For the Minnesota Lynx, their traditional post-win electric slide dance at home will have to wait for now. The four-time WNBA champions have lost yet another home game in this early stretch of the season, making it 0-2 for now after their latest fumble against the Chicago Sky. Now, after the defeat, head coach Cheryl Reeve has doubled down on her team’s defeat.
Speaking in the post-game presser, Reeve pinpointed the team’s consistent fouling, which sent the Chicago Sky to the line enough times to gain an advantage and eventually led to the latter’s 86-79 loss.
“We’ve fouled since training camp,” Reeve said. “I think we talked about fouling before the game and where we would lose the game- fouling. We gave ourselves a chance, we didn’t quit, and kept fighting.”
“But defending the paint leads to fouling or if you don’t defend the paint, if you let them in there and let them run right by you, and you aren’t committed to help defenders where they’re supposed to be tough,” Reeve added further.
Now, if you look at the game’s box score, the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx were at par in most of the metrics. In fact, the Lynx moved the ball better at times than the Sky and even shot better from beyond the arc (32% to 30%). This provides a clear indication and further emphasizes the impact of 21 personal fouls on results.
Cleaner defensive play has been a persistent issue for the Lynx so far this season. So far in the first 4 games, the Lynx have averaged 23.7 fouls per game, which is immensely high. They did win a couple of games despite that. But to beat a stacked Chicago Sky that had Rickea Jackson, Natasha Cloud, and Gabriela Jaquez with these foul troubles was always going to be a daunting task. Even in preseason games, the Lynx consistently gave away over 20 fouls, except in the Portland Fire clash.
The Minnesota Lynx did see some good individual performances from its players. For instance, McBride led the team with 20 points in the game, while Courtney Williams and Natasha Howard had 17 each. But their No.2 rookie, Miles, couldn’t efficiently play her part as she would have wanted.
Miles did score in double figures, recording 13 points and dishing out 6 assists. But she also missed a few shots from the field, going 4 of 10 in the game. Furthermore, she also gave away the ball 4 times in the game. The clean performance that most would associate Miles with on either end of the court was missing in the game.
But for the Minnesota Lynx head coach, these aren’t even the main concerns, as she pointed out an even more glaring issue after the game.
Cheryl Reeve Points Towards the Lack of Bench Strength Following the Chicago Defeat
In the defeat to the Chicago Sky, four of five starters from Cheryl Reeve’s team scored in double figures. On the other hand, the five players from the Lynx bench combined had just 10 points in the game. Maya Caldwell contributed the most with 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in the game.
Speaking at her press conference, Reeve pointed to the significantly lower production from her bench as a major weakness for her team. “We’re just not there yet, especially with our bench,” Reeve said. “Our bench is learning. We’ve got to get some help from our bench.”
“I mean it’s a 44-game season. I’m not sure how you can continue to ask for more from the starters. Every starter will tell you it’s nice when they can go take a breather,” the Lynx head coach added further.
If you compare the bench strength of the Minnesota Lynx to that of the Chicago Sky, the differences are significant. For instance, the Sky were able to field a lineup featuring Natasha Cloud and Rickea Jackson, even with their players like Skylar Diggins-Smith, Azura Stevens, DiJonai Carrington, and Courtney Vandersloot out due to injury.
This speaks volumes about how the Sky has built its roster depth. The Sky had players like Elizabeth Williams and Rachel Banham for the Minnesota game. And even though the Sky bench (28) contributed much more than the Lynx bench. It’s yet another glaring weakness for the Minnesota Lynx going deep into the season.
It’s true that Reeve will get her best player on the roster, Napheesa Collier, within a few days. The rotational depth will, of course, enhance a bit with Collier’s addition. But Cheryl Reeve will have to address it to her bench players and urge them to put up some numbers to give the starters a bit more of an edge.
