The thing about Olivia Miles is that if you love women's basketball, or you love basketball, period, there's nothing to not love about her. Miles, who had a strong collegiate career, has absolutely soared in the WNBA. She's done so under the eye of Cheryl Reeve, who notoriously does not allow rookies the kind of berth Miles has. She's also done so under the weight of heavy expectations. But if that weight is getting to her, you'd never know it—she's absolutely flying on the court.
The Minnesota Lynx had a 104-100 win over the Phoenix Mercury this week, which gave Miles yet another opportunity to show off exactly what she can do. She racked up a career-high 33 points and set a new record for rookies by doing so (and added on three rebounds and eight assists for fun).
Reeve has said more than once that the Lynx's success this season has come down to Miles, and she's not the only one who has praised the newcomer. Courtney Williams has said just as much, and her teammates have made it clear how much they support her. In a lot of ways, Miles is beginning to represent the future of the Lynx, and is potentially even reshaping what Reeve herself had planned for the team.
Oh, and you know what else she did Monday night? She became the fastest player—not just the fastest rookie—to reach 400 points, 100 assists and 100 rebounds. And she did that in 22 games.
Miles is the product of the new WNBA
If it seems like records are more or less constantly being broken by rookies this season (and in recent seasons, to be fair), that's kind of because they are. Incoming rookies have shown that something's changed in women's collegiate basketball. That doesn't diminish the legends of the game, but these athletes are coming into the league ready to absolutely make it their own, and that's something fans enjoy and appreciate.
It's also a big part of the reason the WNBA is enjoying so much popularity right now. Yes, plenty of people began watching games to see Caitlin Clark play after she was drafted in 2024, and that's a great thing. But at this point, they've stuck around—and more players have brought in their own fans, too. There are people who come to games just to see Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, and there are definitely people who come to games just to see Olivia Miles.
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