# 2023 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2023 Minnesota Lynx season was the 25th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the fourteenth season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Reeve signed a multi-year contract extension to return as Head Coach in November, while also moving from General Manager to President of Basketball Operations. On December 13, 2022, the Lynx announced Clare Duwelius as the fourth General Manager in franchise history.
The Lynx earned the second overall pick through the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery. They went into the lottery selection holding the fourth best odds to get the first overall pick, but still moved up two selections.
On November 22, 2022, Natalie Achonwa announced her pregnancy via Instagram.
The WNBA announced that the first WNBA Canada Game would feature the Chicago Sky and the Lynx on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. This would be the first-ever WNBA preseason game in Canada.
On September 4, Napheesa Collier was announced as the first-ever winner of the Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award. The Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award will be an annual award recognizing a Lynx player who best embodies the altruistic traits of kindness, selflessness and overall regard for the well-being of others throughout the community.
The Lynx season started out slowly as they lost five straight games to start the season, ending May 0–5. The losing streak was extended to six as the Lynx lost their first game in June. They won their first game of the season on June 3. They followed up the win with another loss, but then beat Los Angeles back to back. They lost two of their next three games, but won two straight games against Seattle to end June with a 6–4 record. Their two game win streak carried over into July, where the Lynx won their first three games of the month. This five game winning streak was followed by a three game losing streak. The Lynx would win four of their last five games of the month to finish July with a 7–4 record, and make it back to .500 overall. The better fortunes would not stick around to begin August as the Lynx lost three of their first four games. They did win three of their next four before losing the last two games of the month to finish August 4–6. Entering September, the Lynx were solidly in the hunt for a playoff spot. They won their first two games of the month and secured a playoff spot on September 5. They would lose their last two games of the season and finish September 2–2.
The Lynx finished the season 19–21, which saw them finish in a tie for fifth place in the playoff standings. In the tiebreaker with the Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics they finished second. The tiebreaker was overall record against the teams and Minnesota was 3–3. As the sixth overall seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs the Lynx would face off against the Connecticut Sun, with the first two games of the series being in Connecticut. In the first game of the series, the Sun got off to a hot start and ended up winning game one 90–60. Needing to win to force a third game, the Lynx won a close game in Connecticut 82–75. However, they could not seal the series at home, losing 75–90 to end their season.

## Transactions
### WNBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
| 1 | 2 | Diamond Miller | United States | Maryland |
| 1 | 12 | Maïa Hirsch | France | ESB Villeneuve-d'Ascq |
| 2 | 16 | Dorka Juhász | Hungary | UConn |
| 2 | 24 | Brea Beal | United States | South Carolina |
| 3 | 28 | Taylor Soule | United States | Virginia Tech |

### Transactions

| Date | Transaction |
| November 3, 2022 | Signed Head Coach Cheryl Reeve to Multi-Year Contract Extension. Reeve also promoted to President of Basketball Operations |
| December 13, 2022 | Named Clare Duwelius as General Manager |
| January 13, 2023 | Extended Qualifying Offers to Bridget Carleton and Anna Cruz |
| January 16, 2023 | Maya Moore officially announced her retirement from the WNBA |
| February 3, 2023 | Signed Damiris Dantas, Bridget Carleton, Lindsay Allen, Nikolina Milić, and Tiffany Mitchell |
| February 4, 2023 | Signed Kiana Williams, Stephanie Watts, and Maya Dodson to Training Camp Contracts |
| February 18, 2023 | Signed Rachel Banham |
| March 15, 2023 | Hired Kristin Haynie as Assistant Coach |
| April 14, 2023 | Signed Diamond Miller, Dorka Juhász, Brea Beal, and Taylor Soule to Rookie Scale Contracts |
| April 14, 2023 | Signed Myah Selland and Keishana Washington to Training Camp Contracts |
| April 20, 2023 | Assistant Coach Kristin Haynie announces she will leave to become the Head Coach at Central Michigan |
| April 26, 2023 | Hired Elaine Powell as Assistant Coach |
| May 3, 2023 | Waived Keishana Washington |
| May 8, 2023 | Waived Stephanie Watts and Kiana Williams |
| May 14, 2023 | Waived Maya Dodson and Myah Selland |
| May 16, 2023 | Waived Brea Beal |
| May 18, 2023 | Waived Damiris Dantas and Taylor Soule |
| May 18, 2023 | Placed Natalie Achonwa on the Inactive List due to Pregnancy/Child-Birth |
| June 14, 2023 | Signed Emily Engstler to a Hardship Contract |
| June 26, 2023 | Signed Kayana Traylor to a Hardship Contract |
| July 20, 2023 | Released Kayana Traylor from the Hardship Contract |
| July 26, 2023 | Released Emily Engstler from the Hardship Contract |
| July 28, 2023 | Signed Emily Engstler to a 7-Day Contract |
| September 8, 2023 | Signed Kayla McBride to a Contract Extension |

