Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles, the unanimous 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year, explained what makes Caitlin Clark so tough to defend during an appearance on "The Old Man and the Three" podcast.
Miles talked about her battles against the Indiana Fever guard as well as Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron.
Miles was asked on " The Old Man and the Three " podcast about playing against Clark. Her assessment started with what Clark does with the ball.
"Obviously Caitlin with the shooting and her playmaking ability. She's so good with her right hand attacking downhill and creating for others. And obviously, in transitions, she is deadly," Miles said.
"It is annoying to play against her. You have to guard her and make sure you have the bodies on her at all time and making it hard."
Bueckers, who plays for the Dallas Wings, and Citron, a Washington Mystics guard, also came up.
"Same with Paige. Paige is great to her right hand, and great posting up in the short corner, facilitating for her teammates as well," Miles said.
"Then you have Sonia, who can do everything, can shoot, play at all three levels, and then play defense as well."
Right after calling the group hard to guard, the Lynx guard gave the trio their flowers: "But they make the game exciting and fun to watch."
Clark and Bueckers were the two most recent Rookie of the Year winners before Miles, with Clark taking the award in 2024 and Bueckers winning it in 2025. Of the three, only Miles won the award unanimously, becoming the sixth rookie to achieve that feat (joining Candace Parker, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson, and Aliyah Boston).
Several of Miles' rookie marks also involve two of the guards she praised. She became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 150 assists, needing 26 games to break the 28-game mark Bueckers set in 2025.
She also joined Bueckers as the only rookies in WNBA history to average at least 15 points and 5 assists while shooting 45% or better from the field.
Miles' 14 points, 10 assists, and 4 blocks against the Portland Fire on July 18 made her the first rookie (and the fourth player in WNBA history) with at least 10 points, 10 assists and 4 blocks in a game, joining Clark, Parker, and Veronica Burton.
Miles started all 40 games she played and averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals for a Lynx team that went 33-11 and finished first in the Western Conference. Her 790 points set a WNBA rookie record, passing the 769 that Clark scored in 2024, and only Clark has handed out more assists in a rookie season with 337.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
