Minnesota

What is Fueling the Minnesota Lynx’s Strong Start to the 2024 Season?

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

What is Fueling the Minnesota Lynx’s Strong Start to the 2024 Season?

Coming into the 2024 season, many outside of the Minnesota Lynx organization viewed and expected the team to finish in the bottom half of the WNBA standings a year after finishing sixth in the league and earning a postseason appearance, bowing out in the first round.

But internally, the Lynx had much higher expectations, aiming to not only replicate what they did in 2023, but taking another step forward this summer.

“I think the expectation is to build on last season. I think a lot of people were sort of unsure what to expect from the Minnesota Lynx. … What we learned about last season, through our evolution, we had to get through challenging time to get where we got to,” Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said before the season began.
“The expectation this season is to build on that. We do have high expectations. … We are going to continue to surprise people.”

Not only has Minnesota improved this season, but it has in almost every aspect of the game. And that has resulted in a hot start to the year with the Lynx sitting as one of the top three teams in the WNBA.

There are multiple reasons for the strong start to the year for Minnesota, including in impressive chemistry it has built with new players joining the team, improvements on both ends of the floor, and more.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Chemistry

When you have multiple new faces on a team, let alone two who took over starting roles, you expect that team to start the year off a bit slower as players build chemistry together and as the coaching staff learns what rotations will look like.

That hasn’t really been the case for the Lynx, who added seven new players to the roster this offseason. Thanks to a quick adjustment period and a strong training camp, Minnesota’s chemistry already looks like a team that has played a full year together.

“We had a hell of a training camp. Their embrace, their level of compete, their level of wanting to help each other and communicating. We had a great training camp, so I’m not surprised to see their chemistry,” Cheryl Reeve said. “The art of accelerated chemistry, this group has kind of put on a clinic of what that takes. I’m happy for them that it’s carrying over into the regular season.”

The Lynx credit that chemistry and the good blend of skillsets among players as one of the biggest reasons for the strong start the year. When you have a roster that plays well together and is already comfortable together, you already have a leg up to counterparts who are still working through those things.

“We’re still trying to figure things out at times, but I think where we are right now is great,” 2023 All-WNBA First Team selection Napheesa Collier said. “I think where we are at is really great and I’m excited to build that chemistry even more as the season goes on.”

WNBA: MAY 26 Minnesota Lynx at Atlanta Dream

Defense

In the most successful seasons for the Lynx, one thing they have done well — among other things — is defend. That was one area of focus for Minnesota this offseason and getting back to being a team that is hard to play against regardless of the offensive talent on the other bench.

“A lot,” Collier said about the emphasis the Lynx have put on defense this year. “We started on defense the very first day of training camp.”

This season, the Lynx have not only improved defensively, but they are already one of the top defensive squads in the league. That is just one of the reasons why Minnesota is coming out on top more often than not so far this year.

“Our defense is really something that we’re anchored in. It’s so much farther ahead than I think it’s been since I’ve been a Lynx. Just being able to rely on our defense when our offense isn’t going well,” Kayla McBride said. “Our defense is really what has stood out. … That’s what good teams do, so we want to be one of those.”

A season ago, as you can see in the chart below, Minnesota was one of the worst defensive teams in the WNBA, ranking in the bottom fourth of almost every category. That put extra pressure on its offense to have to be at its best on a nightly basis to try and come out on top.

In 2024, however, the Lynx have completely flipped the script. They are in the top third in most statistical categories, notably points per game, defensive rating, steals and blocks. Minnesota is active on defense, it is hard to play against, and it is much improved compared to the summer of 2023.

Emphasis From Beyond the Arc

Much like the improvement on defense, another aspect of the game the Lynx wanted to improve upon was their success — and even just attempts — from three.

In 2023, Minnesota was a below average team from deep, something that was disappointing for Reeve and company entering this past offseason. Last season, Minnesota ranked 11th in the league in 3-point percentage (32.5%), finishing ahead of only the Dallas Wings’ league-worst mark of 31.7%. The Lynx finished eighth in 3-point attempts (20.7) but converted on just 6.8 of those attempts per game.

With a focus on beefing up those efforts, Reeve wanted her team to put an emphasis on shots beyond the arc, setting a goal for the Lynx right away to begin the 2024 campaign.

“I want to be in the top-four,” Reeve said of where she wants the Lynx will finish in 3-point performance. “We just feel like our advantage will maybe be a little more of that, as opposed to the interior presence. And that just gives (Collier) more room to work and do what she likes to do in the paint.”