### Roster Changes
## Roster
### Depth

| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
| PG | Lindsay Allen | Tiffany Mitchell |
| SG | Kayla McBride | Rachel Banham |
| SF | Diamond Miller | Bridget Carleton Aerial Powers |
| PF | Napheesa Collier | Nikolina Milić |
| C | Jessica Shepard | Dorka Juhász Natalie Achonwa(inactive) |

## Schedule
### Preseason

2023 game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) :
May: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 5
Washington
W 72–69
Diamond Miller (19)
Dorka Juhász (10)
Tiffany Mitchell (6)
Target Center 5,001
1–0
2
May 13
vs. Chicago
L 74–82
Tiffany Mitchell (19)
Juhász McBride (6)
Tiffany Mitchell (6)
Scotiabank Arena 19,800
1–1 :
2023 season schedule :

### Regular Season

2023 game log Total: 19–21 (Home: 9–11; Road: 10–10) :
May: 0–5 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 19
Chicago
L 66–77
Napheesa Collier (17)
Jessica Shepard (8)
Jessica Shepard (7)
Target Center 8,024
0–1
2
May 23
Atlanta
L 77–83
Napheesa Collier (20)
Jessica Shepard (10)
Napheesa Collier (5)
Target Center 7,803
0–2
3
May 25
@ Phoenix
L 81–90
Aerial Powers (20)
Napheesa Collier (7)
Collier Mitchell (4)
Footprint Center 6,057
0–3
4
May 28
@ Las Vegas
L 73–94
Napheesa Collier (21)
Jessica Shepard (15)
Jessica Shepard (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 7,970
0–4
5
May 30
@ Dallas
L 89–94
Kayla McBride (18)
Jessica Shepard (10)
Jessica Shepard (5)
College Park Center 3,484
0–5 :
June
: 6–4 (Home: 2–3; Road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
6
June 1
Connecticut
L 84–89
Napheesa Collier (30)
Jessica Shepard (12)
Collier Shepard (4)
Target Center 8,124
0–6
7
June 3
@ Washington
W 80–78
Kayla McBride (24)
Napheesa Collier (9)
Jessica Shepard (6)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,534
1–6
8
June 7
@ New York
Postponed until July 28 due to poor air quality
Barclays Center
9
June 9
Indiana
L 69–71
Napheesa Collier (28)
Napheesa Collier (14)
Allen Shepard (4)
Target Center 8,510
1–7
10
June 11
Los Angeles
W 91–86
Napheesa Collier (24)
Jessica Shepard (13)
Napheesa Collier (6)
Target Center 8,025
2–7
11
June 16
@ Los Angeles
W 77–72
Napheesa Collier (25)
Napheesa Collier (6)
Rachel Banham (6)
Crypto.com Arena 5,265
3–7
12
June 18
@ Las Vegas
L 62–93
Napheesa Collier (18)
Dorka Juhász (9)
Carleton Juhász (3)
Michelob Ultra Arena 8,036
3–8
13
June 20
@ Los Angeles
W 67–61
Napheesa Collier (26)
Napheesa Collier (14)
Lindsay Allen (8)
Crypto.com Arena 4,180
4–8
14
June 22
Connecticut
L 68–89
Napheesa Collier (21)
Collier Engstler (7)
Lindsay Allen (7)
Target Center 7,024
4–9
15
June 27
Seattle
W 104–93
Napheesa Collier (33)
Dorka Juhász (12)
Lindsay Allen (9)
Target Center 7,014
5–9
16
June 29
@ Seattle
W 99–97 (OT)
Napheesa Collier (31)
Collier Juhász (8)
Lindsay Allen (6)
Climate Pledge Arena 6,894
6–9 :
July
: 7–4 (Home: 4–3; Road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
July 1
@ Phoenix
W 86–76
Diamond Miller (25)
Napheesa Collier (9)
Lindsay Allen (8)
Footprint Center 8,777
7–9
18
July 5
Indiana
W 90–83
Napheesa Collier (32)
Napheesa Collier (8)
Lindsay Allen (6)
Target Center 7,624
8–9
19
July 7
Phoenix
W 75–64
Napheesa Collier (12)
Napheesa Collier (12)
Napheesa Collier (5)
Target Center 7,714
9–9
20
July 9
Las Vegas
L 89–113
Napheesa Collier (18)
Carleton Collier Milić (5)
Rachel Banham (7)
Target Center 7,701
9–10
21
July 12
Dallas
L 67–107
Napheesa Collier (11)
Allen Milić (5)
Allen Banham (6)
Target Center 13,351
9–11
22
July 18
