Napheesa Collier Returns to Lynx Practice, and Minnesota Just Got Scarier

The Minnesota Lynx have been sitting pretty at the top of the WNBA standings with a 15-4 record. They’ve done it without their best player all season. That might be changing soon.

Napheesa Collier took a major step toward returning to game action this week. The team announced Wednesday that Collier has rejoined practice activities after offseason surgeries on both ankles. She had procedures on her right and left ankles during the winter, then spent the first half of the season rehabbing while her teammates piled up wins.

Khristina Williams shared the team’s official update: Collier is back on the court with the Lynx in practice and progressing as expected. Minnesota will provide more details on her rehab timeline when they’re available.

This is obviously huge for a Lynx team that already looks like a legitimate title contender. Collier was a first-team All-WNBA pick in 2024 and finished fourth in MVP voting that season. She averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while playing elite defense. The Lynx offense has been good without her — they’re top three in the league in scoring — but she adds a dimension nobody else on the roster can replicate. She’s a two-way forward who can create her own shot in the half-court and guard multiple positions.

Minnesota’s depth has been the story so far. Kayla McBride is having a career season. Diamond Miller is playing like a future star. Alanna Smith has been a revelation in the frontcourt. But Collier is the engine. She makes everyone around her better just by being on the floor. Opponents have to game-plan for her, which opens up space for everyone else.

The timing matters too. The Lynx have a tough stretch coming up before the Olympic break, and getting Collier back for even a few games before the hiatus would let her knock off some rust. The WNBA playoff race is already tight, and Minnesota holding onto the top seed with Collier getting healthy is exactly the kind of scenario that makes the rest of the league nervous.

There’s no official target date for her return to game action yet. But her presence at practice is the first real sign that the Lynx might be whole again soon. And that’s bad news for everyone else chasing them in the standings.