The Minnesota Lynx will get a familiar face and veteran presence back to the team this week.
Odyssey Sims has begun taking part in team activities while preparing to make her season debut for Minnesota as soon as later this week.
Sims gave birth to her first child, Jaiden, in April and has since worked to getting back into playing shape to make a return to the floor for the Lynx in an unusual shortened season at IMG Academy in Brandenton, Fla.
During that period, Sims was placed on the inactive list to begin the year, but head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve said before the start of the season Minnesota anticipated getting Sims back at some point while more recently saying the guard’s return was “imminent.”
Over the weekend, Sims was activated by the Lynx and was officially able to take part in team activities for the first time, although her return to playing in an actual game will have to wait just a bit longer.
Following a week-long quarantine process when she arrived in the bubble at IMG Academy, Sims was cleared to practice with Minnesota and rejoin the team. Starting with Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Sims officially began to serve a two-game suspension she received from the WNBA last October after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge during the 2019 season.
“It’s great to see her. I know she is particularly excited,” Reeve said on Sunday. “I’m not sure if it was the quarantine why she was so excited to see us. I think she’s excited to be back with her teammates.”
If all goes as planned, Sims’ suspension will wrap up with Tuesday’s game against the Washington Mystics, which means she could ultimately make her season debut with the Lynx as soon as Thursday against the Las Vegas Aces.
“When we do get Odyssey back, just her presence,” Reeve said on what benefits Sims will provide right away. “I don’t really know what to expect when we get her back on the court. I only know how hard she worked and how badly she wanted to be here. We’re happy to have her.”
HOW SIMS CAN HELP MINNESOTA
Sims will begin her seventh year in the WNBA and second in Minnesota after playing for the Tulsa Shock/Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks for the first five years of her professional career.
In her first season with the Lynx last summer, Sims had a breakout and quickly became one of the team’s most important pieces.
In all 34 regular season games, Sims averaged 14.5 points, a career-high 5.4 assists, career-high-tying 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.9 minutes per game as a starting guard. While shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three, Sims also managed to receive the first All-Star selection of her career during the year.
“She was a player that was really good for us last year,” Reeve said. “I think we could use her passing probably more than anything. And then her ability to get into the paint. She was really special in that way last year.”
The addition of Sims will be an important one for a young Lynx team, especially when it comes to a new-look guard unit currently filled by rookie Crystal Dangerfield, Lexie Brown and Rachel Banham. Sims will no doubt help the young guards in terms of her veteran presence on and off the court, but also with her ability to provide that unit with some consistency and stability on both ends of the floor.
The veteran guard will provide Minnesota with some more depth among a guard group that is already dealing with some injury issues, notably Shenise Johnson who has missed time with a hamstring injury. Sims will also provide the team with a much-needed boost on offense and defense and could help open things up in the paint for Sylvia Fowles and Co. down low.
It will be interesting to see how fast Sims is able to return to the floor following her suspension and if she will be able to hit the ground running in the shortened WNBA season. If 2019 Sims is able to appear early upon her return to the court, that will be great news for the Lynx as they aim to remain near the top of the league standings the rest of the summer.
“She’s a great player. I’ve been watching her all the way from when she was playing at Baylor until now,” Dangerfield said. “She’s aggressive, wants to push the pace and she’s really effective on both sides of the floor. I can’t wait for her to come back, learn from her and see how she changes this team.”
