Napheesa Collier Named WNBA Rookie of the Year

Napheesa Collier has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, the fourth Lynx player to win the award, joining Betty Lennox, Seimone Augustus, and Maya Moore as previous Lynx winners.

Collier was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft after starring at the University of Connecticut. It was a bit of a surprise that she fell to the sixth spot on draft night, but the Lynx were ready and grabbed the all-around player.

She became a starter immediately, in part due to injuries, but never lost her spot and became the Lynx’ most vital player over the course of the season. She showed her ability to do nearly everything well on both ends of the court, and do so consistently, a rarity for a rookie.

She wound up leading the league in total minutes, and finished in the top ten in total win shares, defensive win shares, defensive rating, and steals. She averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, adding 2.6 assists, two steals and a block per.

Collier was named to the All-Star game as an injury replacement, the only rookie to make the squad. She stuffed the stat sheet everywhere, and looks like the next Lynx star.

Collier is joined on the All-Rookie first team by Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, Teaira McCowan of the Indiana Fever, Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, and Brianna Turner of the Phoenix Mercury.