If you would have said before the season that the Minnesota Lynx would be sitting atop the WNBA standings with just a handful of games left, many would have thought you were crazy.
Going into the 2026 campaign, the Lynx had multiple question marks surrounding them—What would this team look like after a large roster turnover? How fast would Olivia Miles get acclimated to the WNBA as the No. 2 pick? When would Napheesa Collier return, if at all during the regular season, from double ankle surgery? Could this team stay at the .500 mark until Collier returns?
Minnesota quickly put those questions to bed, jumping out to a surprising start that caught many off guard. And it hasn’t dropped off since.
The Lynx have been the best team in the WNBA all season long, immediately rising up the league standings and staying there while just a win (and a Golden State loss) away from clinching the the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with the two-plus-week FIBA World Cup Break upon us.
Minnesota has been the most impressive team of the summer, yet it could use the World Cup break to get even better for when the postseason begins.
Much-Needed Rest
Like the rest of the league, the Lynx will use this time to rest its players who are not taking part in the World Cup in Germany—which is the entire roster with the exception of six players (more on who those players are later).
The break is a valuable part of the season that wouldn’t otherwise happen, especially for a team like the Lynx who are trying to catch as much of a break as they can get before what they hope is a deep playoff run.
It is also incredibly valuable for Minnesota specifically, for two reasons: it gives some of its more veteran players—such as Kayla McBride, Natasha Howard, Courtney Williams and Nia Coffey —a chance to get some needed rest, while also giving rookie phenom Olivia Miles a bit of a breather really for the first time since her senior season at TCU began last year.
According to StatMuse, the Lynx starting lineup is averaging the second-most minutes played this season, logging 150.3 minutes per game. Minnesota trails only Atlanta (158.1 minutes) for most in the WNBA.
That’s not just 150.3 minutes per game from its starting five, but that’s 150.3 minutes per game from a starting lineup that has three of its five players above the age of 30 with an average age of 30.6. Napheesa Collier will join that group of 30-year-olds when she turns 30 on Sept. 23.
Every other WNBA team is getting the same break in the season that Minnesota is, but the Lynx could end up finding this two-plus-week period very beneficial just to get fully healthy and get their legs back underneath them for the postseason.
Valuable Reps in World Cup
On the other side of things, the time on the court that a few players are getting in the World Cup could be equally beneficial for Minnesota in building on what has turned into the third 30-win season in a row.
The Lynx have six players participating in Germany from Sept. 4-13, including Napheesa Collier (USA), Chloe Bibby (Australia), Antonia Delaere (Belgium), Eliska Joklova (Czechia), Elena Buenavida (Spain) and Dorka Juhász (Hungary).
This period of time on the court for Collier could be extremely valuable as she continues to get back to midseason form after missing the entirety of the season while recovering from double ankle surgery until her debut in late July. The added reps could help get her body ready for the grind that is the postseason, and perhaps shake off any rust that might still be present since her return.
As for the other five players, getting the extra time on the court—with some players also playing important minutes for their countries—will be important ahead of the WNBA Playoffs. All of those players have come off the bench for the Lynx this season, with each player playing some key minutes at different times.
Getting some extra time in the World Cup could help with those players stepping up if or when Minnesota needs them to in the postseason—something that is incredibly valuable, notably deep in the playoffs.
Top Team Could Get Better
Though it’s been a surprising development, Minnesota has been the best team in the WNBA all season long, even with losing two straight entering the World Cup Break for just the second time this season.
Of course, every team can always get better—the Lynx are no different. And these next two weeks could be even more valuable for Minnesota, and we could see this team become even better when the regular season resumes Sept. 17 and the WNBA Playoffs tip off Sept. 27.
