It’s been about three months since Napheesa Collier’s WNBA season ended in dramatic fashion. In late September, she collided with Alyssa Thomas in Game 3 of the semifinals and suffered three torn ligaments in her ankle and a torn muscle in her shin. The incident sparked Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve to storm onto the court, get ejected, and give a fine-worthy postgame press conference. Shortly after, Collier put Cathy Engelbert on blast for her bad leadership, setting fire to already intense CBA negotiations.
Less than two weeks ago, Collier spoke at Unrivaled media day and gave a much-anticipated injury update. “I didn’t need surgery,” Collier said when The Athletic’s Ben Pickman asked about her rehab. “I am still working to get back to 100%.”
She also added that the goal was to be back at 100% by the time Unrivaled’s second season tips off on January 5—less than a month after Collier said that she wasn’t at a 100% yet. If Collier cannot achieve her goal to fully recover in time for Unrivaled, the Lunar Owls’ lack of size and frontcourt depth could be a serious issue.
The Lunar Owls’ roster lacks size
One thing the Lynx struggled with last season was the lack of size in a frontcourt headlined by Collier, Alanna Smith, and Jess Shepard. Collier’s Unrivaled team, the Lunar Owls, has a similar problem. Skylar Diggins, Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banahm, and Rebecca Allen will man the guard and wing spots, while Collier and Aaliyah Edwards are the two bigs on the roster.
Collier is listed as 6’1” and Edwards as 6’3”. That is not a lot of size compared to some of the other frontcourts in Unrivaled. Moreover, Edwards is still much younger and less experienced than some of the other bigs in the league.
Breeze BC’s big rotation features Dominique Malonga and Cameron Brink plus 6’2” Rickea Jackson. Hive has 6’4” Monique Billings and Ezi Magbegor. Between Breanna Stewart, Alanna Smith, and Li Yueru, the Mist’s big rotation features a ton of size and versatility.
Phantom may have lost Satou Sabally, who will have to sit out Unrivaled due to a concussion she suffered in the WNBA finals, but still has 6’5” Aliyah Boston and 6’3” Kiki Iriafen. Rose BC lost Angel Reese, but features a big rotation of Azurá Stevens and Shakira Austin. Vinyl’s big duo of Dearica Hamby and Brittney Griner could also cause some trouble.
Only the Laces have a rather small big rotation. Alyssa Thomas, Naz Hillmon, and Maddy Siegrist are all listed as 6’2”.
Normally, Collier’s versatility and two-way talent would allow the Lunar Owls to make up for some of the lack of size. However, if Collier isn’t at 100% by the time Unrivaled starts, her team may struggle to deal with some of the bigs in the league, especially if Collier needs to sit out a few games. Edwards played well last season, but is still young. Between Laeticia Amihere, Emily Engstler, and Makyala Timpson, Unrivaled’s developmental pool offers a lot of athleticism, but also not a ton of size and experience for the Lunar Owls to fall back on.