Cheryl Reeve shares a statistic with the media after certain Minnesota Lynx wins. The Lynx are 175-9 since 2010 when holding opponents to under 40% shooting from the field.
“I do think it’s actually an incredible stat. … To be 175-9 since 2010,” Reeve said after practice this week. “What we’re trying to impart to them is, it’s pretty obvious what our path is to success.”
In Minnesota’s 4-2 start, it has added another three wins to the total season alone. The Lynx lead the league in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot just 39.1%.
The Lynx are third in defensive rating, second in opponents’ three-point shooting percentage (27.3%), and second in rebounds per game. They have seven players with defensive ratings below their team’s average of 100.4. They have five players in the top 40 in defensive rating (of players who have played 15-plus minutes per game).
Minnesota’s defensive resume in its first six games is already stout. However, what makes it more impressive is just how fast Lynx have been able to find this defensive dominance.
The Lynx only had four players return from last season’s top-ranked defense. Last season’s co-defensive player of the year, Alanna Smith, left for a max contract with the Dallas Wings. The Portland Fire took Bridget Carleton, arguably their best wing defender, in the expansion draft. Former all-defensive first team guard DiJonai Carrington left for Chicago. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s other three bench rotation players – Natisha Hiedeman, Jessica Shepard, and Maria Kliundikova – also moved on in free agency.
That left the Lynx with Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Napheesa Collier, and last year’s second-round pick, Ola Kosu, holding the pieces of one of the most dominant regular-season defenses in league history. Then, the 2024 defensive player of the year, Collier, had ankle surgery shortly before training camp and has not returned to basketball activities at the time of writing.
As a result, the Lynx have only three players from that 2025 team to start the preseason. The Lynx took Olivia Miles with the second overall pick in the draft. However, she wasn’t known for her defense.
The Lynx added the 2019 defensive player of the year, Natasha Howard, to the team. They also signed Nia Coffey, a proven 3-and-D player, who had fallen to the bottom of the Atlanta Dream’s rotation in 2025.
To supplement them, the Lynx brought in four European players to play in the WNBA for the first time and made a last-second preseason trade to obtain Maya Caldwell. Dorka Juhasz also announced her return. She last played for the Lynx in 2024, took last season off due to a foot strain, and has yet to play.
The Lynx entered the season with 14 rostered players, including developmental spots. Only 6 had any impact experience playing in the Reeve defensive system, one of whom was Howard, who last played with the team in 2017. Two players were injured.
To make matters worse, backup center Emma Chechova, one of the Euro signings, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the third game of the season. With that amount of turnover, it’s shocking that the Lynx have been able to gel and compete as a unit defensively as quickly as they have.
“You work at it, they’ll tell you that that’s probably the thing is that we work at it, and you know, it’s dirty work… we walk out of the meetings sometimes, and we’re like we have some fun for ya,” Reeve said regarding the necessity of good defense and why the team has adopted this identity so quickly this week.
“Cheryl’s having fun, but I’m not sure, as they took it as much fun,” he added, laughing, “because defense is work, period, it’s effort, it’s work, it’s a collective mindset. It’s hard, it’s really hard, but I just know without it you just have [a] minimal chance to be successful.”
The Lynx developed their defense through hard work. However, it would appear that Reeve is the common denominator regarding why they always put together a winning defense.
“She’s tough. She gets on you. I think that’s what’s different.” Olivia Miles said regarding what sets Reeves’ ability to coach defense apart after practice this week. “She doesn’t let us be average, and you don’t see that very often in coaches. She knows what she’s doing, and she knows what wins.”
Meanwhile, Napheesa Collier appears to be on track to return to the team in early June, which makes the Lynx defense scarier. That means an elite defensive team will be adding one of the most dominant defensive forces of the past three years. Collier has made all-first-team all-defense twice, all-second-team once, and won the 2024 defensive player of the year.
The Lynx have kept the same defensive identity as last year despite a roster overhaul and a litany of injuries. That’s due largely to Reeve and the respect she has earned. The proof of concept is winning 175 games to just 9 losses over 16 years, while holding opponents to under 40% shooting from the field.
