Basketball Reference’s nickname section is one of the best places on the internet. For Michael Jordan, you have Mike, MJ, and Air Jordan. But then it usually takes a turn as it lists Captain Marvel, Mr. June, and Black Cat – three nicknames I’ve never heard someone call His Airness.
It’s comedy gold because it allows you to reimagine an alternate reality where Jordan crosses up Craig Ehlo, and the announcers say, “Here’s Mr. June from the foul line, a shot on Ehlo… Good.”
However, after the Minnesota Lynx added Myisha Hines-Allen, I looked at her nickname section, and it disappointed me. Hines-Allen has no nickname section. A quick Google search was also disappointing. Wikipedia and Twitter also confirmed no nicknames, thus effectively ruining the fun of getting to know the new Lynx forward’s obscure nicknames.
Alas, the WNBA trade deadline nearly passed without the Lynx making a meaningful move until they announced a trade with the Washington Mystics. The trade sends backup guard Olivia Epoupa, depth forward Sika Koné, and a 2026 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Hines-Allen.
By adding Hines-Allen, the Lynx should bring more stability to their forward depth during the season’s final stretch as they try to hold on to the top seed in the West. It will be the first time in Hines-Allen’s seven-year career that she will not be playing for the Mystics. Hines-Allen will be another option on the bench for the Lynx and should fit in well with her shooting ability and defensive versatility.
Before the trade, Hines-Allen was shooting 35.9% from distance on 1.4 attempts, her lowest number of attempts per game since 2019. However, 35.9% would rank fifth among Minnesota’s regular rotation players. It would be an upgrade over Epoupa and Koné, neither of whom has made a three thus far this season. Hines-Allen brings her shooting to the Lynx to add depth behind Lynx star Napheesa Collier. At the very least, she should hope to replicate the floor spacing that Collier can provide with the starters.
The move also looks like a response to Collier’s injury before the Olympic break. Collier’s absence exposed Minnesota’s frontcourt depth. Back-up forward/center Dorka Juhasz entered the starting lineup with fellow center Alanna Smith.
While Juhaz and Smith played well together, it left a weak point on the bench. The Lynx had to play Cecilia Zandalasini or Diamond Miller out of position at the power forward or center spots. The smaller play out of necessity on offense has caused the Lynx to rank seventh of the 12 teams in offensive rebounding and 8th in two-point field goal percentage. However, their smaller play style made the Lynx ineffective at getting to the free-throw line, ranking 11th.
Although Hines-Allen is the same height as Zandalasini (6’1”) and is smaller than Miller (6’3”), she will provide more veteran experience at forward. Hines-Allen averages 4.9 rebounds in 19.1 minutes of play, meaning she averages 9.1 per 36 minutes. To reflect the contrast per 36 minutes, Zandalsini averages 4.1, and Miller averages 5.8. Hines-Allen’s 9.1 rebounds per 36 is identical to Collier from last season and is only 1.4 lower than Collier this year.
Defensively, Hines-Allen, 28, brings veteran grit to a bench unit that shades to the younger side with the second-year players Miller and Juhasz. Hines-Allen has never posted a negative defensive win share in her career, regardless of team record.
However, this season, she had a 107.9 defensive rating for the 6-21 Mystics. Hines-Allen’s 107.9 rating is 8.5 higher than her rating last season, suggesting she may have significantly regressed this season.
Her defensive rating is also 3.9 points more than the Mystics team rating of 104.0. That suggests the Mystics are a worse defensive team with Hines-Allen on the floor. However, defensive rating can be flawed because it factors in team play. Regardless, there are statistical indicators that Hines-Allen may have regressed defensively this season.
Hines-Allen’s defensive rating is also considerably higher than the Lynx team’s 93.4 defensive rating. That suggests that Minnesota is banking on Hines-Allen’s history of defensive success, as displayed by her win-share consistency, and less so about Hines-Allen’s defensive rating from this season. The Lynx have shown that they have put together an elite defensive scheme. Therefore, you could argue that in this scheme, Hines-Allen could return to her past levels of defensive success.
Ultimately, Hines-Allen is a veteran player who has shown signs of regression. She should blend well with the second unit and allow the Lynx to run a similar offense and defense with Collier on the bench. If Hines-Allen hits the ground running, it should create significantly more space for the bench rotation and provide improved rebounding. The main question will be if she can be the defensive player she was earlier in her career.
The Lynx used the deadline to add a proven former WNBA champion (2019) and former second-team all-WNBA (2020) to their roster. The move looks like it will improve the offense spacing and the team’s rebounding. Ideally, she will be a better backup rotation player, allowing Collier to occasionally rest as the Lynx look to close out the season. Now, all she needs is a Basketball Reference nickname.
