Olivia Miles is officially the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year, an award that has surprised absolutely no one who has been paying even a little bit of attention to the league this season. Miles was given the award by her parents, who surprised her at a team dinner. She received all 74 votes from the league's voting panel.
Miles' first year in the league has been an extraordinary one. She averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.0 minutes and shot 49.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 87.0 percent from the free throw line as a starter in 40 games for the Minnesota Lynx this season. She also set new WNBA rookie records for total points with 790 (Caitlin Clark had 769 in 2024) and games with at least 20 points (she had 22, Seimone Augustus had 20 in 2006).
But she's still a rookie, and that's something that head coach Cheryl Reeve felt was on display during the Lynx's first round match against the New York Liberty Sunday. Minnesota lost the game 91-75, a surprising and resounding defeat for the team that has been ranked at the top of the league most of the season. Though Miles had a solid game by a lot of standards (she contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, one assist), it wasn't close to the results weren't the kind that she's often capable of producing.
Reeve pointed out that Miles is experiencing something that many rookies have in the playoffs: it's genuienly a very different experience. As she put it, "It's hard being a rookie in your first playoffs against a matchup of a team that has been a challenge for her. I think she's feeling it right now, but this is what we expected."
Reeve also noted that "there's a lot" that is folded into being a strong player in the league and a leader on the team. Obviously, what happens on the court matters, and skill is a crucila component — but skills aren't the only factor. Great players also have to contend with becoming targets, and the New York Liberty have consistently been able to unnerve Miles all season. That was on full display during yesterday's game.
Miles will get another shot at the Liberty and at proving that she can handle the playoffs when the two teams meet again Tuesday. This time they'll play in Brooklyn, which could make the pre-existing dynamics even more difficult.
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