Napheesa Collier returns with 24-point double-double for Lynx
The Lynx star made her season debut after two ankle surgeries, helping Minnesota beat Seattle 86-76 before the All-Star break.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Napheesa Collier needed only 22 minutes to remind the WNBA what Minnesota had been missing.
The Lynx star made her season debut Wednesday and posted 24 points and 10 rebounds in Minnesota’s 86-76 win over the Seattle Storm, according to ESPN. Collier shot 9-for-20 in her first game since late September, returning after offseason surgery on both ankles.
Collier told reporters afterward that she was buzzing to be back. “I felt like a kid in a candy store,” she said, according to ESPN. “I couldn't wait to get on the court. ... There was a lot of excitement. I'm just happy to be here.”
The comeback had been months in the making. ESPN reported that Collier had one ankle operation on New Year’s Day and another in March. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve had tried to keep expectations modest, even meeting with Collier in her office Tuesday to talk through the jump from recovery work to live WNBA action.
Reeve told Collier there would be a time when she would expect her to be the best player on the floor, ESPN reported, but the coach did not frame the opener as that moment. Collier said she understood the caution while still holding herself to a high standard.
“I have a lot of high expectations for myself so it's hard not to do that,” Collier said.
The opening quarter had some rust. Collier went 1-for-7 in the first period and later joked about needing an early substitution, ESPN reported. Her rhythm arrived in the second quarter, when she made 4 of 5 shots and scored 11 points in 11 minutes.
“It's a year of pent-up excitement, so I think there is some settling in,” Collier said. “My teammates always have my back. They have been encouraging me throughout this entire process, today included.”
Collier played under a minutes limit, with Minnesota using shorter bursts rather than a full workload. Reeve said before the game that Collier’s return was one stage of the process and that there were a “couple more steps to go before we get to see the Phee we've come to know,” according to ESPN.
After the win, Reeve kept the same line, even while praising the performance.
“This is an evolution,” Reeve said. “We're not at the end of this. ... This was a big step getting her on the court, and now it's continuing to build. It's her catching up conditioning-wise with the rest of the league. ... There will still be ups and downs; there's no doubt about it. But I am happy for her.”
ESPN reported that it was the fourth season debut in which Collier has scored at least 20 points, and the second time she has opened a season with a 20-point double-double. Sylvia Fowles, in 2017, is the only other Lynx player to do that, according to ESPN.
Minnesota did plenty of winning before Collier’s return. ESPN reported the Lynx entered the All-Star break at 22-6, sitting first in the WNBA standings, with No. 2 draft pick Olivia Miles and veteran Kayla McBride helping carry the load.
McBride scored 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting Wednesday, her eighth straight 20-point game, while Miles added 13 points and six assists, according to ESPN.
Collier said she had watched the group build while she worked back. “For us to be in the No. 1 slot, you can never count us out,” she said.
The Lynx now pause for All-Star festivities. ESPN reported Minnesota’s next game is Tuesday, giving Collier five days before her next test.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.