After an 88-63 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on June 3, I asked Cheryl Reeve about the bench’s performance.
“Tee, Karlie, and Jess, that’s our bench rotation,” Reeve said. “That’s where we’re getting the best play. We’re trying to find our way with the others.”
Since she said that, the Minnesota Lynx announced that Jessica Shepard will be traveling overseas to represent Slovenia in the Euro tournament, and could miss all of June. That leaves Karlie Samuelson and Natisha Hiedeman as Minnesota’s bench. The situation has become a little more dire, given that Samuelson has only played 15 minutes over the last two games combined.
To make matters worse, they lost starting point guard Courtney Williams to a calf injury in the Dallas Wings game on June 8, limiting her to 19 minutes over the past two games.
Minnesota’s lack of bench production became prevalent in their 98-84 loss to the Seattle Storm. Reeve only played the bench players 34 total minutes, and Hiedeman played 22 of them. As a result, four of Minnesota’s starting five played 35 or more minutes. The Lynx have looked dominant nearly a quarter of the way into the season. Still, it’s officially time to discuss last year’s roster and depth strength becoming a weakness.
Nine players played at least 12 minutes per game last year. No member of the starting five played over 35 minutes per game, and only Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier played more than 30 minutes per game. All four players off the bench averaged between 4.6 and 7.5 points per game.
The top four bench players’ collective net ratings were -0.6 overall. Last season, the bench unit may not have been elite, but they were good enough to steal games, and the players seemed to rise when the Lynx needed them.
It’s a different story this season. Three of Minnesota’s bench players who played the most minutes left in the offseason. The turnover was a bet that Diamond Miller or Alissa Pili would seize a role off the bench and replace one of them. Then, adding Samuelson would fill the void of another, while Shepard’s return would polish off the nine-person rotation.
However, only three Lynx players have averaged more than 7 minutes off the bench. As Reeve mentioned, those three players have been solid. Samuelson, Hiedeman, and Shepard have averaged more than a 4.0 plus/minus per game.
But the bench was noticeably thin with Shepard leaving and the ambiguity surrounding Williams. In Minnesota’s first game without Shepard, Reeve played four starters 35 or more minutes against the Storm. Williams and Hiedeman played 20 and 22 minutes, splitting the point guard duties. The rest of the bench only played 12 minutes combined.
Ideally, this would be the time for Pili or Miller to take advantage of the opportunity. It appears that Pili has been given the first crack in minutes. However, she has a 95.3 offensive rating, 8.8 points lower than the Lynx’s team average.
Pili’s -9.8 net rating is the second-lowest on the team, only to 20-year-old rookie Ola Kosu. Her 29.4 turnover percentage had resulted in a 0.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks worst among players on the Lynx who logged an assist.
Turnovers aside, Pili hasn’t gotten her shot to fall; she’s posting a 30.7% shooting percentage. That’s largely due to a small sample size. Pili’s only shooting one of eight from the field, with the only made shot being a three against the Storm.
Miller has been slightly better than Pili, but also has been ineffective. Miller’s offensive rating is just 84.6, but her net is better at -3.5. Her 17.9% turnover percentage is significantly better than Pili’s. Still, it’s fourth-worst on the team. Miller is also shooting better with a 56.0% true shooting percentage.
However, it seems like Miller is having difficulty finding minutes due to her position. She has had two DNPs this season and only eclipsed ten minutes once in their ten games.
The Lynx could be playing at less than full strength for the next six games. As a result, the bench will become a point of emphasis, especially since the Lynx still have two Commissioner Cup games left against the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces. Pili and Miller will have to find their way quickly, or the Lynx will have to look for help from the outside.
