A few games after Napheesa Collier returned from injury, Cheryl Reeve admitted that one of the biggest challenges for her was figuring out how to use Nia Coffey going forward. Coffey had been outstanding with Collier out, especially defensively.
She didn’t play more than 15 minutes once in the seven games after Collier played limited minutes in her return against the Seattle Storm. Against the Las Vegas Aces, Coffey played 27 minutes and put together one of her most productive games of the season with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.
The key to getting her back into a bigger role: playing her at the small forward spot.
After the game, Reeve said, “Probably took us too long to get to the space where we’re using her in the way that we did. So, we’re happy that we found that.”
Playing Coffey at the three doesn’t just increase her minutes again. It also solves the Lynx’s lack of depth behind Kayla McBride and gives them a new look defensively.
Coffey’s ability to play the three makes the Lynx better
With her ability to guard on the perimeter and knock down 3-pointers, Coffey is more than capable of playing minutes at the small forward spot with any combination of Collier, Natasha Howard, and Dorka Juhasz in the frontcourt. At 6’1”, she provides good size and length to put on opposing guards/ wings.
Coffey, who regularly blocks 3-point attempts, alongside Collier and Howard, who have both been named Defensive Player of the Year throughout their careers, is a scary sight defensively. If Coffey continues to knock down 3-pointers as she did against the Aces, that trio will be pretty scary offensively as well. With the Lynx guards, Collier, and Howard demanding so much attention, Coffey will get plenty of open shots.
Perhaps most importantly, good minutes from Coffey at the three can ease the burden on Kayla McBride. 34-year-old McBride leads the Lynx in minutes per game because she is the team’s best perimeter defender and her only real backup until now has been rookie Antonia Delaere.
Delaere has had some moments, like sinking four 3-pointers in just nine minutes against the Toronto Tempo, but there’s a reason she averages only 11.9 minutes per game. Coffey is a more proven and reliable option, as well as a better defender, and that will be key once the playoffs come around.
Coffey was an underrated free-agency find for Cheryl Reeve
Cheryl Reeve is a master at finding players who were overlooked before and turning them into difference-makers for one of the best teams in the WNBA. Coffey is one of those players. She had three good seasons between 2021 and 2023, but spent the last two years wasting away on the Atlanta Dream’s bench.
Now, Coffey is a key player for the number-one team in the standings. She averages 6.8 points on 44.9% shooting from the field and 39.2% from deep, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
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