With the Lynx quickly shooting up the WNBA standings at the start of the 2024 season and looking like a complete team, these are the reasons for Minnesota’s strong start early.
Coming into the 2024 season, many outside of the Minnesota Lynx organization viewed and expected the team to finish in the bottom half of the WNBA standings a year after finishing sixth in the league and earning a postseason appearance, bowing out in the first round.
But internally, the Lynx had much higher expectations, aiming to not only replicate what they did in 2023, but taking another step forward this summer.
“I think the expectation is to build on last season. I think a lot of people were sort of unsure what to expect from the Minnesota Lynx. … What we learned about last season, through our evolution, we had to get through challenging time to get where we got to,” Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said before the season began.
“The expectation this season is to build on that. We do have high expectations. … We are going to continue to surprise people.”
Not only has Minnesota improved this season, but it has in almost every aspect of the game. And that has resulted in a hot start to the year with the Lynx sitting as one of the top three teams in the WNBA.
There are multiple reasons for the strong start to the year for Minnesota, including in impressive chemistry it has built with new players joining the team, improvements on both ends of the floor, and more.
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Chemistry
When you have multiple new faces on a team, let alone two who took over starting roles, you expect that team to start the year off a bit slower as players build chemistry together and as the coaching staff learns what rotations will look like.
That hasn’t really been the case for the Lynx, who added seven new players to the roster this offseason. Thanks to a quick adjustment period and a strong training camp, Minnesota’s chemistry already looks like a team that has played a full year together.
“We had a hell of a training camp. Their embrace, their level of compete, their level of wanting to help each other and communicating. We had a great training camp, so I’m not surprised to see their chemistry,” Cheryl Reeve said. “The art of accelerated chemistry, this group has kind of put on a clinic of what that takes. I’m happy for them that it’s carrying over into the regular season.”
The Lynx credit that chemistry and the good blend of skillsets among players as one of the biggest reasons for the strong start the year. When you have a roster that plays well together and is already comfortable together, you already have a leg up to counterparts who are still working through those things.
“We’re still trying to figure things out at times, but I think where we are right now is great,” 2023 All-WNBA First Team selection Napheesa Collier said. “I think where we are at is really great and I’m excited to build that chemistry even more as the season goes on.”
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Defense
In the most successful seasons for the Lynx, one thing they have done well — among other things — is defend. That was one area of focus for Minnesota this offseason and getting back to being a team that is hard to play against regardless of the offensive talent on the other bench.
“A lot,” Collier said about the emphasis the Lynx have put on defense this year. “We started on defense the very first day of training camp.”
This season, the Lynx have not only improved defensively, but they are already one of the top defensive squads in the league. That is just one of the reasons why Minnesota is coming out on top more often than not so far this year.
“Our defense is really something that we’re anchored in. It’s so much farther ahead than I think it’s been since I’ve been a Lynx. Just being able to rely on our defense when our offense isn’t going well,” Kayla McBride said. “Our defense is really what has stood out. … That’s what good teams do, so we want to be one of those.”
A season ago, as you can see in the chart below, Minnesota was one of the worst defensive teams in the WNBA, ranking in the bottom fourth of almost every category. That put extra pressure on its offense to have to be at its best on a nightly basis to try and come out on top.
In 2024, however, the Lynx have completely flipped the script. They are in the top third in most statistical categories, notably points per game, defensive rating, steals and blocks. Minnesota is active on defense, it is hard to play against, and it is much improved compared to the summer of 2023.
Photo by Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images
Emphasis From Beyond the Arc
Much like the improvement on defense, another aspect of the game the Lynx wanted to improve upon was their success — and even just attempts — from three.
In 2023, Minnesota was a below average team from deep, something that was disappointing for Reeve and company entering this past offseason. Last season, Minnesota ranked 11th in the league in 3-point percentage (32.5%), finishing ahead of only the Dallas Wings’ league-worst mark of 31.7%. The Lynx finished eighth in 3-point attempts (20.7) but converted on just 6.8 of those attempts per game.
With a focus on beefing up those efforts, Reeve wanted her team to put an emphasis on shots beyond the arc, setting a goal for the Lynx right away to begin the 2024 campaign.
“I want to be in the top-four,” Reeve said of where she wants the Lynx will finish in 3-point performance. “We just feel like our advantage will maybe be a little more of that, as opposed to the interior presence. And that just gives (Collier) more room to work and do what she likes to do in the paint.”
So far this season, the Lynx have lived up to those expectations, finding success along the way and adding another aspect to a balanced offensive attack.
Nearly a quarter of the way trough the year, Minnesota is already averaging nearly six more shot attempts per game, averaging a double-digit total in shots made from deep. The Lynx lead the WNBA in 3-point percentage (38.6%), a sizable distance ahead of the next-best team in the league, Atlanta, with a 35% mark from deep. Minnesota also leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made (10 per game) while coming in at fifth in attempts (25.9).
Multiple things have fed into the Lynx’s strong start to the season, their best start to a year since starting the 2017 season 9-0 (that season ended quite well, for the record). Minnesota is a much-improved squad compared to the team it fielded just a year ago. And there appears to be no signs of slowing down for a team that is performing well on both ends of the court and is gelling at a remarkable level early on in the season.