Napheesa Collier was incredible last season as she dragged the Minnesota Lynx to a playoff berth and earned All-WNBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team and All-Star honors. Through the first two weeks of this new campaign, she’s been even better.
First, the numbers: Collier is averaging 23 points, 10.4 rebounds, four assists, 2.8 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. She’s fourth in scoring, third in rebounding, first in steals and sixth in blocks. It should come as no surprise that no one in league history has ever put together a 20/10/4 season, nevermind what she’s doing on the defensive end. Only one player has ever averaged five stocks (steals plus blocks) for an entire season.
Now, the impact: Thanks to Collier, the Lynx are off to a 4-1 start that has them all alone in second place. They have the best defensive rating (91.2) and net rating (plus-11.6) in the league. When Collier is on the court, they are outscoring opponents by 18.1 points per 100 possessions.
Collier is firmly established now as one of…
