This Season Has Been Cheryl Reeve's Magnum Opus

It seems that everyone on the Lynx is being discussed for end-of-season awards. Napheesa Collier is in the running for MVP, and Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard are in contention for Sixth Player of the Year. Alanna Smith is getting traction for Defensive Player of the Year, and the Lynx had three All-Stars in Indianapolis.

However, Cheryl Reeve seemingly isn’t getting any traction for an award despite having the best record by five games. It prompted me to ask her what she thought of perhaps being in the running to win Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

“It’s not even in the realm of my thoughts,” Reeve said, waving me off with a smile.

Since that interaction, it may not have been in Reeve’s thoughts, but it certainly has been in mine. Reeve has won Coach of the Year four times, but 2025 could be considered her Magnum Opus of her coaching career.

First, a look back at the four times she’s won the award.

2011: The beginning of a dynasty

Reeve orchestrated a magnificent turnaround in her second season with the Lynx. In 2010, the Lynx finished 13-21, the second-worst record in the league. It was also one win worse than the previous two teams before they let head coach Jennifer Gillom go.

Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx then flipped the script in 2011, going 27-7 and finishing first in the Western Conference and raising a WNBA championship banner.

Reeve was integral in scouting and ultimately drafting Maya Moore before the start of the season. With a similar roster to the year prior, the Lynx kick-started their dynasty by improving the offense from 11th to second and the defense from 8th to second. The Lynx finished with the top net rating in the WNBA. Reeve would receive 36 of 40 votes for Coach of the Year, a near-unanimous decision.

2016: Top of the mountain

Reeve has won the championship two more times since her first Coach of the Year award.

Arguably, she could have won Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Over those four seasons, the Lynx went 100-36. They finished as the best team in the West 3 of 4 seasons and second in 2014.

In 2015, the Lynx finished 22-12, their worst record since 2010, although they still finished first in the West. Their offense finished fourth, defense second, and their net rating was “only” the second best in the league.

After winning the championship in 2015, the 2016 Lynx is considered one of the best regular-season teams in league history. They finished 28-6, ranking first in offense rating, defense rating, and net rating. Sylvia Fowles won the Defensive Player of the Year award, and Moore finished third for MVP in her first all-WNBA team season.

The Lynx ultimately lost to the Sparks in the finals on an interesting non-call on a shot clock violation, but Reeve won the award based on motivating a team at the top of the mountain coming off 2015, to improve and get even better.

2020: Coaching in a second era

The Lynx were at a crossroads in 2018 and 2019.

Maya Moore shocked the WNBA world and stepped away from basketball after the Lynx won the 2017 championship to focus on criminal justice reform. She later announced her retirement.

The Lynx scuffled in her absence, finishing both seasons at 18-16. Lindsay Whalen retired after the 2018 season to pursue a coaching career with the University of Minnesota. The turnover resulted in the Lynx being knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in both 2018 and 2019, ending their dynasty.

However, the Lynx hinted at a re-emergence when Napheesa Collier won the Rookie of the Year award in 2019. A year later, Collier emerged, finishing 5th in MVP voting. Lynx rookie Crystal Dangerfield also won the Rookie of the Year award in 2020.

Reeve would be credited for rebuilding the Lynx’s talent. The team went 14-8 in the pandemic-shortened Wubble season. Minnesota finished second in offense and seventh in defense, losing in the semi-finals to the Seattle Storm.

Reeve took home the Coach of the Year honors for the third time, garnering 25 of 47 votes for the award. Voters believed that Reeve, who was coach and lead executive, had retooled the Lynx dynasty on the fly.

2024: Back to the top

Before last season, the Lynx had suffered some downtrodden seasons. In 2021, the Lynx finished 22-10, good enough for the 2-seed. A year later, the Lynx had their first losing record since Cheryl Reeve’s rookie season in 2010, largely due to Napheesa Collier stepping away from basketball to give birth to her daughter. Collier only played four games, and the Lynx finished the season with a 14-22 record, missing the playoffs.

In 2023, the Lynx started the season 0-6 before finishing 19-15 en route to a 19-21 record, sneaking into the playoffs. That would set the stage for Reeve in 2024. She added Courtney Williams as Minnesota’s starting point guard, despite Williams' previous role as a shooting guard in all but one of her professional seasons.

Reeve also added Williams’ Chicago teammate Alanna Smith to start at center, despite being undersized and on the verge of quitting on her WNBA career. The Lynx also added Natisha Hiedeman, who had come up short in the finals as the Connecticut Sun’s point guard, while convincing her to be a bench player.

The success would play off when the Lynx finished with a franchise-best 30 wins. Collier finished second in MVP voting and won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Smith would finish as an all-defensive center, and Williams would set the record for single-season assists in a Lynx uniform. Kayla McBride made the All-Star game, and Bridget Carleton thrived as the starting do-everything small forward.

Reeve ultimately won on every bet she took before the season and earned her fourth Coach of the Year award with 62 of 67 votes. The Lynx finished with the No. 2 offense and No. 2 defense, ending the season as the 2-seed going into the playoffs, in which they ultimately lost the finals in Game 5.

2025: Best season yet

That leads us to this season. With two games left, the Lynx have already surpassed the 30-win total set last season and now stand at 32 wins. The Lynx have the No. 1 offense in the league by 2.3 points, and they have the No. 1 defense by 1.6 points. Their 12.4 net rating is best in the league by 3.9 points.

The Lynx navigated 10 games without Napheesa Collier and remain the best offensive and defensive team. They also lead the league in true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, and are second in assist percentage. They have a five-game lead for the 1-seed in the playoffs and clinched that honor with over two weeks of play remaining.

Reeve has coached the 2025 Lynx through several challenges, including McBride not starting the season with the team, Dorka Juhasz's decision to step away from basketball for 2025 just days before the season, a season-ending injury to Karlie Samuelson, the 10-game absence of Collier, and a mid-season trade to add DiJonai Carrington.

Through all of that, the Lynx have put together a league-leading record and statistics, but a historic level of success. No team in WNBA history has ever led the league in offense, defense, net rating, assist-to-turnover ratio, and true shooting percentage.

Other coaches are deserving of the coach of the year award. Karl Smesko is leading the Atlanta Dream, who were expected to be in the middle of the pack, to the second-best record in the league. Natalie Nakase has brought the Golden State Valkyries to a playoff appearance in their inaugural season. Stephanie White deserves recognition for leading the Indiana Fever to the playoffs despite a litany of injuries, including Caitlin Clark's 13-game absence due to a groin injury.

Still, Reeve is in the midst of coaching arguably the best WNBA team in league history, two years removed from when they started the season 0-6, and three years after they had a losing record. Reeve is likely putting together the best coaching job of her career, including the four other Coach of the Year award-winning seasons. However, it seems the WNBA is adopting Reeve’s mindset when it comes to discussions about the award.

It’s not even in the realm of (their) thoughts.