Minnesota Lynx Rookie Is Showing Why Draft Pick Already Makes Sense
The Minnesota Lynx were championship contenders in the last two seasons, but they had one glaring weakness: a lack of size in a frontcourt built around Napheesa Collier. Losing Maria Kliundikova, Alanna Smith, and Jessica Shepard in the offseason absolutely gutted the Lynx’s depth and size and made Lauren Betts seem like the logical draft choice.
Cheryl Reeve went with Olivia Miles instead, selecting a player who already looks like the team’s point guard of the future. Turns out, Reeve didn’t even need the draft to boost her frontcourt depth and find a promising rookie big to develop. Her pick makes perfect sense after an impressive preseason showing from Czech rookie Emma Cechova.
On top of that, Dorka Juhasz is back with the team fresh off a EuroLeague MVP season, and 21-year-old Anastasiia Kosu was just named Finals MVP in the top Russian league before returning for her second season with the Lynx.
Reeve finds players that other teams overlooked or gave up on and turns them into highly regarded rotational players. Just look at Bridget Carleton. She was a second-round pick and was waived just four games into her rookie season. After a few seasons in Cheryl Reeve’s system, she was the first pick in the latest expansion draft and earned a max contract from the Portland Fire.
Cechova could be the next player on that list if she can play as well in the regular season as she did in the Lynx’s preseason game against the Toronto Tempo.
Emma Cechova played a strong game against Toronto
One should never put too much weight on preseason games. Teams are still figuring things out, and many players get opportunities they wouldn’t have in the regular season.
Nevertheless, it’s difficult to ignore how well Cechova played, and what kind of player she could become in the Lynx’s system. She finished the game with 16 points on efficient shooting, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 24 minutes off the bench. She defended veteran Temi Fagbenle well and even showed off some range when she hit a long two in the first half.
Her size and length could be an important asset for a Lynx team that just lost its best shot blocker, even if she still needs some time to develop—although it shouldn’t take her too long to adjust to the W. Cechova may be young, but she’s been playing professionally in Europe for years and has suited up for the Czech national team on several occasions.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.