The 2020 WNBA season is set to be the most unique in the league’s 24-year history. Teams have arrived at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL to begin training camp for a 22-game season with all games played at a single site without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bubble is set and the season is set to tip off on July 25. In the lead up to the season, WNBA.com will break down each team in the league, continuing with the Minnesota Lynx.

2019 Season Recap

• 18-16, 4th in West, 7th in League
• Eliminated in first round of playoffs by Seattle

Off-Season Moves

• Draft: No. 6 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan F; No. 16 Crystal Dangerfield G; No. 26 Erica Ogwumike (via trade with New York for Stephanie Talbot), who has been waived

• Players Added: Acquired Shenise Johnson (from Indiana) and Rachel Bahnam (from Connecticut) via trades for 2020 and 2021 draft picks; Signed free agents Megan Huff and Kayla Alexander; Re-signed free agent Bridget Carleton

• Players Lost: Seimone Augustus signed as a free agent with Los Angeles; Danielle Robinson signed as a free agent with Las Vegas; Jessica Shepard and Cecilia Zandalasini have chosen not to play in 2020 for personal reasons

Who’s at IMG Academy

Between free agency, trades, the draft and players choosing not to participate in the season due to health concerns, the teams that take the court in 2020 may look a lot different than they did in 2019. Here’s a look at some of the key players that will represent the Lynx in 2020.

Sylva Fowles

• 2019 Stats: 34 GP, 13.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.4 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 58.8 FG%, 14 DD2
• Fowles posted her lowest scoring average in six seasons in 2019, but still finished in the top 10 in both rebounds (3^rd) and blocks (T-7^th). The Lynx will need the 2017 league and Finals MVP at top form this season to make another playoff run.

Napheesa Collier

• 2019 Stats: 34 GP, 33.3 MPG, 13.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 49.0 FG%, 36.1 3P%
• The reigning Rookie of the Year led the WNBA in minutes played and finished fourth in the league in steals, 15^th in both rebounds and blocks, and 10^th in efficiency rating.

Lexie Brown

• 2019 Stats: 33 GP, 18.3 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.6 3PG, 38.5 3P%
• Brown was a key bench player in her first season with the Lynx in 2019 after spending her rookie season getting very few minutes on a deep Sun squad. In Minnesota, she was a spark off the bench thanks to her 3-point shooting as she ranked 9^th in the league in shooting percentage from behind the arc.

Karima Christmas-Kelly

• 2019 Stats: 6 GP, 12.0 MPG, 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG
• Christmas-Kelly’s debut season with the Lynx was cut short due a season-ending knee injury. She has played just 12 total games over the past two seasons, so needless to say the veteran wing is eager to get the 2020 season started.

Shenise Johnson

• 2019 Stats (Indiana): 17 GP, 12.9 MPG, 4.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 SPG
• After suffering a torn ACL in her left knee midway through the 2017 season, Johnson missed all of 2018 and returned in 2019 for Indiana. Midway through the season, she felt pain in that same knee and was forced to have another season-ending surgery to repair cartilage damage. The talent and drive are not in question with Johnson, but the health of her knee is.

Rachel Banham

• 2019 Stats (Connecticut): 29 GP, 12.2 MPG, 3.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.8 3PG, 30.6 3P%
• In four seasons with the Sun, Banham never averaged more than 12 minutes per game. The sharpshooter has a career 3-point percentage of 36.4%, including a 41.4% mark in 2018.

Three Questions

1. Can the Lynx push their playoff streak to double digits?

There are two teams in WNBA history that have made the playoffs for at least 10 straight years (*active streak):

• Fever: 12 straight seasons (2005-2016), 1 title, 2 Finals appearances
• Storm: 10 straight seasons (2004-2013), 2 titles, 2 Finals appearances
• *Lynx: 9 straight seasons (2011-2019), 4 titles, 6 Finals appearances
• *Sparks: 8 straight seasons (2012-2019), 1 title, 2 Finals appearances
• Sparks: 8 straight seasons (1999-2006), 2 titles, 3 Finals appearances
• *Phoenix Mercury: 7 straight seasons (2013-2019): 1 title, 1 Finals appearance
• Detroit Shock: 7 straight seasons (2003-2009), 3 titles, 4 Finals appearances
• Houston Comets: 7 straight seasons (1997-2003), 4 titles, 4 Finals appearances

The Lynx have a chance to join that select group if they can finish in the top eight for a 10^th consecutive season. Fowles is the last woman standing from the core of the Lynx dynasty; Lindsay Whalen is a head coach at University of Minnesota, Maya Moore is doing incredible work focused on social justice, and Seimone Augustus (the face of the franchise since being drafted first overall in 2006) is now a member of Minnesota’s top rival from the past five years – the L.A. Sparks.

Fowles has shown in the past that she can carry a heavy load, but is she ready to do it again in her 13^th WNBA season? The Lynx also still have Cheryl Reeve at the helm; the two-time WNBA Coach of the Year owns the highest win percentage of any coach in WNBA history (231-109, 0.679) and a knack for pushing the right buttons to get the most out of her teams.

2. Can Collier make a leap in season two?

Napheesa Collier made an immediate impact for the Lynx last season and held off a charging Arike Ogunbowale in the race for Rookie of the Year. While Ogunbowale was the superior scorer, Collier shined with her outstanding all-around play.

Collier averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.91 steals and 0.94 blocked shots while starting all 34 regular-season games and logging a WNBA-high 33.3 minutes per game. She shot 49.0 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three-point range and 79.2 percent from the free throw line.

Among WNBA rookies, Collier ranked second in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage and finished third in assists and three-point field goal percentage. She led rookies in steals and ranked fourth in that category among all WNBA players.

As impressive as her WNBA debut season was, Reeve and the Lynx will have to ask more of Collier in 2020. In addition to commanding extra attention on the court, Collier has also been selected as a team captain and will need to step up as a team leader despite her youth.

3. Which of the newcomers will emerge quickly?

This offseason saw a ton of player movement across the entire WNBA, which means most teams will look to incorporate new faces when the season tips off later this month. With only 22 games to work with, this will be an all-out sprint to the Playoffs, so the teams that can integrate those new faces and establish chemistry quickly will be at a significant advantage.

The Lynx have a pair of rookies in Crystal Dangerfield and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan that should get plenty of opportunities to show what they can do as they transition to the pro level.

Dangerfield was projected as a top 10 pick, but was still on the board when the Lynx came up with the No. 16 pick. She joins her former UConn teammate in Collier and the two should see plenty of time together as Dangerfield fills a need for guard depth.

The Lynx struck gold with the No. 6 pick last season with Collier, did they do the same in 2020 with Herbert Harrigan? The 6-2 forward offers a strong combination of length, athleticism and energy that could help her make an instant impact playing next to Fowles.

In addition to grooming a pair of rookies, the Lynx also acquired a pair of veterans in Shenise Johnson and Rachel Banham to help fill the gaps left by departing players such as Augustus and Danielle Robinson and players that will miss the season like Shepard and Zandalasini.