Thanks to subtle moves, Lynx are WNBA’s most surprising success so far

Cheryl Reeve’s efforts to keep the Lynx competitive faltered in 2022 and ’23, when her team finished a total of 10 games below .500.

The Lynx coach and president of basketball operations hasn’t found an impact player in the first round of the WNBA draft since 2019, when she landed Napheesa Collier with the sixth pick. Her 2023 first-round pick, Diamond Miller, currently is out because of a knee injury, and her 2024 first-rounder, Alissa Pili, has yet to crack the regular rotation.

Several of Reeve’s most important free-agent signings, including Aerial Powers and Natalie Achonwa, have failed her, and she hasn’t made a dramatic trade recently to upgrade her roster.

Sunday night at Target Center, the Lynx defeated Dallas 87-76 to improve to 6-2. In a league with three dominant teams — Las Vegas, New York and Connecticut — the Lynx are in third place.

How did the Lynx become the most surprising success story of the early 2024 season?

With the continuing development of Collier into one of the world’s best players, and with Reeve’s ability to build a roster with her kind of players.

A former point guard, Reeve has tried just about every avenue to find a healthy, quality, starting point guard since the 2018 retirement of Lindsay Whalen. Courtney Williams isn’t a star, but she can score and run an offense, and 30-year-old French rookie Olivia Époupa showed on Sunday night that she might become a key backup at the position, and a fan favorite, because of her energetic style.

Reeve signed forward Alanna Smith as a free agent, and she has performed at a career-high level.

Kayla McBride, one of Reeve’s better free-agent signings in recent years, was re-signed to a long-term contract and is providing shooting and toughness.

Most of all, though, this team’s success is a matter of style. The Lynx pass the ball efficiently and unselfishly, lean on Collier and defend with intensity.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Lynx ranked second in the league in points per game, first in assists, second in point differential, second in blocks and steals, first in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage and third in defensive rating.

The Lynx have excelled despite playing a brutal early-season schedule. Their only losses were to undefeated Connecticut (in overtime and on the road) and to two-time defending champion Las Vegas.

Look at this roster, and the record looks like a fluke.

Watch their style of play, and it looks about right.

A year ago, the primary question asked by many Lynx fans went something like, “What is going on with Aerial Powers and Cheryl Reeve?” The animosity was obvious.

In this year’s draft, Reeve traded down from the seventh to the eighth pick in the first round, then chose Pilli. Louisiana State star Angel Reese went No. 7 to Chicago.

Reese is a strong defender and rebounder who was a key player on an NCAA champion. She also might have reminded Reeve of Powers — a player who might not respond to Reeve’s intense coaching.

The Lynx might someday regret passing on Reese, but today is not that day.

“I like our team,” Reeve said. “From the beginning, I’ve liked our team. It’s been a good group. It’s been a group that feels like they had an instant chemistry and synergy.

“It’s sort of by design. When you select people, you’re really hoping that you get that part right and there’s a great fit, and that happened for us.”

Is Collier surprised? “No,” she said. “I don’t know why other people are surprised. We’ve got so many good people, we have so much depth.”

That’s where subtle roster-building has mattered more than acquiring big names. Dorka Juhász, a second-round draft pick last year, is the primary post off the bench, and she was a find. Cecilia Zandalasini, the Italian sharpshooter, played for the Lynx in 2017 and ’18 and was brought back for this season. Her shooting form could make her an impact player if she can get comfortable at this level of competition.

Époupa is another under-the-radar signing who could make a difference.

This roster is a reminder that there is a difference between winning the offseason, and winning during the season.