The WNBA is in a golden age of talent, with each draft class producing players capable of cementing their legacies among the greatest in women's basketball history. Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, has quickly emerged as the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year while also establishing herself as an MVP candidate.
The Minnesota Lynx star is currently duking it out on the leaderboard with the likes of A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark. And well, Diana Taurasi has taken notice of Miles' talent, recently appearing on Bill Simmons' podcast to praise the rookie's game.
Simmons asked Taurasi who "jumped out" to her out of the younger talent in the league. She said,
"Olivia Miles is a special talent. She was a little under the radar before she did leave Notre Dame and she went to TCU which was a little bit of a smaller school. This kid is doing stuff that, she has Kyrie-like handles. She can shoot the basketball, she can get in the lane."
Miles, as a rookie, is averaging 19.7 points and 6 assists in 30 minutes per game on 49.5/39.6/86.9 shooting splits. She's the leading scorer on the number one team in the WNBA, with the Lynx boasting a 31-9 record.
It's clear that Miles has the requisite skill set to carry a team into the playoffs, and Taurasi sees that in her.
"I've always said, if you can shoot and you can pass, you can play forever," she said. "To be put in a position, you go to a team where they have everything, roster-wise. What an incredible opportunity for her to be on a team that's expected to win a championship."
Citing the Lynx's coaching staff and the "pedigree of players" that the roster has to offer, Taurasi claimed Miles has all the tools at her disposal to "be in the driver's seat in this league for the next 10-12 years."
While Caitlin Clark remains one of the first names that comes to mind when discussing the WNBA's young stars, Miles is quickly carving out a place of her own. That doesn't diminish Miles' rise, especially considering Taurasi has been equally effusive in her praise of Clark, famously saying earlier in 2026 that "nobody" was on her level.
As far as Miles is concerned, she has it all in her bag, and the only thing that could potentially hold her back come the playoffs would be her lack of experience.
The Lynx, however, have more than enough talent around Miles to ease the burden on the rookie. Having Kayla McBride, Napheesa Collier, Natasha Howard, and Courtney Williams to fall back on is quite the cushion for Minnesota.
This also isn't the first time Taurasi has predicted the rise of a young star in the W.
In 2025, during an appearance on the No Offseason podcast, Taurasi was asked whether she could see Paige Bueckers eventually becoming the best player in the WNBA.
"Absolutely," she said. "Paige's instincts on the court are just incredible, and it takes a special skill and talent when you can galvanize a group of people. I've been around her long enough to know that once they get the right group around her, things will change because of her skill set and her ability to distribute and score."
Fast-forward to the present day, and Bueckers is a Team USA player at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, an All-Star, and the Wings' leading scorer at 20.5 points per game.
So, Taurasi has proven to have a keen eye for identifying the next generation of WNBA stars, and with Miles, she may be right on the money yet again.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
