Every revenge tour needs an opening day. Well, today is that day. Our writing team shares their thoughts on how season 27 may unfold.
The Minnesota Lynx season tips off tonight at 6:30 PM CT against the Dallas Wings. Before they embark on another attempt to become the first WNBA franchise to win five championships, President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Cheryl Reeve made their final roster cuts at the end of training camp.
With a firm depth chart in hand, our writing staff peered into their crystal ball and shared what they saw.
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Season Outcome
Leo Sun:
The Lynx finished with a 30-10 record last year. With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, which adds four more games to their regular season slate, I believe Minnesota will surpass their win total from last season, but not by much.
The main core of the team is back, but the slow return of Kayla McBride will likely add to some tough sledding early. That said, I still think they’ll finish as a top-three team in the W and get the banner they’ve been chasing for eight years.
Prediction: 31-13; WNBA Champions
Mitchell Hansen:
With how deep and well-rounded this Lynx team is, it’s hard to imagine they will do worse than they did a season ago — one that ended seconds shy of the organization’s fifth WNBA title. Minnesota was talented in 2024, finishing 20 games above .500, and it not only has its core back from that squad, but has added even more talent to surround them with.
As Leo mentions, McBride’s late return and the early-season injury issues with Alanna Smith could result in the Lynx getting off to a bit of a slower start. But that shouldn’t be anything to look into, and quite frankly, I don’t think it will be all that rough of a stretch for Minnesota.
In the end, this Lynx team will once again be a top-three team all season long, and I think they finish in the top two in the standings when the regular season is over. With the balance in the league this year, I do think the Lynx’s record will be right around what it was last year, and I also believe Minnesota will return to the WNBA Finals and this time will get over the hump behind its depth and sheer talent to claim the league crown.
Prediction: 30-14; WNBA Champions
Benny Hughes:
So much shuffling happened for nearly every team over the offseason that the Lynx flew under the radar despite being last year’s runner-up. With all that change, I think that despite missing Alanna Smith and Kayla McBride to start the season, the Lynx are poised to take the reins early on as other teams find their rhythm. This is a team that knows what it wants to do on both ends of the floor and has an identity stemming from a championship-caliber coach in Cheryl Reeve and arguably the best player on the planet in Napheesa Collier.
This continuity and returning top-level talent should have them poised for another great year, and the revenge to get trophy number five will have them locked in from the get-go. The bitter taste of how last season ended will fuel a run that I believe ends in a championship.
Prediction: 32-12 Record; WNBA Champions
Ryan Eichten:
A season removed from coming as close to a championship without taking it home as a team can get, this season’s theme will be that of revenge. Avenging the loss in Game 5 of last year’s WNBA Finals will be on this team’s mind the entire season.
I’m rarely the type of person to predict a championship before a season has even started, but that is where this Lynx group is at. That will be their goal from the opening tip on Friday night to open the season, and I think they have the pieces to get it done.
Prediction: 31-13; WNBA Champions
Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images
Best Offseason Addition
LS:
It didn’t seem planned that the Lynx were going to be without Dorka Juhász this season, but the return of Jessica Shepard is going to be measurably better. She may not be as willing to fire away from deep, but her rebounding, playmaking, and experience will certainly pay off big time. She’s going to pick up plenty of minutes in the absence of Juhász and Myisha Hines-Allen.
Prediction: Jessica Shepard
MH:
I’m going to cheat here. Mostly because I can’t choose between the two players I think will make strong contributions this season (outside of Shepard, who I also think will have a solid year). Two new faces that I believe will play key roles for this Lynx squad are Karlie Samuelson and Marième Badiane. We saw glimpses of this during the preseason, but these two players have the ability to come into the game off the bench and provide a spark while the starters get a breather.
Samuelson is a player who will come up in clutch moments, mainly with her ability to shoot from deep, and helping the Lynx in an area that has needed over the last year or two. There will be points in games — both during the regular season and in the playoffs — where Samuelson will likely hit shots that will end up being a difference maker throughout the court of a game and down the stretch to help her new squad.
Badiane is a player I am really intrigued to see play this season. As a 30-year-old rookie, Badiane is a veteran talent who will provide a lift off the bench and has the ability to take things over as a spark plug in the paint. In both preseason games, we saw her step up late in the first half, not showing any form of hesitation among the second unit. With Dorka Juhász and Myisha Hines-Allen not on the team in 2025, Badiane will have plenty of opportunities to showcase her skillset off the bench.
Prediction: Karlie Samuelson and Marième Badiane
BH:
I love the move for Karlie Samuelson to have another sharpshooter off the bench to help provide a spark plug from the outside. The jump shot is unorthodox, but it goes in. A lot. Having a bench option at that caliber of shooter will be huge for the spacing when one of Kayla McBride or Bridget Carleton is off the floor. It allows you to play the same way no matter who is out there. They can run the same sets they do for their two wing starters and have a solidified contributor off the bench in Samuelson.