@ Atlanta
L 73–82
Napheesa Collier (35)
Dorka Juhász (12)
Lindsay Allen (5)
Gateway Center Arena 2,394
9–12
23
July 20
Los Angeles
W 73–70
Napheesa Collier (22)
Dorka Juhász (10)
Diamond Miller (9)
Target Center 7,014
10–12
24
July 22
Las Vegas
L 81–98
Diamond Miller (17)
Collier Juhász (8)
Lindsay Allen (4)
Target Center 7,801
10–13
25
July 26
Washington
W 97–92
Napheesa Collier (24)
Napheesa Collier (11)
Diamond Miller (9)
Target Center 7,024
11–13
26
July 28
New York
W 88–83
Kayla McBride (26)
Dorka Juhász (10)
Allen McBride Shepard (4)
Barclays Center 6,129
12–13
27
July 30
@ Connecticut
W 87–83
Kayla McBride (19)
Jessica Shepard (14)
Lindsay Allen (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 8,275
13–13 :
August
: 4–6 (Home: 1–3; Road: 3–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
28
August 1
@ Connecticut
L 69–79
Lindsay Allen (16)
Dorka Juhász (11)
Diamond Miller (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,894
13–14
29
August 4
New York
L 66–76
Napheesa Collier (18)
Jessica Shepard (11)
Lindsay Allen (10)
Target Center 7,631
13–15
30
August 8
@ Chicago
W 88–79
Napheesa Collier (29)
Diamond Miller (11)
Kayla McBride (7)
Wintrust Arena 5,099
14–15
31
August 10
@ Indiana
L 73–91
Rachel Banham (18)
Jessica Shepard (7)
Lindsay Allen (5)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2,551
14–16
32
August 18
@ Seattle
W 78–70
Napheesa Collier (24)
Dorka Juhász (12)
Collier Juhász McBride (4)
Climate Pledge Arena 8,865
15–16
33
August 20
Seattle
L 74–88
Kayla McBride (18)
Napheesa Collier (9)
Diamond Miller (6)
Target Center 6,525
15–17
34
August 22
Dallas
W 91–86
Napheesa Collier (29)
Napheesa Collier (7)
Dorka Juhász (7)
Target Center 6,291
16–17
35
August 24
@ Dallas
W 90–81
Napheesa Collier (25)
Collier McBride (7)
Tiffany Mitchell (7)
College Park Center 3,931
17–17
36
August 26
New York
L 76–111
Diamond Miller (18)
Diamond Miller (9)
Rachel Banham (4)
Target Center 7,101
17–18
37
August 29
@ Washington
L 72–83
Diamond Miller (25)
Napheesa Collier (10)
Collier Juhász (4)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,708
17–19 :
September
: 2–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
38
September 1
Atlanta
W 91–85 (OT)
Napheesa Collier (27)
Napheesa Collier (17)
Juhász Mitchell (6)
Target Center 7,114
18–19
39
September 3
Phoenix
W 86–73
Kayla McBride (23)
Napheesa Collier (16)
Dorka Juhász (8)
Target Center 7,314
19–19
40
September 8
@ Chicago
L 87–92
Napheesa Collier (28)
Dorka Juhász (10)
Collier Juhász Mitchell (5)
Wintrust Arena 7,994
19–20
41
September 10
@ Indiana
L 72–87
Kayla McBride (24)
Collier Juhász (10)
Tiffany Mitchell (3)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 4,009
19–21 :
2023 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2023 playoff game log :
First Round vs. Connecticut Lost Series: 1–2
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 13
@ Connecticut
L 60–90
Kayla McBride (16)
Collier Juhász (6)
Kayla McBride (3)
Mohegan Sun Arena 5,056
0–1
2
September 17
@ Connecticut
W 82–75
Kayla McBride (28)
Napheesa Collier (13)
Dorka Juhász (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 6,673
1–1
3
September 20
Connecticut
L 75–90
Napheesa Collier (31)
Kayla McBride (7)
Tiffany Mitchell (5)
Target Center 8,724
1–2 :
2023 playoff schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team vte | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
| 6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
| 11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |

