WNBA analyst highlights key weakness around MVP hopeful Napheesa Collier that could derail Lynx title hopes

Napheesa Collier is the unquestioned leader on the Minnesota Lynx, leading them within one game of the WNBA title last season, falling in Game 5 to Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty. As the free agency period continues and players find themselves with new teams, the Lynx are among squads looking for the final piece to their championship puzzle, centered around Collier.

One WNBA analyst is concerned, however, that the Lynx's current roster construction could come back to haunt them in the postseason. She pointed out one key flaw that the Lynx have yet to address this offseason; a thin front court.

Seerat Sohi, a WNBA reporter and host of the WNBA Show on The Ringer, spoke with Steven Jones Jr., a fellow reporter, about the WNBA offseason so far when the topic of Napheesa Collier and the Lynx came up. Sohi brought up the Lynx's lack of size and how it hampered their postseason run last year, and that they have yet to fill that hole so far this offseason.

"I think the Lynx, you know, they kind of escaped Connecticut by the skin of their teeth when it came to the size deficit there, and it was clearly an issue against the Liberty," Sohi said when talking about the Lynx's lack of size.

Compared to the rest of the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx are one of the shorter teams in the league. They were outplayed on the interior against the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty in the postseason, putting more pressure on Napheesa Collier to keep them in games with her scoring. So far this offseason, the Lynx have lost more frontcourt depth than they have brought in.

The Lynx currently have only three players on their roster over 6-foot-3 who played more than ten minutes per game last season. They added another in Mariame Bediane, whom they signed from France, but they have missed out on some of the bigger centers in free agency, including Brittney Griner and Natasha Howard.

Can Napheesa Collier overcome the Lynx's lack of size again this season?

Despite not having a lot of help down low throughout last year, Napheesa Collier put together another MVP-level campaign as she led the Lynx to the top seed in the Western Conference. The sixth-year pro out of UConn averaged a career-high 9.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game to go along with 20.4 points.

Collier figures to be in the middle of the MVP discussion again this season, but the Lynx need to bring in more frontcourt help or give more minutes to players like Diamond Miller if they want to compete for a title in 2025.