The Minnesota Lynx have many strengths that make them one of the best teams in the WNBA: Napheesa Collier is playing at an MVP level, the players around her are playing their roles well, the Lynx are great defensively, and the roster is incredibly deep. Especially the latter will give the Lynx an advantage throughout the regular season and playoffs alike, as it will allow the team to overcome injuries and the occasional bad games from a starter.
The Lynx managed to improve their depth even further, signing Maria Kliundikova to replace Marieme Badiane who is playing in EuroBasket. With Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith, and Jessica Shepard off to great starts in the 2025 season, Kliundikova will likely not play a huge role for the Lynx. Nevertheless, it can’t hurt to bolster the team’s frontcourt depth.
Maria Kliundikova adds size and depth to the Lynx’s roster
The Lynx are not an incredibly big team in the frontcourt. Only Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard are 6’4”. Diamond Miller is the next tallest player on the roster at 6’3”, but she has not played much early in the season. So, at 6’4”, Kliundikova adds some much-needed size to the Lynx’s frontcourt depth.
She also provides an efficient scoring option in the paint and a solid rebounder. While playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg in the 2024-25 season, Kliundikova averaged 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 18.7 minutes per game. She converted 53.6 percent of her two-point field-goal attempts. While she is not the kind of 3-point shooter or defender Alanna Smith is, Kliundikova should be able to play some solid backup minutes.
Unlike Badiane, who joined the Lynx as a rookie, Kliundikova also has experience playing in the WNBA and has previously played with Kayla McBride in Russia. She was drafted eleventh overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2018 when she was only 19 and her last name was still Vadeeva. She played two seasons with the Sparks in 2018 and 2019 and was also part of the team’s training camp this season but didn’t make the roster.
Now, she gets another chance at WNBA minutes with the Lynx, even if the team may not have a huge role available for her. Mainly, the Lynx will use the additional frontcourt depth to make sure they don’t overtax Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith before the playoffs.
Collier is obviously the engine that powers the Lynx on both sides of the floor and the most important player on the roster. Smith’s defense and 3-point shot make her the perfect center to play next to the MVP candidate. The Lynx will need both healthy and in top form to win a championship.
Having one of the deepest rosters in the WNBA is one of the Lynx’s biggest advantages this season.