Olivia Miles has put up a standout rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx, averaging 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, behind Azzi Fudd, Miles has led the Lynx to a 17-6 record.
Miles’ standout play has put everyone on notice, including two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike, who recently highlighted the factors that helped the 5-foot-10 guard excel in her first year in the league.
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Chiney Ogwumike Sizes Up Olivia Miles’ First Half of the WNBA Regular Season
Ogwumike broke down Miles’ performance in the first half of the season on ESPN’s pregame show just before the Minnesota Lynx-New York Liberty clash on Saturday. For the two-time WNBA All-Star, the TCU standout has been the top rookie this season, thanks to three factors that helped her excel.
“Let me go a little bit into the matrix. Because it’s so easy to talk about the passes or the stepback. But she has been the wonder kid so far of the season,” Ogwumike, who played for seven seasons in the WNBA, said.
The former WNBA player-turned-analyst noted that Miles’ size and strength have been underestimated because the rookie guard plays like a big guard, and that these qualities have helped her exploit mismatches on the court.
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Ogwumike added that Miles’ posture and control, both on and off the ball, have helped her adjust to the league, even though she is just in her first year at the professional level.
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“(Number) Two her posture. When she has the ball in her hands maybe on a rebound she stands straight up to help her vision and she’s moving,” she said of the Lynx’s guard. “The control she has because … it feels like she’s not even dribbling because she move’s gracefully and she has much control with the ball on her hands that she’s like gliding up the floor.”
Ogwumike emphasized that the intangibles she sees in Miles are qualities a player cannot learn in school or through repeated coaching sessions. These qualities, she added, are what make the Lynx guard a starter in the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
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“Some people are just gifted. Those little things. The size, the posture, and just the way she moves a little bit off the dribble to her own beat. That’s why we have an All-Star,” Ogwumike said.
On Saturday, Miles returned from a two-game absence and helped Minnesota secure a 90-85 win over the New York Liberty. She finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in 32 minutes, helping the Lynx contain Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and the Liberty.