So far this season, the Lynx have lived up to those expectations, finding success along the way and adding another aspect to a balanced offensive attack.

Nearly a quarter of the way trough the year, Minnesota is already averaging nearly six more shot attempts per game, averaging a double-digit total in shots made from deep. The Lynx lead the WNBA in 3-point percentage (38.6%), a sizable distance ahead of the next-best team in the league, Atlanta, with a 35% mark from deep. Minnesota also leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made (10 per game) while coming in at fifth in attempts (25.9).

Multiple things have fed into the Lynx’s strong start to the season, their best start to a year since starting the 2017 season 9-0 (that season ended quite well, for the record). Minnesota is a much-improved squad compared to the team it fielded just a year ago. And there appears to be no signs of slowing down for a team that is performing well on both ends of the court and is gelling at a remarkable level early on in the season.

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Minnesota

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

article

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Temperatures dropped into the negative Saturday, with the coldest temperatures in the morning.

How cold it got in Minnesota Saturday

By the numbers:

Here is how cold the temperatures got in Minnesota:

Hinckley: -20 degrees
Bemidji: -20 degrees
Ely: -18 degrees
Brainerd: -18 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -18 degrees
Hibbing: -17 degrees
International Falls: -17 degrees
Duluth: -16 degrees
Alexandria: -12 degrees
St. Cloud: -12 degrees
Cambridge: -11 degrees
Grand Marais: -10 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -6 degrees
Red Wing: -6 degrees
Morris: -6 degrees
Hutchinson: -5 degrees
Rochester: -5 degrees
Mankato: -3 degrees
Windom: 0 degrees
Marshall: 0 degrees

Here are the lowest wind chills across Minnesota from Saturday:

Bemidji: -37 degrees
Ely: -35 degrees
Duluth: -34 degrees
Brainerd: -32 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -32 degrees
Hibbing: -31 degrees
Alexandria: -29 degrees
Hinckley: -27 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -24 degrees
St. Cloud: -24 degrees
Willmar: -22 degrees
Cambridge-21 degrees
Grand Marais: -21 degrees
Hutchinson: -21 deegres
Morris: -20 degrees
Faribault: -18 degrees
Mankato: -18 degrees
Marshall: -17 degrees
Red Wing: -16 degrees
Owatonna: -16 degrees
Windom-12 degrees

Cold continues Sunday

What’s next:

The Twin Cities are under a cold weather advisory that is expected to last through Sunday morning, so residents should prepare for frigid conditions if they have plans to be outdoors.

Sunday will be slightly less frigid with temperatures climbing above zero. However, it will still feel like 10 below zero in the afternoon.

Milder and warmer temperatures are expected to return for the work week.

Winter WeatherMinnesota

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Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

Published

19 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

The Minnesota Wild made an all-in move for one of the NHL’s best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade — their boldest action yet toward ending a decade-long skid of playoff series defeats.

The teams announced the seismic move on Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver to complete the deal.

The trade was the second major swap of the day, after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

Rossi (24), Ohgren (21) and Buium (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were going to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ohgren (2022) and Buium (2024) were all recent first-round draft picks by the Wild.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes had no trade-blocking protection in his current deal that pays him an average of $7.85 million annually. Hughes, who is 26 and widely considered the best at player on the blue line behind only Colorado’s Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild will not be allowed to extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would consider signing a new contract with them. There has been plenty of buzz around the league that Quinn wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

The long-term outlook for Hughes can wait until next summer, though. The Wild are focused on challenging the two top teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, rivals that happen to also have the top two records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.

The season-long celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary would be a lot more meaningful if the Wild can finally advance in the playoffs, having lost nine straight series after a first-round victory over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have passed the second round just once in their entire existence, when they were swept in the Western Conference finals by Anaheim in 2003.

Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota’s blue line, anchored by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt this season has given the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustavsson in the net, with star winger Kirill Kaprizov leading the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” through 2034.

After a rough start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since Nov. 1. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely the more realistic one for Hughes to debut.

Hughes had two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocked shots in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. When he won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, Hughes had 17 goals and 75 assists, both single-season franchise records for defensemen and the most among all blue liners in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the native of Orlando, Florida, spent time growing up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his father, a hockey coach, moved around.

This was Hughes’ third season as Vancouver’s captain, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding J.T. and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

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