Leading up to the 2026 WNBA Draft, one name that was quickly shooting up mock drafts and draft boards was TCU point guard Olivia Miles. Yet, even as her name rose, the prospect of picking Miles so high still came with skepticism for some.
For the Minnesota Lynx, however, they didn’t buy into that noise and did their due diligence in scouting the point guard to land on the decision to use the second overall pick to bring Miles to Minnesota.
Fast forward nearly two months later, that pick looks to have been a home run for the Lynx — both in the present and for many years to come.
Miles has not only met expectations that come with being the second overall pick, she has blown past them. She has hit the ground running and has the making of a future star in this league through just nine games, with game 10 of her WNBA career taking place June 4.
Not even a full month into the season, the Lynx rookie has stormed onto the scene and has put together the type of start to a career we haven’t seen very often in the 30-year history of the league.
Historic Start
With Courtney Williams having owned the role of starting point guard the last two seasons, Lynx fans were wondering if Miles would take things over as floor general or would start the season coming off the bench as Williams’ backup.
That answer came right away in preseason action and at the start of the regular season, with Miles taking over starting point guard duties immediately while playing alongside Williams — and doing so with flying colors.
Through nine games in her WNBA career thus far, the 23-year-old Miles has averaged 15.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals over 30.7 minutes, tallying shooting marks of 49.5% from the field and 91.3% from the free throw line. She leads all rookies in scoring, assists and steals, also ranking sixth in the WNBA in assists, eighth in steals and 18th in scoring.
In all nine of those games, Miles has scored in double figures, the longest such streak by a Lynx rookie to open up their career since Seimone Augustus in 2006.
“We’ve learned just really how mature of a player she is at a young age,” Cheryl Reeve said of her rookie point guard. “Her ability to manipulate defenses. There were audible gasps on our bench, from our coaching staff and our support staff, at some of the passes that she made. … (Miles) makes everyone else’s lives a lot easier.”
Along with that, through her first three games, Miles was the first player in league history to post at least 45 points and 20 assists to open up her career, later becoming the fourth player in WNBA history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists through her first seven career games (Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Candace Parker).
The start of Miles’ career hasn’t just been impressive — it’s been historic. And we’re not even one-fourth of the way through the season.
Rookie of the Month
Behind her historic start, the accolades have already started to follow Miles.
To no surprise, the WNBA announced June 3 it named Miles the WNBA Rookie of the Month for games played from May 8-31, consisting of eight contests in which Minnesota finished 6-2. Over those eight games, Miles averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds to go along with 1.5 steals.
This honor of course marks the first of Miles’ career, but also marks the seventh Rookie of the Month award in franchise history. Miles joins Napheesa Collier, Crystal Dangerfield (twice), Diamond Miller and Maya Moore (twice) as the only players to receive the monthly honor.
“She’s a quick study and understands what it takes in this league to be successful,” Lynx assistant coach Lindsay Whalen said of Miles. “It’s been a lot of fun just getting to know her. She’s asking for more work, asking for more film, and it’s obviously paid off with getting Rookie of the Month. She’s constantly trying to get better. She’s fun to watch and she’s fun to coach.”
Miles is already receiving well-deserved recognition, and she should also be viewed as the frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year race as we now head full-speed into June.
Minnesota Miles
What Miles has shown so far in her young career has been impressive. Her court vision, her mentality, her calm-and-collected personality, and her jaw-dropping plays she has put on full display every single night makes her a true joy to watch.
Though all of that is important and her getting acclimated to life in the W at such an early stage is important, what she has brought to the Lynx and how she has helped the team overall is immeasurable.
Miles has provided Minnesota with a true floor general — and more of a traditional floor general at that — for the first time since Whalen last wore a Lynx jersey.
She is the type of player that makes everyone else better and has allowed players like Williams to move back to her natural position as an off-ball guard, something that has already been noticeable early on in the season.
She appears to have already earned the trust of Reeve and the coaching staff, something that isn’t easy to do as a rookie, let alone for a rookie point guard.
And Miles has provided the Lynx with what seems to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come — something some were skeptical about as she made the leap from college to the pros.
Miles has been everything the Lynx could have hoped for and more. And this is just the beginning for the talented point guard in Minnesota.