Signed on Tuesday, Odyssey Sims likely to be in starting lineup for Lynx opener

Training camp officially ended for the Lynx with Wednesday's practice. The fact that coincided with Odyssey Sims' first practice with the team? To coach Cheryl Reeve it's a hint she will need to be more patient with the team as the season starts Friday in Seattle.

"When you're making the types of changes we made a couple days before we start, you probably should expect it's going to take us a little bit of time,'' Reeve said.

Reeve wanted a better camp than the one the team had last year, which preceded an 0-4 start to the season.

And while she's happy with the work the team got in, coming to the realization that Layshia Clarendon likely wasn't back to full health prompted a number of moves, which included the return of Sims, who was a WNBA All-Star for the Lynx back in 2019. There is also the issue of Angel McCoughtry's sore knee, which will keep her out of Friday's opener, and the fact Kayla McBride is still playing in Europe.

"I was proud of myself that I recognized we actually had a good camp,'' Reeve said. "And then we just sort of recognized that we weren't exactly there yet roster-wise. So now you kind of go, 'OK, that doesn't mean that momentum needs to be halted.' It's just we've got to give them some grace as we're presented changes.''

There will be roster flux to start the season, with the team expected to make two additions thanks to league-granted exceptions.

For Sims, who played with the Lynx in 2019 and, after giving birth to her son, late in the 2020 season in the WNBA bubble, it is a most welcome return. She said she'd looked into her life after basketball when the call came. "I'm more than happy to be back,'' said the 5-8 point guard. "I love this organization.''

Sims knows some of her teammates, but there are new faces. Same for the Lynx offense. It's familiar, but with some new wrinkles. It will be a process getting it down.

"It seems surreal to me that I'm actually back,'' she said. "I thought at some point I would be back in Minnesota, if I could. And here I am. Here is the opportunity.''

Sims figures to get significant minutes from the outset. She played over the winter in the Athletes Unlimited basketball league.

And she said she's a more mature player than she was in 2019, both on and off the court, thanks to the responsibility of being a mother.

"I told [Reeve] I grew up,'' Sims said. "I'm a mother now. Everything has slowed down. I matured in these last few years. I have a little child to provide for. So my mindset, my maturity level, is a little different than when I was here in 2019."