After offseason surgery on both ankles, Napheesa Collier had to watch her team play 27 games without her this season. Thankfully for her, Olivia Miles held down the fort with the Minnesota Lynx during Collier's absence. Thankfully for the Lynx, it has not taken their superstar forward very long to show signs of being right back to her old self.
Thursday night's 104-72 blowout of the Toronto Tempo offered an excellent chance for Collier to showcase just how much the rust and cobwebs were gone. The Lynx superstar did just that.
After a slow start to the game in the first quarter, Collier got things going in the second, taking advantage of the underwhelming Tempo defenders that had little to no business slowing down any version of her. Last year's MVP runner-up got into her bag and started dropping buckets.
Whether it was from the post, or behind the 3-point line, Collier was smooth and efficient scoring the basketball. She finished the quarter leading the Lynx with 12 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field. That strong second quarter contributed to an overall impressive outing involving 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in only 22 minutes of action.
The Minnesota Lynx superstar wasted little time getting back on track
This was easily Collier's most efficient game of the season so far as a scorer. That should be an encouraging sign for a Lynx team that has to like their championship odds with the home stretch of the WNBA season here.
The Lynx managed to go 21-6 without Collier in the lineup during the 2026 season. Now, a solid foundation will have MVP-caliber help.
Cheryl Reeve made it perfectly clear that Collier would be on a minutes restriction before she made her season debut against the Seattle Storm.
Reeve told ESPN's Kendra Andrews: "This is a really incredible step, but we still have a couple more steps to go before we get to see the Phee we've come to know."
That careful management of Collier's playing time has been clear, with the superstar forward not exceeding 25 minutes in her three games of the season thus far. Even during that limited playing time, the two-time MVP runner-up has shown encouraging signs of readiness.
If adjusting for the per-36 numbers, Collier is scoring at a career-high 28.7 points per game pace. If that is the version of Phee that Minnesota is getting now, while she is still ramping up, then the Lynx should be in great shape when things are a full go for her this season.
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