Training Camp Report | Final Roster Is Set, GM Survey Is Of No Concern

There will be no more cuts coming for the Lynx before their season opener against the Sky on Saturday. After making a series of moves on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning—trading for Stephanie Talbot and Alaina Coates and waiving Jillian Alleyne, Kenisha Bell and Erlana Larkins—the Lynx feel they have 12 players who are ready to suit up and compete in the 2019 season.

Temi Fagblenle, who has been with the team for the last week, will begin the season on the temporary suspended list as she fulfills commitments overseas.

There are no huge surprises on the roster front for the Lynx outside of the last-minute additions of Talbot and Coates. They each bring different things to the table but both should be able to contribute—Talbot more immediately and Coates down the line.

“Coates is… somebody that we thought had some upside potential that we thought we’d be able to utilize players development to improve and maybe create a nice situation for us long-term,” said Reeve. “Talbot was obviously a good player that we played against for years that when we heard there was a possibility to add her, you’re adding toughness and you’re adding a three-ball, those are two things that would fit well here.”

Coates spoke to the media after practice (Talbot has not arrived in Minnesota yet) and said she’s excited for a fresh start after a challenging start to her career.

“I didn’t really get to show my talents, utilize my talents in Chicago and I feel like I could be a good puzzle piece to fit into this system here,” said Coates. “I feel like I can definitely help out in areas rebounding, scoring, I definitely feel like I can be a good breather when Syl needs to have her time, take her break.”

Coates has long been a fan of Sylvia Fowles, so to get to work with her as her teammate carries a special weight.

“I tried not to fan out when I found out I was coming here,” said Coates. “I’m a big fan of hers. She’s so sweet, she’s really nice, and it’s kind of cool that she’s my teammate now.”

Also making the final roster is Chinese star Shao Ting. Ting attended training camp with the Lynx in 2017 but didn’t make the roster. Now, armed with a better grasp of the Lynx’s system (and better command over the language), she’s ready to see what she can do at the WNBA level.

“We use the word trust a lot, when you can trust a player. Ting is that player for us. We know that she’s going to do the right things,” said Reeve. “There is a logjam at her position which will make it more difficult for her, but we like Ting.”

Survey Says… Who Cares?

The Lynx didn’t get a ton of love in the annual survey of WNBA GMs (though Fowles did), but that doesn’t have an impact on anyone inside the building.

“I don’t care. That’s simply put much nicer than what I would say. As I told these guys, whether you’re picked to win, or whatever, we don’t really care. I don’t know how well the GMs have done in those predictions, but it really doesn’t matter to us,” said Reeve. “We’ve got so much work to do as a team to play well, so that’s our focus. Same way I would have done three years ago, you don’t focus on what the external has to say. You stay focused on your locker room.”

Seimone Augustus, who has seen her fair share of preseason polls, echoed the sentiment. She also said that there hasn’t been any difference in the feeling in the building compared to when the Lynx were winning championships.

“What is pressure? You create your own pressure in your mind and the way you go about things. We’ve all been in pressure situations at some point in our basketball career,” she said when asked about not having the weight of expectation this year.  “We come here every day. Even when we had the best team in the league we didn’t see any pressure. The only pressure that we put on ourselves is to go out and be great. It’s the same way with us, whether the expectations are high or low, the pressure doesn’t exist as far as what other people put on us. It’s what we put on ourselves as far as getting better.”

Quick Hits:

  • Practice continues to be a mix of situation-specific drills and scrimmages. Nothing new and crazy being installed—it’s been about getting the new players caught up and everything solidified in time for the season.
  • Augustus was voted in the GM survey as the second-best player at getting her own shot behind Diana Taurasi… Despite not caring about the survey she said “I’ll give them that.”
  • Lexie Brown was shooting the ball very confidently in drills (as usual). I’ll have a predictions column coming later in the week… Her three-point shooting will be featured.
  • Jessica Shepard was doing a good job talking to Coates and helping her get caught up. Even as a young player it’s nice to see Shepard taking on a leadership role.