On Saturday, the Minnesota Lynx continued their early-season dominance by beating the Seattle Storm for a seventh straight win. Natasha Howard has been excellent, and provided 27 points in the game, but a big part of why this team looks like a monster despite their ostensible superstar being out is the excellent play and cool demeanor of Olivia Miles, who put in 19 points, six assists, and six rebounds against the Storm. This came just three nights after she set a WNBA rookie record of eight three-pointers in a win over the Golden State Valkyries. Prior to that game, her three-point percentage was the weakest part of her game, but that's the thing about Miles, who is already starting to gain the "Magic" moniker for the way she sees the court. She's making leaps every game—she keeps getting better and playing smarter. She's got a big afro, slightly smaller now than it was before, and those Horace Grant wraparound goggles. It's a look that should read as dorky, and yet she is the coolest-looking person on the court, and I am ready to pledge complete fealty to her already.
No amount of stat-listing really captures how much fun it is to watch her on the court. In my colleague Maitreyi Anantharaman's blog about her, she described Miles as the ultimate NCAA tournament player: "Campy, goofy, stylish, a little chaotic." Someone who attacks the rim in unique ways, capable of insane no-look passes, and a maker of decisions that seem like they won't work, but consistently do. These are the same reasons that made her prospects in the pro league a lot more tenuous and uncertain, despite being thought of as a top-three draft pick. Through a combination of landing on the right team and being given the keys to run the offense for the Lynx, she's found a scenario for translating her college game to the WNBA. She has been the best rookie to watch so far and a big part of why the Lynx look like a juggernaut, even while Napheesa Collier is on the bench, still recovering from ankle surgery.
Yes, it's early still. Yes, there could be questions about how Collier's return will change the chemistry of the team. I could hear plenty of reasons why we should pause the hyperbole before handing Miles the Rookie of the Year trophy and league MVP to her at the same time. I get it. But consider my counterpoint: NO!
We should get excited because that's what sports should be all about. When I wrote about the NBA having a marketing problem, it was mostly an advertising problem, but it also helps to have players who are genuinely captivating, and there's a surplus of awe-inducing hoops happening in both the women's and men's game at the moment. And for me, Miles is right near the top of that list: a throwback to a character type that also happens to ball like a maniac. I would go out and buy some basketball goggles now if I was a kid, and trick myself into being able to play like her. Isn't that what sports should be about? She's must-see TV right now, and if any of you are smart, you'll jump on this bandwagon with me while there's still time.
