Despite Loss, Lynx Defense Shows Its Winning Potential

Sunday night’s loss to the Sparks hurts, but here’s a positive—it seems like the 2018 Lynx defense has a chance to be absolutely elite.

Here are some numbers: 40.3-percent shooting from the field, 3-18 (16.7-percent) from three, 25 rebounds, 13 assists.

Those numbers belong to the Sparks in their season opener.

More accurately, they belong to the Lynx’s defense. To put things in perspective, the Lynx gathered 41 rebounds and even on a sloppy offensive night, dished out 19 assists.

The Lynx put in work on their defense in the offseason, and it seems like that work will pay off. Minnesota brought in two great defensive guards in Danielle Robinson and Tanisha Wright and is building around a world-class shot blocker in Sylvia Fowles, an incredibly reliable perimeter defender in Seimone Augustus, and a multi-position defensive threat in Maya Moore.

Last night it was clear that the Sparks guards had a true fear of Fowles prowling the paint. The Lynx might not collect huge numbers of blocks and steals, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. There were things that the Sparks just seemed unwilling to try—passes into the post that didn’t come, drives that pulled up short. Against teams with less experience, the Lynx might collect more defensive statistics, but against LA, their effort showed in the percentages.

The Lynx’s rebounding ability is a huge boon to their defense. Defensive possessions don’t end until the rebound is collected, so Minnesota’s ability to dominate in that area will give them a huge boost. It’s important to both get stops and limit possessions—second-chance opportunities can kill a defense’s momentum, both because opposing teams get an extra possession, and because it’s often hard for defenses to reset following offensive rebounds.

On the perimeter, the additions of Wright and Robinson will give the Lynx two very different but effective stoppers. Robinson’s game is built around her speed. She can chase her mark over screens and get back into position without giving up drives, and her quick hands help her get steals and intercept passes. She’s also so fast that once she gets ahead on the break, there’s no stopping her.

Wright, on the other hand, is a more traditional, physical perimeter defender. She’s very strong and isn’t afraid to use that strength to keep opposing players from driving inside. Wright also has the ability to guard three positions (both guard spots as well as small forward) so she allows the Lynx to play small without giving up any defense.

It would be disingenuous to pretend that everything was perfect on defense last night—after all, the night ended on a do or die play where the Lynx didn’t come up with a stop—but there was plenty of reason for optimism. The Lynx project to be a defensive team capable at throwing all kinds of looks at their opposition—they’re not good at just one thing, they have many different strategies they can turn to with the game on the line. Once the team gets a few more games under their belt and fully work in the new additions to their system, they have a chance to be truly elite.