Top 20 WNBA players countdown, ranked for the 2018 season: Part 1

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 12: Lindsay Whalen #13 of the Minnesota Lynx warms up before the game against the Chicago Sky on May 12, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

16. Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Lynx

So there are plenty of arguments to be made for Whalen based on what she does on the court. She remains an elite facilitator, strong finisher, and per Synergy, ranked tenth in defensive points per possession among WNBA players with at least 100 possessions last season. But let’s look at what the Lynx did without her down the stretch last year. Whalen exited Minnesota’s August 3 game with a broken hand. The Lynx finished the game with a win, improving to 20-2. Without Whalen, the Lynx finished the regular season 7-5. Whalen returned, and they won another WNBA title.