Depth Has Been a Key Strength For Lynx In 2024 » Winsidr

The Minnesota Lynx entered the 2024 season with a wave of new faces on the roster, adding seven players to the squad who didn’t appear with the team in 2023. 

Some might think that would result in a slower start to the year as players learn how to play together and the coaching staff figures out what rotations will look like. For Minnesota, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it’s been the complete opposite with the Lynx having the chemistry of a team that has played a full season together. 

The Lynx have started the season as one of the top teams in the WNBA now over the quarter mark in the 2024 campaign. That early-season success could be credited to a multitude of things, including the team’s improvement defensively and from three, as well as the quickly established chemistry. 

But another thing that has fed into the success of the Lynx, and will continue to play a large role in their success moving forward, is the depth on the roster—something Minnesota hasn’t necessarily had the luxury of featuring to this extent the past few seasons. 

“If you saw our free agency, we got so many good people,” Napheesa Collier said. “We have so much depth too, it’s not just our starting five. We have (Olivia Époupa) coming off the bench, (Cecilia Zandalasini) … we had Bridget (Carleton) before, Diamond (Miller) when she comes back (from injury). We just have such depth. It goes down the line where, if you take someone away, there’s someone right behind them to make up for that.

“It’s so hard to play against teams like that. I saw this coming, it’s just really exciting to see it play out. We’re going to get better as our chemistry grows,” Collier added.

If you ask any player or coach on the Lynx, they will say things were different on the team right out of the gate in training camp. The chemistry was forged quickly, the energy was there from the get-go and everyone understood their role while attempting to thrive in whatever role they held. 

“Since day one, the energy was just kind of different,” Kayla McBride said. “The chemistry is just so organic. There’s nobody forcing or trying to do anything outside of themselves, everybody is just coming into the gym as themselves and it just works. We have great communication. Yeah, we have hard times and we hold ourselves accountable for things and so does the coaching staff. But everything is so internal, our connection. Those are the best defensive teams I’ve been on, when we have chemistry off the court. I think you see that.

Love the Lynx starters losing their minds over Alissa Pili pic.twitter.com/ghmDHmJvv2

— DFAntastic (@PhillyTradesman) June 1, 2024

“Everybody on our team is very confident in who they are as players. Whatever their story is, whether they’ve been in the league six years or if it’s their first year,” McBride continued. “Everybody who is here, they are in this space where they know who they are as a player. When you have that, you are able to morph into whatever it is that you need to be for the team. That’s been really cool to see. … It’s been so nice to see everybody fit in around, and it’s been so organic. I’m excited to see what we continue to grow into.”

Over a quarter of the way into the regular season, the Lynx bench has averaged 17.4 points per game, the sixth-best mark in the WNBA. The second unit is shooting 44.2 percent from the field (tied for third in the WNBA) and 33.0 percent from three (fourth in the WNBA). That unit also has the third-best offensive rating and the fifth-ranked defensive rating among second units in the league. 

“The biggest thing is they know their role. They know what is expected of them when they come into the game,” Bridget Carleton said. “Everyone knows who they are, even the bench players, when they come in. We’ve found that rhythm with the substitutions too where you know when you’re going to come in. … Everyone has that confidence, knows they are going to play, knows we need them, knows they are going to be impactful. … We have full confidence in them when they come into the game.”

On any given night, Minnesota’s bench is ready to enter the game whenever they are called upon, a valuable attribute behind the starters that has led to the team hanging onto leads in games against teams with less depth in multiple games this season. 

“We always tell each other to just stay ready,” second-year player Dorka Juhász said. “We have to be the ones to come in and we have to lift the team up. We have to increase the intensity when we come in. That’s what has to be our strength going forward, we have to lift the team up.”

The most dangerous part is any player has the ability to step up on any given night. One game, it might be Natisha Hiedeman, Zandalasini and Juhász stepping up. Another game, it might be rookies Époupa and Alissa Pili bringing the energy and making a difference down the stretch. 

“I just try to get myself ready every single day while working hard,” Époupa said. “We know we are a great team with great players, so just stay ready, support my team and whenever the time comes I try to help the team as much as possible. We have great chemistry and it’s a great pleasure to play with this team. When they are on the court, I am supporting them. We are just here for each other. It feels great to feel supported by your teammates.”

The success of the Lynx early on in the 2024 season can be credited to multiple things. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Minnesota’s success so far has been the depth displayed throughout the roster. And that will only play a bigger role as the year progresses. 

“This organization has created that environment to allow players like this group to come in and flourish,” McBride said. “It’s just been a lot of fun figuring it out. It’s not perfect, we’ve had tough moments. But we still find a way to find joy. That’s just a testament to the maturity of this group. … It’s just been a lot of fun. When you have that environment, of course you’re going to flourish, of course you’re going to have joy. I just want to continue to have that feeling and continue to see where we go with this thing.”

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of WNBA.com.