Courtney Williams is thriving in her role with the Minnesota Lynx. Although not a traditional point guard, Williams has excelled as the Lynx’s leading playmaker. She dished out ten assists in a 97-84 win over the short-handed Indiana Fever, breaking the Lynx’s franchise record for assists in a single season.
After the game, she credited four-time WNBA Champion Lindsay Whalen with helping her take her game to the next level.
“Honestly, I think it’s having Lindsay [Whalen],” Williams said when asked about what went into her growth as a point guard. “She’s constantly in my ear just telling me different things that I can improve, the way I can look at the game. A mixture of her and Cheryl just constantly in my ear, letting me know how I can be better.”
Lindsay Whalen is a Minnesota Lynx legend
Lindsay Whalen was drafted fourth overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2004 and spent five seasons with the team. Then, she was traded to the Lynx in 2010, paving the way for a legendary run from Minnesota. Playing with Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Renee Montgomery, and Maya Moore, Whalen helped the franchise win its first WNBA Championship in 2011. After that, the Lynx didn’t slow down for years, winning three more championships in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
Whalen was a big part of each title, starting every game she suited up for and leading the Lynx in assists each season. She was also one of the team’s top scorers during each title run.
Whalen is considered one of the better point guards in WNBA history. She led the league in assists three times, made five All-Star teams, and was named to five All-WNBA Teams. The Lynx retired her number, and it is only fitting that Whalen returned to her old stomping grounds.
Once she retired from the WNBA, Whalen became the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota—her alma mater. After six years, she joined the Lynx’s coaching staff. Whalen brings championship experience to a team lacking it on the roster and knows exactly what it takes for a team to battle back from a devastating loss in the finals.
Courtney Williams recorded her third game with double-digit assists this season
Williams’s showing against the Fever was impressive. Dishing out ten assists without turning the ball over even once is not an easy thing to do. It wasn’t the first time Williams achieved that feat this season, though. In the Lynx’s second game of the season, an 89-75 win over the LA Sparks, Williams also recorded ten assists and zero turnovers.
She came close to doing it again in late July when the Lynx faced the New York Liberty for the first time this season. Williams finished the game with only six points—an uncharacteristically low number for her—but she recorded 13 assists and only one turnover.