I think she’ll slot right on as a backup wing and thrive in the movement-based offense the Lynx run so well.
Prediction: Karlie Samuelson
RE:
My pick is a little bit out of the box, but the Lynx’s biggest addition this season will be continuity. Minnesota brings back 80 percent of its scoring from the team last year that made it to the WNBA Finals. While other teams were making splashy moves in the offseason, the Lynx looked to build around a team that proved they can win at the highest level.
Led by MVP-candidate Napheesa Collier, All-Star Kayla McBride, and eventual Hall of Fame head coach Cheryl Reeve, the Lynx will use their experience playing together to get off to a fast start this season on the road to banner number five.
Prediction: Continuity
Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
Biggest Surprise Player
LS:
This is a bit of a bold prediction, I must admit. My AAPI sister certainly looked a bit like a fish out of water during her rookie season, but the near 24-year-old grinded in Minnesota during the offseason. It’s just two preseason games, but the way Alissa Pili moved and impacted the game last week already has me excited.
I don’t anticipate heavy minutes in Pili’s sophomore campaign, but I think she’ll average close to 11 minutes per game and wreak havoc with her strength and hustle.
I’ll also be cheap and add that Ola Kosu will be extremely exciting to watch when she’s on the court.
Prediction: Alissa Pili
MH:
The last time we saw Jessica Shepard in the WNBA was in 2023, not taking the court for the Lynx in 2024 while remaining overseas. Over the first four years of her WNBA career in Minnesota, the thing that has held Shepard back was her ability — or lack thereof — to stay healthy. But when she has been on the court, she can do a little bit of everything with her ability to boost the team with her shot, on the boards, and with her distribution.
This season, I think Shepard will surprise some people, or maybe remind them, of what she can do when she is healthy. She is in great shape, has noticeably put on more muscle, and I believe will be able to remain healthy this year. If so, she will be a valuable asset to Minnesota.
Prediction: Jessica Shepard
BH:
Natisha Hiedeman had a down year shooting the ball last season. After spending her entire career in Connecticut, she came to Minnesota to help provide as the backup point guard, but never seemed to find her rhythm in the offense. I think she returns to form as a shooter and as a great PG who injects pace into the offense. Hiedeman is as quick as they come, and having a year to get comfortable in her role in Minnesota should set her up for great success this season. Lynx fans may be down on her from last year, but I think she’s in for a great bounce-back season this summer.
Prediction: Natisha Hiedeman
RE:
For biggest surprise, I’m going to go with a bit of a homer pick and go with my fellow Iowa State Cyclone, Bridget Carleton. Last season, Carleton had her breakout WNBA season, more than tripling her scoring output from the season prior while finishing third in the Most Improved Player voting.
I foresee another jump in Carleton’s game this season. While it won’t be the same type of jump from last year, I think she will get her scoring average into the double-digits while maintaining her absurd shooting splits from a season ago.
Prediction: Bridget Carleton
Best Role Player
LS:
Bridget Carleton is someone who has proved season after season that she embraces her jack-of-all-trades role on the team. Tough defensive assignments, timely perimeter scoring, hustle plays, you name it. BC’s the glue that has held Minnesota together in ways that are always under the radar, but never underappreciated.
As Ryan mentioned, Carleton was a Most Improved Player candidate while shooting 44.4% from triple (on volume), and I’m looking forward to seeing how she expands her game this season.
Prediction: Bridget Carleton
MH:
As mentioned earlier, I think Karlie Samuelson will have a big impact on the Lynx this season, if she is able to stay healthy. That has been somewhat of a downfall of hers to this point in her career, though the last few years she has stayed relatively healthy, and her numbers have followed.
Samuelson will provide a nice lift to the Lynx, notably from deep, which will be beneficial in key points in games and down the stretch of the year. Like we saw with Alanna Smith in 2024, I think Samuelson will have a breakout season in Minnesota this summer.
Prediction: Karlie Samuelson
BH:
Maybe Alanna Smith is a bit more than just a role player, but I think that her job on this team is incredibly important for what the Lynx want to do. She is a superb defender and set a career high in blocks last season. She was also great when used as a hub on the offensive end to help the Lynx run unique, hard-to-guard actions to get Phee in great positions. Her ability to help lock down the paint with Collier while also being able to space the floor on offense and even run some two-person actions with Collier, along with the guards, is the perfect skillset for a front-court mate with Phee.
The defense pops every time you watch, and she understands exactly her role on the offensive end. Smith is a great complement to the starting lineup and the roster as a whole.
