Nicky Anosike (Getty Images/Scott Cunningham)
The Minnesota Lynx capped off yet another disappointing season last weekend, coming up on the short end of two consecutive blowouts to finish the season 14-20, one game out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Lynx won three of five games in late August and early September to claw their way back into playoff contention, but proceeded to lose to the Los Angeles Sparks and the Sacramento Monarchs by scores of 90-61 and 88-66, respectively.
Minnesota is no stranger to the disappointment of missing the playoffs after a fast start. For the second straight year, the Lynx soared out of the gates, establishing themselves as one of the better teams in the WNBA in the first month of play. But like last year, a midseason slump left the Lynx floundering near the bottom of the six- team Western Conference by season’s end. This year, the main culprit for the team’s fall from grace was a season- ending knee injury suffered by All-Star forward Seimone Augusts early in the season.
At the time Augustus went down, she was averaging 21 points and 4 rebounds per game, and had led Minnesota to a 4-1 record to start the season. In her absence, Minnesota struggled to find a consistent leader, and were unable to sustain a high level of play for any extended period of time. Minnesota followed up a 7-2 month of June by going 5-19 during July and August, and won only three of 14 road games without Augustus.
Center Nicky Anoskie stepped up in Augustus’ absence, leading the team with 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while being named to her first All- Star game. Anosike also led the Lynx in assists (2.7 apg), steals (.7 spg) and blocked shots (.93 bpg).
Second year guard Candice Wiggins was a little more disappointing, as she finished with 13.1 points per game on only 37% shooting. Her overall stat line wasn’t bad by any means, but when Augustus went down, Wiggins was the player most expected to step up and take over the role of Minnesota’s top player. While she showed glimpses of that kind of talent, Wiggins was unable to maintain a consistently high caliber of play and was up- and- down for most of the year.
Though the season unfolded very similar to how last year went, Minnesota has more reason for optimism headed into next season. Not only will Augusts be back next year, but she will join a more confident version of Anosike, whose game really broke through to higher level this year. Wiggins may also be more comfortable with Augustus back, as she will carry a little less of the burden and will have two full seasons under her belt. With emerging young talent like Renee Montgomery and what promises to be another high draft pick, next year’s version of the Lynx just might finally be ready to take the next step and become a legitimate contender in the WNBA. Let’s just hope they can sustain it.
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