Anastasiia Olairi Kosu has carved out a respectable niche for herself on the Lynx roster. She’s a strong defensive presence and skilled at scoring in the paint, but has been limited by her lack of shooting. She’s managed to compensate well enough with elite athleticism and has become a reliable rotation player in her second year, but standing at only 6’1 without a reliable jump shot gives her no room for error. But Kosu is only 21 and a breakout game is suggesting her shooting weakness might not be a sure thing anymore.
In a blowout home victory against the Fire, the Minnesota home crowd had no trouble finding reasons to cheer but the loudest celebration of the night came when Ola Kosu sank a 3-point shot with just 3:13 left in the fourth quarter. This was her first made shot from deep in her WNBA career and only her third attempt. This sparked a confidence boost for Kosu who took a second 3-pointer in the final minute of the game. This one was slightly off the mark but an offensive rebound led to her taking a midrange shot and still scoring on that possesion.
A priority in her development has been her shot and we might already be starting to see the improvement. Kosu admitted to previously feeling “shy” and “scared” to take midrange shots. Even if her made shots against the Fire came after the game was already all but decided, they at very least help the young player feel more comfortable taking shots from the midrange and even from deep.
Kosu without a jumper is a troublesome player for opponents on both ends, but if she can consistently make shots like that she’ll be downright terrifying. Combining her superhuman athleticism and defensive process with an ability to stretch the floor and knock down shots creates a versatile two way force with no holes in her game. As talented as she is, she’s very small for a post player and having a reliable outside shot will help her find alternative ways to score and not allow defenses to clog the paint, making it easier for her to get to the rim without running into a defender with a massive size advantage.
Ola Kosu is ahead of schedule
Currently leading the league in both offensive and defensive ratings, the Minnesota Lynx are a team of many strengths, but frontcourt depth is not currently one of them. With Dorka Juhaz and Napheesa Collier still sidelined indefinitely, Kosu’s role has become much more important and she’s risen to the challenge.
Kosu was only 19 when she was drafted by the Lynx. In her rookie year, she was limited to mostly garbage time minutes. This year, it’s a different story. In the WNBA offseason she returned to her home country and played in Russian Women's Basketball Premier League. She led her team to the championship and was crowned Finals MVP. In the process, she seems to have improved her game for the WNBA as well. This year she has been upgraded into the Lynx rotation, playing up to 20 minutes per game and adding a respectable average of 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Even in her second year, Kosu is still one of the youngest players in the WNBA. The fact that she is already a productive two-way player despite lacking age, positional size and shooting ability demonstrates strong potential as she contiunes to develop under Cheryl Reeve and if she can add a jumper to her skillset there’s no telling what her ceiling is.
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