Cheryl Reeve Says Lynx Remain 'Phee's Team' as Napheesa Collier's Return Nears

Napheesa Collier's return to the Lynx may be imminent, but coach Cheryl Reeve stated her presence won't change the team's pecking order when she plays.

"It's still Phee's team," Reeve said, according to ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "There is not anybody that walks into the gym that doesn't know that it's still Phee's team. What's great is Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride, they're very happy to declare that it's Phee's team."

Reeve's comments were made both before and after Minnesota's 90-85 victory over New York on Saturday. This win kept the Lynx (17-6) tied with the Aces for first place in the WNBA standings. Minnesota has five remaining games, three of which are at home, before the All-Star Game in Chicago on July 25.

Collier, recovering from two ankle surgeries, has resumed practice as she gets ready for her season debut. Reeve did not specify a return date.

"You don't know what the game situations are going to bring, and so it's going to be a little bit of feeling it out, trial and error," Reeve said. "I don't have a date for you as to when, but obviously she's getting really close."

With her absence, rookie Olivia Miles has taken over as the driving force of Minnesota's offense, tallying 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in Saturday's victory. Named an All-Star starter, she is now considered an MVP contender, alongside forward Natasha Howard, who scored 16 points in the game.

Kayla McBride led all scorers with 25 points on 5-of-11 shooting from three-point range, helping Minnesota answer after New York point guard Sabrina Ionescu scored 19 points in the third quarter to give the Liberty the lead.

"I think when you care about one another and you're trying to win every possession, you're competing together, you're always trying to find a way," McBride said. "And then obviously adding an MVP candidate for the last couple years into that mix just gets us really excited. But we've been holding it down and it's been a lot of fun. I think there's a lot of cohesion, a lot of confidence in one another right now and just finding ways to win. And that's the name of the game. That's what this league is about."

Reeve, who set the WNBA record for regular-season coaching wins with Minnesota's 86-80 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, said Collier stands to benefit from playing alongside a true point guard the way Lynx legends Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore once did.

"She needs more than herself, and that's for her to play with a point guard like Olivia Miles that Seimone Augustus got to play with, that Maya Moore got to play with — the natural point guard," Reeve said. "[Collier] hasn't experienced that yet. And this is what we're going to be able to do and for her to be able to see what that's like. Then maybe let's get some games with them together and figure out what they look like, and then we can start putting in a pecking order."

Reeve credited Miles' toughness and competitiveness as natural traits behind her rookie breakout, but she wasn't ready to hand her the franchise.

"I think it's premature to anoint anyone other than [Collier] as the leader of this team," Reeve said.

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