Olivia Miles really is that good.
The thing about Miles is that she's always been that good. She was good at Notre Dame, she was good at TCU. There's a reason Cheryl Reeve drafted her the first chance she got and has played her all season, and there's a reason Reeve will likely fight to keep Miles at home in Minnesota as long as she can.
It doesn't seem like anyone, anywhere will dispute just how good Miles is. And while she's been hailed as a generational athlete — and that's a word we're starting to see thrown around quite a lot — she's also a once-in-a-generation leader in the WNBA.
There have been plenty of players drafted the last few years who have been described as leaders in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark, obviously, is considered not only a leader but the face of the league by some; Angel Reese has similarly dominated coverage and discourse. Paige Bueckers has both the on-court chops and leadership skills to make a gigantic impact for years to come.
But Miles just might blow past them all, and she might do it faster than anyone expects.
At risk of being redundant, that's not just on the court. As a profile by The Athletic robustly noted, Miles has been heading the Minnesota Lynx all season. She's become one of the first players that even many of the team's seasoned veterans turn to when they need to know exactly what needs to be done. Fans show up to see the Lynx play, but they also show up to see her play.
She's also the player Reeve has been turning to all season. As Reeve, the winningest coach in league history, told The Athletic, "For Liv, she's in the space of being with Clark and with Paige and leading this start to the next 30 years."
The profile also reveales that Miles was curious about the Lynx before the draft. When Reeve and her coaching staff spoke to her, they expected her to hold back. Instead, she had enough questions to fill the 90 minutes they had together. In fact, the Lynx had to tell Miles they had to end the call — typically, players depart first. Miles was curious, and Miles was into the idea of Minnesota.
Clearly, Minnesota is into her. As this profile and countless others have demonstrated over the years, she more than has what it takes to be the type of talent that many in the league look to for potentially decades. In fact, that might just be something she accomplished in her first season.
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