Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve Sends Message After Olivia Miles Shoots 1-of-10 vs. Valkyries
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said Olivia Miles needed a tough shooting night early in her WNBA career.
On Friday, Minnesota ended its two-game road trip with an 81-75 victory against the Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Even though they got the job done in front of a hostile environment and maintained their place atop the WNBA standings, their prized rookie, Miles, had a rough game.
Miles finished with just seven points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, to go along with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.
This was Miles' first single-point output of her WNBA career, and Lynx head coach Reeve noted that the opposing team made it a rough night for the former TCU standout.
During her post-game interview, Reeve gave credit to the Valkyries' defense and believes it will be a big lesson for Miles moving forward.
"Us and them are the two best defensive teams in the league, so what she saw is actual defense," Reeve said. "She needed a game like this. This was a tremendous growth point for her."
But the veteran coach quickly gave the 2026 WNBA No. 2 overall pick her flowers for stepping up on the defensive end, and helped her team secure its third straight win.
"When things don't go your way, how do you show up?" Reeve continued. "What she showed is that she'll show up on the defensive end. A game-sealing block."
Cheryl Reeve on Olivia Miles game against the the Valkyries and what GS did to make her struggle at times
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) June 20, 2026
"Us and them are the two best defensive teams in the league, so what she saw is actual defense. She saw physicality… she needed a game like this, this was a tremendous… pic.twitter.com/cgylp3up8n
Despite this scoring hiccup from Miles, she's still averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 16 games.
These numbers have helped her emerge as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors against other top rookies like Azzi Fudd, Pauline Astier, Kiki Rice and Flau'jae Johnson.
Related: WNBA to Punish Olivia Miles After Lynx Game
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 7:37 PM.