Right off the bat, it was obvious that the expansion draft would deal the Lynx a tough blow. The organization had no way to protect all of its few young players. It seemed almost inevitable that the Valkyries would pick one of Diamond Miller, Alissa Pili, or Dorka Juhasz. The Lynx dodged that bullet but were still dealt a tough blow when the Valkyries somewhat surprisingly selected Cecilia Zandalasini instead.
That loss hurts even worse halfway through the season. Zandalasini is playing well for the Valkyries, while the Lynx lost Karlie Samuelson to a season-ending injury, waived Alissa Pili, and are now forced to rely on youngster Dimond Miller off the bench or put more pressure on their veterans.
Cecilia Zandalasini could fill an important role for the Lynx this season
The Lynx have three All-Stars: Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, and Kayla McBride. Alanna Smith is having another stellar defensive season, and Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard have largely been reliable off the bench. At the same time, however, Bridget Carleton is struggling from three compared to last season, and losing Samuelson really hurt the Lynx’s depth.
Minnesota is still winning. The team has only lost four regular-season games and the Commissioner’s Cup final. With all the talent in the starting five, the Lynx have been able to thrive despite their diminished depth. Nevertheless, relying so heavily on their key players could come back to haunt the Lynx in the future, and the team could use another reliable veteran 3-point shooter off the bench.
Cecilia Zandalasini is just that. She was a key rotational player for the Lynx last season and has significantly upped her production with the Golden State Valkyries. Zandalasini roughly doubled her points per game as well as her shot attempts. Despite the higher volume, she is still converting 38.9 percent of her 4.5 attempts from three. That marks either a higher volume or a better percentage than all of the Lynx’s reserves.
Having a reliable veteran who can come off the bench, play good defense, and knock down some threes can make the difference between a win and a loss in the playoffs.
Minnesota still has an open roster spot
After waiving Pili, the Lynx have an open roster spot. In all likelihood, they will try to add another veteran to the mix. Napheesa Collier has already expressed that she would like Belgian superstar Emma Meesseman to join the Lynx. Other than that, 3-and-D forward Stephanie Talbot is available after being waived by the Valkyries.
They may also be keeping their eye on Marina Mabrey and the Connecticut Sun. Mabrey requested a trade before the season, which the Sun refused to grant her. She missed a few games due to injury, but could help the Lynx separate themselves from other contenders when healthy. However, if the Lynx were hoping for a trade, they wouldn’t have had to waive Pili. The Sun certainly would have loved to land one of last year’s first-round picks.