Olivia Miles was not mincing words when she said, “I’m ready for the W at this point,” after her final collegiate game with TCU. And with every single game since then, both in the preseason and now in her first official WNBA game, she has more than justified that statement.
Miles made her official WNBA debut one to remember. Finishing with 21 points and 8 assists, she became only the fifth player in league history to record at least 20 points and 5 assists in her first game. She joins Cynthia Cooper (1997), Dawn Staley (1999), Tonya Edwards (1999), and Candace Parker (2008) on that exclusive list. With her numbers, she also became the first player since Candace Parker in 2008 to record at least 20 points and 8 assists in a debut appearance.
Olivia Miles came into the league after being selected as the No. 2 overall draft pick by the Minnesota Lynx. And she has wasted no time making a strong impression, from practice to preseason games, and now that the WNBA season is underway. Specifically, in three preseason games, she averaged 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. With this first-game performance, she appears to have simply picked up right where she left off.
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Alongside the 21 points and 8 assists that Miles recorded, she also added three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Unfortunately, her performance was still not enough to translate into a win. The Lynx fell in a narrow 91-90 loss to the Atlanta Dream. And it was especially painful considering they actually led for 96 percent of the night. In fact, they even held a 19-point lead at one point in the game.
The Lynx will have a chance at redemption when they face the Phoenix Mercury in their next game on Tuesday. Hopefully, they will get a win and get their season fully up and running.
As for Olivia Miles, if her performances so far are any indication, she will be an important piece in the Lynx’s success this season. And, of course, every other team in the league will now have to pay special attention to her moving forward. As All-Star Courtney Williams said after just one day of practice with her, “she’s gonna be a problem” for the rest of the league.
Olivia Miles Admits She Was “Feeling It Wind-Wise” During WNBA Debut
It was quite a performance that Olivia Miles put out in her debut for the Minnesota Lynx. The rookie guard looked completely comfortable despite the pressure and intensity of her first official WNBA game. And as head coach Cheryl Reeve said in her postgame comments, “She played great. She did a lot of things well.”
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However, Miles, speaking after the game, also admitted it was quite a physical matchup for her. As she said, “Was feeling it wind-wise. You know that the pace and the intensity is different. Obviously, you’re being really physical both on and off the ball.”
She finally got her first real test of the WNBA because, after her first preseason game, she actually felt it did not truly reflect what the WNBA looked like physically, considering they were facing a highly rotated team filled with young rookies. “I don’t think this game was a fair test just because they’re a bunch of young rooks too,” she said after her preseason debut.
Right now, she has most definitely faced the real test. And she did quite well to be fair, even though her team did not end up winning. From here on, it is only about learning and growing for her. As she also said, “I can’t wait to just grow after every game. Like, just see more and more and learn more and more more and more.”
And while the team has kicked off its season with a loss, she still believes it will only get better from here. “Sky’s the limit for this group. We’re going to be really good,” she said. She will most definitely play a crucial role in achieving the ceiling analysts have predicted.
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