Prediction: Alanna Smith
RE:
Another out-of-the-box pick for me, as I’m going with head coach Cheryl Reeve as my pick for best role player. As one of, if not the greatest coach in the history of the league, Reeve gives the Lynx a tactical advantage almost every night.
It’s easy to see right from the beginning of training camp that Reeve is holding this group to an incredibly high standard. She sees the potential in what this year’s team can do and expects them to show that pretty much every night. While obviously not an actual player, Reeve will have as much impact as anyone on the court this year.
Prediction: Cheryl Reeve
Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images
Most Valuable Player
LS:
I’m fully expecting our entire team to be unanimous with this one. Napheesa Collier has been nothing short of dominant in her rise to superstardom. She’s been a top-five MVP candidate for three of her five (real) seasons.
Will she ascend to the top of that totem pole for her first MVP trophy this season? If you ask her, she probably couldn’t care less about it so long as she’s raising the championship trophy at the end of the postseason.
Prediction: Napheesa Collier
MH:
Napheesa Collier isn’t just the best player on the Lynx roster, but she is arguably the best player in the WNBA. She will only continue to ascend in 2025 and will be right there at the end of the WNBA MVP race when the season is all said and done.
Collier is an MVP talent, not just on the Lynx but in the league. This season, she will get that recognition as the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Prediction: Napheesa Collier
BH:
This is the easiest question, by far. Napheesa Collier is coming off an amazing season where she showed her two-way prowess that helped lead the Lynx to the WNBA Finals. She is the best player on the roster and one of the best in the league. We’ve all gotten to know her amazing footwork in the mid-range, but I think she upticks her 3-point percentage this season as well. She has been up and down with this part of her game, but seemed more willing to lean into it last season. She will also continue to wreak havoc on the defensive end and engulf possessions with her instinct and athletic ability. Combine all those attributes, and you get one of the best players in the entire W.
Prediction: Napheesa Collier
RE:
No need to overthink this one. Napheesa Collier is one of the best players in the WNBA and currently has the third-best odds to win MVP behind only Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. She has shown her basketball brilliance last season on the way to a Defensive Player of the Year, showed it again this offseason while playing in Unrivaled, and will do it again this season leading the title-hopeful Lynx.
Prediction: Napheesa Collier
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Bold Prediction
LS:
Minnesota is loaded in the frontcourt this season. They may have the deepest rotation there with Collier, Smith, Shepard, and now Marième Badiane. The Lynx were a perimeter-oriented team that was top four in turnovers forced last season. Inversely, they were a poor rebounding team, being bottom three in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.
With bigger bodies and the specific rebounding prowess of Shepard, I think those numbers will improve significantly. Youngsters Pili and Miller both also have the strength and athleticism to chip in more on the boards as well.
Prediction: The Lynx will finish as a top 3 rebounding team.
Initials:
Two areas I think the Lynx will thrive in again in 2025 are their three-point shooting and effort on the defensive end of the floor. By the end of the year, Minnesota will have the best three-point percentage and defense in the WNBA.
Three-point shooting was somewhat of an area of need for the Lynx this offseason, especially after losing Cecilia Zandalasini in the Expansion Draft, but they addressed that with the offseason additions to add to a team that finished with a league-best mark from deep in 2024. Look for Minnesota to continue to focus on that area of the offense and have success while doing so this year.
One thing that the success of the Lynx lies upon is how they are performing defensively. They often talk about how their defense turns into offense, and the team thrives on strong defensive play. If Minnesota’s defense is performing as one of the top units in the league, like it was a season ago, this team will be awfully hard to stop. And I think that will be the case in 2025.
Prediction: Minnesota will lead the league in three-point percentage and defense
BH:
Minnesota finished as the fourth-ranked offense last season while riding Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, and their plethora of 3-point shooters. I think with their offseason additions and a more efficient Collier from beyond the arc, they will finish number one in offensive rating this season. Phee leads the charge with a significant uptick in her 3-point percentage, Natisha Hiedeman will have a bounce back year, and the additions of Karlie Samuelson and Jess Shepherd will help the Lynx to become an even more potent offense as they lean into their shooting.
Prediction: The Lynx will finish number one in offensive rating this season
RE:
With the additional four games on this year’s schedule. The all-time wins record of 34 set by the Las Vegas Aces in 2023 becomes a lot more achievable. I believe the Lynx have an outstanding chance to break that record this season. Unlike other teams, which are folding in new pieces, a process Timberwolves fans are aware can take time to work out, the Lynx will have a much easier time hitting the ground running right away.
While I wouldn’t consider a 35-9 record likely for the Lynx, I do believe that if everything goes right this season, that could be an achievable goal this season.
Prediction: The Lynx will have a chance to break the total wins in a season record
There you have it. Our team has uploaded their receipts for future reference. Follow along as Canis Hoopus brings you all the latest for the 2025 Lynx season!