While the Minnesota Lynx ended their season with a disappointing playoff run, point guard Olivia Miles emerged as one of the league's new stars. The former Notre Dame/TCU standout won this year's WNBA Rookie of the Year award, averaging 19.8 points and six assists over the regular season.
Miles made an immediate impact on a Lynx team that already featured veterans who knew how to win. Yet, the guard managed to integrate herself well into the offense without a hiccup. One of the league's greatest guards drew a historical comparison when evaluating Miles' play.
Many expected Olivia Miles to excel from the first game. Entering the league as the No.2 pick this year, the standard was set for her. However, as the season progressed, she did not hit the proverbial rookie wall. Instead, she kept pushing forward, orchestrating the Lynx's offense, keeping the ball moving. Sue Bird, who won four WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, sees herself in Miles.
"I think it's Olivia Miles. . . I think we're, by the way, we're totally different. We're totally different players," Bird began.
With speed and quickness, Bird's assertion makes sense. Having played at a high level for two decades, she understands what elite guard play can mean for a team's progress. Yet, she did draw a major distinction between her game and Miles'.
"She's a finisher at the rim. I, Iike, never went in there. I was more of like a three-point shooter, pull up shooter."
Bird functioned around the perimeter. When she did get a step on the opponent, her first instinct was to spot the open teammate or shoot something in the mid-range. However, Miles gets downhill on the defender, turns the corner, and attacks the rim with a burst. While the games may not resemble each other, Bird cites one particular intangible quality.
"I think there's like a thought process that I see within her and like an understanding and the way she anticipates and sees things unfold and happening before her that reminds me of me."
In essence, court vision is what the Hall of Famer believes that she shares with Miles. Despite playing at an accelerated pace, Miles uses dribble penetration to set up the offense. She can readily spot a teammate cutting to the basketball for a pass. If there is space, she will win off the bounce, barreling to the rim where she converts under control with enough strength to take contact and make the shot.
Miles finished second in the MVP voting. As mentioned, the Lynx made a rather quick exit in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Yet, with the resume Bird owns endorsing her, Miles could be a perennial All-Star, potentially laying claim to being one of the league's better players.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
