Connecticut Sun get ready to face former UConn star Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx in WNBA playoffs

Last offseason, as the Connecticut Sun shipped away former WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones and watched as former general manager and two-time coach of the year Curt Miller packed his bags for Los Angeles, it would have been easy to assume that 2023 was going to be a rebuilding year.

Instead, the 2022 Finals runner-up galvanized around new head coach Stephanie White, got MVP-caliber play from forward Alyssa Thomas, and rode one of the league’s best offenses en route to a 27-13 record and a third-place finish in the standings.

On Wednesday, the Sun will take on the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. It’s the seventh consecutive postseason appearance for the franchise.

The Sun can thank Thomas for much of their success, as her season wasn’t just MVP-level– it was historic. The 6-2 forward set WNBA single-season records for assists (316), double-doubles (27) and triple-doubles (6), became the first player to lead the league in both rebounds and assists, and became the first ever to record 600 points, 300 rebounds and 300 assists in a season. She finished with totals of 15.5 points, 9.9 boards, 7.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

“No one in this league does what she does. And to me, that’s what an MVP is,” Sun head coach Stephanie White told The Courant last week. “No one’s putting up the amount of numbers that she’s putting up across the board and doing what she does on the defensive end of the floor. It’s exceptional.”

In addition to Thomas’ brilliance, the Sun saw major contributions from forward DeWanna Bonner, who led the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game, and former UConn star Tiffany Hayes, who posted 12.1 points per.

They’ll face a Lynx squad that was led by a career year from former UConn star Napheesa Collier. Minnesota finished sixth in the league and rebounded from an 0-6 start to go 19-15 the rest of the way, sneaking into one of the final three playoff spots.

Collier averaged a career-high 21.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season and was named an All-Star for the third time, one year after giving birth to her daughter Mila. She was helped by another former Husky, rookie forward Dorka Juhasz, who averaged 6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game for the Lynx, and often took on tough defensive assignments.

“Dorka’s been so great for us, I’m so glad that she’s one of our rookies,” Collier told The Courant ahead of a Lynx game in Connecticut against the Sun last month. “She has not been in an easy position, stepping up as a rookie, having to play serious minutes starting and performing the way that she has — she’s guarding the best post player every night. So she’s been doing so well and I’m really, really proud of her.”

Connecticut will also have to contend with former Notre Dame guard Kayla McBride (14.3 ppg) and Maryland forward Diamond Miller (12.1 ppg), the top two scorers for the Lynx after Collier.

The best-of-three series begins on Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena, with tip set for 8 p.m. ET. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, while a decisive Game 3 would be in Minnesota on Sept. 20, with tipoff time to be announced.