The Lynx have built a hefty cushion in the WNBA standings that they may just need in the coming weeks while playing without the presumptive league Most Valuable Player.
Napheesa Collier was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle on Monday, an injury suffered in the second half of Minnesota’s blowout win Saturday in Las Vegas. Collier went up to contend for a rebound and came down awkwardly on her right foot. The forward was helped off the floor and did not return. The Lynx said Collier will be re-evaluated in “the coming weeks.”
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She is averaging a league-best 23.8 points this season to go with 7.7 rebounds, all while serving as the best defensive player in the world. So yes, Collier’s absence will be felt.
But Minnesota has the benefit of a 5 1/2-game lead on second-place New York with just 15 games to play in the Lynx’s regular season. So while it certainly isn’t Plan A, Minnesota could afford a few stumbles while still maintaining home-court advantage through the duration of the WNBA playoffs.
ESPN reported Collier will miss at least two weeks.
Minnesota is in Seattle on Tuesday. Over the next three weeks, the Lynx play Seattle, Washington, Atlanta, Indiana twice and the Liberty — who could be without Breanna Stewart for the entirety of that same timeframe — thrice.
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Atlanta is currently six games back of Minnesota, while the Fever are seven back of the top seed.
The Lynx are 2-1 this season in games Collier has missed. Minnesota is perhaps the deepest team in the WNBA, and added to its arsenal Sunday when it acquired defensive stopped DiJonai Carrington via a trade with Dallas.
But Minnesota is thinner in the front court. The Lynx will lean even more heavily upon Alanna Smith and Jess Shepard in Collier’s absence, while Maria Kliundikova will likely also have to play a bigger role. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve may also experiment with a few smaller lineups.
