MINNEAPOLIS – The Lynx have listed Nafisa Collier as “doubtful” for Saturday’s game against the Liberty.
Collier has been out since August 2nd due to a right ankle injury, and there’s been a lot of speculation about when this potential MVP candidate might return.
Following Friday’s practice, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve mentioned there wasn’t any new information regarding Collier’s status.
“We’re monitoring things as expected,” Reeve stated. “But I haven’t really heard any specifics from Phee or the training team regarding her timeline or anything.”
Reeve expects Collier will be back before the regular season wraps up on September 11th.
“If she’s not back by then, it’s definitely going to complicate things,” Reeve continued. “But I believe she’ll return soon.”
Some reporters noted seeing Collier without walking boots during practice on Thursday, although Reeve wasn’t sure if she still used them as a precaution at other times.
“I can’t say exactly what she’s doing,” Reeve admitted. “But I do know she’s at a point where she’s running and following the recovery process.”
This season, Collier has made quite an impact. In 26 games, she averaged 23.5 points, with a shooting percentage of 53.7% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. She also ranks 4th in total blocks with 42, and 6th in steals with 46, while sitting 11th in rebounds per game at 7.5.
Interestingly, while there are no specific game minimums for WNBA season awards like the MVP, it’s worth noting that in the last ten years, no MVP has missed more than five games during their campaign.
In the NBA, the requirement is to participate in at least 65 games to qualify for MVP voting, while in the WNBA, players need to appear in about 35 games.
When asked whether it was reasonable to expect players to participate in at least 80% of the season, Reeve responded, “These are all subjective matters. There’s a lot of various voters, each with their own reasons for their choices or opinions.”
The Lynx are gearing up to win their fifth consecutive game against the Liberty on Saturday.
