MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a new era for the WNBA and women’s basketball, and part of turning over that new leaf includes the Minnesota Lynx putting the ball in the hands of a brand new point guard. Cheryl Reeve and company made that clear when they selected Olivia Miles with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Miles, a gifted passer out of TCU by way of Notre Dame, gives the Lynx what they feel is their first true point guard since Lindsay Whalen, who orchestrated four championships in seven years for Minnesota during the 2010s. The newest Lynx was quick to invoke her legendary new assistant coach moments after she walked across the stage in New York.
“I think that’s what I’m most excited about, obviously [Whalen’s] on staff, so I can’t wait to learn from her,” Miles said of Hall of Fame point guard and Lynx assistant coach Lindsay Whalen during her press conference shortly after hearing her name called. “She played on a dynasty team with Maya Moore, Seimone [Augustus] and all those greats. I can’t wait to just be a sponge, like I’m so excited to be a sponge and just ask questions and be open-minded and be coachable. It’s a great honor, but it’s also a great responsibility. But I trust myself and I have the confidence that I know I can handle it.”
The flurry of free agency moves has created a number of holes in Minnesota’s roster. Key players that have helped the Lynx win 64 regular season games across the last two seasons like Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman, Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith all landed lucrative deals to take their talents elsewhere. No one across the league is going to waste their time feeling bad for the Lynx, and there’s no one move Minnesota can make to patch the holes created by those who have departed. However, the No. 2 selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft answers one very specific question, a question Reeve has been hoping to answer for a long time.
“Just having a point guard. Having somebody that can generate easy baskets on time, on target. [Add] rim pressure, play in pick-and-roll,” Reeve said. “There’s a lot of things, and the first message I got within about a minute after making our selection was from [Kayla] McBride, who is like ‘I’m gonna have the ball in my hands, I’m gonna be wide open.’”
Miles’ highlight tape is one filled with all kinds of passing wizardry. The product of Phillipsburg, N.J. spent the last half of a decade getting the ball to teammates in space at near impossible angles. It’s not surprising to hear Reeve speak of the excitement from a veteran like McBride who will soon be on the receiving end of a Miles dime.
“She’s just really gifted,” Reeve said. “We felt like there was two players with generational skills in the draft, the generational skill of passing, and play-making, and point guard, and leadership. If Courtney Williams is watching, I don’t mean to suggest that she’s not a great point guard, but [Miles] is the first real point guard we’ve had since Lindsay Whalen. When I say ‘real,’ you know, that kind of generational [player], and makes a living doing it. We’re really excited, for sure.”
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Reeve made sure to emphasize there is no intention of moving Williams off the ball, at least not permanently. Rather, Reeve emphasized the different types of looks and guard play the Lynx are now capable of throwing at opponents with two different floor generals on the floor simultaneously.
“I think they’re going to be great for each other,” Reeve added. “Obviously, we have a lot of work to do to kind of figure it all out. [Miles] will get here tomorrow and want to get to work. I imagine, much like we did with [Natisha] Hiedeman, playing Courtney alongside another playmaker. I’m excited. Maybe I can shed some of this idea that we don’t play rookies. You will see Miles on the floor.”
Per Lynx PR, Miles is expected to arrive in Minnesota as early as Tuesday, with a press conference expected Wednesday, April 15.
“It’s just an incredible feeling,” Miles said. “It’s hard to describe in words. I really don’t know what’s going on right now to be honest. I need to take a deep breath and really actually reflect on it. But just very grateful, like I said, for Minnesota taking that chance.”
It’s a chance that’s been a long time in the making for Miles’ new organization. Reeve and her staff spent a few days in Miles’ neck of the woods in Fort Worth for a staff retreat during the college basketball season. It gave them the opportunity for an even, thorough vetting of their point guard to come, but also the chance to meet with her in person to make sure she had the makeup of a future Lynx.
“We had the whole staff and just kind of watched her, all of her interactions, you know everything, not just with her teammates,” Reeve said. “Then our meeting with her, we just really enjoyed, and she was very talkative. Actually it was a bit surprising. It was like an hour and a half, and we were like, ‘Okay we gotta go!’ She kept wanting to talk, but I thought she showed her personality. She showed some leadership. We had some connects from when she was down with Unrivaled, Clare Duwelius, our old GM.”
“She leads. She’s a connector of people. Her parents are engineers, and I think the ultimate thing is she’s from Jersey,” Reeve added with a laugh.
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After selecting Miles, the Lynx were on the clock again 43 picks later. Minnesota held the 45th and final selection of the historic 30th draft in league history and used it to select guard Lani White out of Utah.
White played her first two collegiate seasons with the Utes before transferring to Virginia Tech for her junior year. She opted to transfer back to Utah to finish her college career in Salt Lake City. White will be a candidate to replace some of the perimeter talent leaving Minnesota. She shot 43.5% from three-point range over her last two seasons.
“I thought she had real momentum early in the season,” Reeve said when asked about White’s game. “They beat TCU early in the season and she was playing real well. We were actually a little surprised, everyone’s going to say they’re surprised when their [player’s] available. The momentum that she had early didn’t quite continue through the season. [She’s] a small forward that can shoot, and we’re excited about that possibility for her.”
The Lynx will report to training camp on Sunday, April 19.
