highest selection in seven years — on the 6-2 forward from UConn. Collier was a two-time All-America with the Huskies and averaged 20.8 points as a senior. She will bring an immediate jolt of youth and talent.
Karima Christmas-Kelly, G/F: The 29-year-old is entering her ninth WNBA season. Christmas-Kelly can play small forward and shooting guard — meaning she could replace a lot of the minutes formerly occupied by Maya Moore, who is taking the season off. The free-agent signee has started 106 games over the past four seasons, though a right knee injury limited her to just six games last year with Dallas.
Lexie Brown, G: The No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 draft played sparingly as a rookie for Connecticut. The Lynx acquired her in a draft night trade in April, and Brown should be in the mix for minutes.
Kenisha Bell, G: Familiar face, new team. The third-round draft choice, who averaged 19.1 points as a senior for the Gophers, faces an uphill climb to make the roster, but space is available.
MICHAEL RAND
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