Cheryl Reeve: Lynx still Napheesa Collier’s team despite Olivia Miles’ emergenceMyron MedcalfJul 11, 2026, 01:01 PM ETClose
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MINNEAPOLIS — All-Star Olivia Miles has dazzled throughout her rookie WNBA season, but the Minnesota Lynx franchise still runs through Napheesa Collier, coach Cheryl Reeve stated Saturday ahead of her team’s matchup against the New York Liberty.
Reeve didn’t offer a timetable on the injured Collier’s return but stated that whenever she comes back, “Phee” is still the queen in Minneapolis — and that the whole team knows it.
“With regard to her insertion, it’s still Phee’s team,” Reeve stated. “There is not anybody that walks into the gym that doesn’t know that it’s still Phee’s team. What’s great is [Courtney Williams] and [Kayla McBride], they’re very happy to declare that it’s Phee’s team.”
Collier, who finished second to A’ja Wilson in the WNBA MVP race in 2024 and 2025, recently returned to practice as she prepares to make her season debut following dual ankle surgeries this offseason.
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In her absence, Miles has emerged as one of the league’s most promising players. She was voted a starter in the WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago in two weeks. She’s also a legitimate MVP candidate, along with teammate Natasha Howard, after averaging 18.5 points and 5.7 assists to help the Lynx enter the weekend tied atop the WNBA standings with the Las Vegas Aces at 16-6.
Reeve stated she’s too focused on today to think about the team’s transition once Collier returns, but she stated the former MVP candidate will also benefit from Miles’ talent.
“She needs more than herself, and that’s for her to play with a point guard like Olivia Miles that Seimone Augustus got to play with, that Maya Moore got to play with — the natural point guard,” stated Reeve, who set the record for the most regular-season wins by a head coach in WNBA history with her team’s 86-80 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, about past stars she has coached.
“[Collier] hasn’t experienced that yet. And this is what we’re going to be able to do and for her to be able to see what that’s like,” Reeve stated. “Then maybe let’s get some games with [Collier and Miles] together and figure out what they look like and then we can start putting in a pecking order.”
Reeve stated the tenacity and toughness Miles plays with is “natural” and a key component in her success thus far in her career. But Collier is still considered the leader of this group, the coach stated.
“I think it’s premature to anoint anyone other than [Collier] as the leader of this team,” Reeve stated.