## Playoffs

| Round One: Best-of-3 | Round One: Best-of-3 | Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 |
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | | | | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 |
| | | | | | | 2 | New York Liberty | 1 |
| 2 | New York Liberty | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | New York Liberty | 1 |
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | 2 | New York Liberty | 3 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | | | |
| 6 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | | | | | | |
Bold Series winner

## Statistics
### Regular Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Napheesa Collier | 37 | 37 | 33.5 | .485 | .298 | .840 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 21.5 |
| Kayla McBride | 38 | 38 | 31.8 | .424 | .342 | .867 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 14.3 |
| Diamond Miller | 32 | 32 | 26.1 | .403 | .307 | .800 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 12.1 |
| Jessica Shepard | 21 | 17 | 26.9 | .516 | .000 | .774 | 7.0 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 8.1 |
| Tiffany Mitchell | 33 | 21 | 23.1 | .404 | .289 | .833 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.3 |
| Lindsay Allen | 29 | 20 | 24.1 | .399 | .206 | .792 | 2.4 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| Dorka Juhász | 38 | 27 | 24.2 | .472 | .271 | .540 | 6.5 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 6.0 |
| Nikolina Milić | 39 | 3 | 12.7 | .464 | .364 | .804 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| Rachel Banham | 32 | 1 | 13.6 | .370 | .402 | .786 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
| Aerial Powers | 20 | 0 | 9.8 | .345 | .337 | .733 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| Bridget Carleton | 38 | 4 | 15.1 | .345 | .337 | .733 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| Emily Engstler$^‡$ | 12 | 0 | 7.8 | .381 | .286 | .375 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Kayana Traylor$^‡$ | 8 | 0 | 4.4 | .300 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
$^‡$Waived/Released during the season $^†$Traded during the season $^≠$Acquired during the season

### Playoffs

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Napheesa Collier | 3 | 3 | 36.0 | .509 | .333 | .867 | 8.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 23.7 |
| Kayla McBride | 3 | 3 | 39.3 | .432 | .370 | 1.000 | 6.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 18.0 |
| Bridget Carleton | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | .600 | .444 | .750 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 8.3 |
| Diamond Miller | 3 | 3 | 23.0 | .261 | .222 | .667 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| Dorka Juhász | 3 | 3 | 24.0 | .500 | .000 | .455 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| Rachel Banham | 3 | 0 | 19.7 | .316 | .231 | .000 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 5.0 |
| Aerial Powers | 1 | 0 | 14.0 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Tiffany Mitchell | 3 | 3 | 21.7 | .417 | .500 | .000 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| Nikolina Milić | 3 | 0 | 7.3 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award/Milestone | Date Awarded |
| Napheesa Collier | WNBA All-Star | July 1 |
| Napheesa Collier | Western Conference Player of the Week | July 5 |
| Napheesa Collier | Western Conference Player of the Week | September 4 |
| Napheesa Collier | Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award | September 4 |
| Napheesa Collier | All-Defensive Second Team | September 22 |
| Napheesa Collier | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |
| Diamond Miller | Rookie of the Month - July | August 2 |
| Diamond Miller | WNBA All-Rookie Team | October 2 |
| Dorka Juhász | WNBA All-Rookie Team | October 2 |