Olivia Miles Is Fitting Right in With the Lynx Ahead of 2026 WNBA Season Tip-Off

Minnesota’s rookie point guard, who was a fast-paced triple-double threat in college, has quickly shown that her game can translate well to the pros.

In three preseason games, Olivia Miles averaged 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists. | Amy Kontras/NBAE/Getty Images

When the Lynx traveled to Kansas City to face Team Nigeria in a preseason game on April 27, rookie Olivia Miles was in a familiar place at T-Mobile Center. She was just wearing a different outfit.  

A few weeks prior, Miles was in town leading and cheering for her TCU teammates as they reached the Big 12 tournament final. But now she was sporting a professional uniform instead of her college jersey. By the Nigeria game, Miles had only been a member of the Lynx for two weeks after she was selected No. 2 overall in the WNBA draft on April 13. In that short time, she has become a natural fit in the Minnesota roster. For coach Cheryl Reeve, it already feels like the rookie’s been on the team much longer than that.

“It was funny, last night we were having a conversation, and we said ‘You know what, it was only a week ago that we started this training camp thing.’ It feels like she’s been here for weeks, that’s probably how it feels for her,” Reeve says. 

Miles agrees that the past month has been a whirlwind. She went from playing in the NCAA tournament and reaching the Elite Eight with TCU, to being drafted to the WNBA, to joining the Lynx and starting training camp to having three preseason games under her belt. On Sunday, May 10, Miles will start in her first regular season WNBA game. 

“It’s the quickness of everything, learning a lot of things really fast. Not wanting to step on any toes, know your place, learn your role on your team,” Miles says. “It’s been crazy.”

TURN US UP, OLIVIA. 😤 pic.twitter.com/BwUFgETy3f

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 2, 2026

Luckily, Miles has already created strong bonds with her new teammates and with her new coaches. The rookie’s really leaned on veterans Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride during this quick transition period—not a bad group to guide you in your first few weeks as a pro.

“We have great vets,” Miles says. “Obviously our team is very new. The three main core—Phee, Court and K-Mac—have been just such an incredible resource for me. I think that was one of my biggest worries, like will we have good vets? Not Minnesota particularly, but whatever team drafted me. They’ve been just great.”

While Miles is obviously a newbie in the organization, she definitely isn’t alone. Minnesota’s experienced a lot of change this past month. In free agency, the Lynx lost starters Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard to the Wings, Natisha Hiedeman to the Storm and DiJonai Carrington to the Sky. The expansion draft saw three of Minnesota’s players leave: Bridget Carleton and Karlie Samuelson to the Fire, followed by Maria Kliundikova to the Tempo. Minnesota did sign star Natasha Howard and will see the return of Dorka Juhász after she missed last season. Additionally, the two-time MVP runner-up Collier is projected to be out until at least June. Only Williams and McBride from last year’s starting five will begin the 2026 season with the Lynx.

The whole team is figuring out each other right now (one reason why Reeve advocated for three preseason games) with the mix of young players and veterans who landed fresh in Minnesota. 

Williams used the word “different” to describe this year’s squad, not necessarily in a good or bad way since it’s still too early to determine. In her 11th year in the league, Williams fully accepts the role of being the vet to the “babies” on the team, including Miles. She takes pride in being someone her teammates can lean on and feel supported by. When Miles arrived in Minnesota, Williams offered her some strong advice right off the bat.

“[I] honestly just told her that it’s going to be O.K.,” Williams says. “It’s a transition, but you got people around you that are here to help you every step of the way. She’s already got a natural feel to her game, so now it’s just a matter of understanding the pace, understanding who you’re playing with, just the things that will come to her just continuing playing basketball.”

Miles has already taken this advice to heart. Her main focus as she begins her professional career is to stay true to herself and her game. She acknowledges that the Lynx drafted her for a reason and there’s no need to drastically change her game now that she’s a pro.

Once her teammate at Notre Dame, Miles squared off against Sonia Citron and the Mystics during the preseason. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

“I’m not trying to be someone I’m not, just sharing what I bring and obviously what I can be better at,” Miles says. “So, just being me, but getting to that level of [coach Reeve’s] detail-oriented system and holding myself accountable so I can be the best point guard for this team.”

Reeve believes Miles is adjusting well to her system already. One thing Reeve wants out of her players is for them to keep wanting to learn and grow in the game, and Miles definitely embodies those qualities.

“I have really appreciated her curiosity, she’s really, really curious and anxious, in such a good way, about what lies ahead for her in the WNBA. That has stood out since our first call with her prior to the draft,” Reeve says.

The rookie is excited to learn from the best of the best throughout her W career, too. She wants to consistently improve on the skills she’s coming into the league with. “I’m always trying to be a sponge on both ends of the floor,” Miles says.

Her skills on the court are initially what sparked the Lynx’s interest in drafting her just a few weeks ago. Miles is known for being a threat on both ends of the court. Last season with TCU, she averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest in 38 games played. 

After the exhibition game in Kansas City specifically, Reeve spoke highly about Miles’s game, in which she played 19 minutes and put up 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. If she would’ve played the whole game at that pace, she was on track for posting a triple-double. 

Miles recorded 12 triple-doubles in her college career, the third-most in women’s college basketball history behind none other than Sabrina Ionescu (26) and Caitlin Clark (17). How long will it take for her to notch her first WNBA triple-double? Not long, according to Reeve.

“I thought Liv was exceptional in the areas that we wanted to improve in from game one to game two, and that was on the defensive side of things. Offensively, … I told her, we love a good box-score player,” Reeve says. “She’s not just a scorer, she’s not just a passer. When you have a guard who’s going to be a triple-double threat every time she plays, that’s a pretty special player.”

Miles will get her opportunity to show the league just how incredible her game is when the 2026 WNBA season tips off this weekend. She’s expected to be in the running for Rookie of the Year alongside No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd, who landed with the Wings.

There will be plenty of pinch-me moments for Miles this year, from her first official WNBA game, to facing some of her basketball idols on the court, to All-Star Weekend, to the playoffs and to awards. Her goal throughout all of these milestones is to cherish the moment and remain in the present. She’s learned already in just a couple weeks how quickly the WNBA moves, and she doesn’t want any of it to fly by her. 

For starters, she’s looking forward to savoring the moment the announcers call her name at the Target Center on May 10 and to hear the response from Lynx fans in the crowd. When Miles’s name was called in Kansas City, over six hours away from her new home arena, the crowd erupted in cheers for the rookie. If that experience was a testament to how her home crowd will respond, then she’s in for a treat this season.

“[McBride] was trying to tell me about it, how cool it’s going to be to hear my name called. I’m really excited,” Miles says. “It’s just such a special thing, like the 1% of 1%. Not many people get to do this, so I’m just trying to be grateful for every opportunity that I get to play.”

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