Minnesota Lynx forward and U.S. Olympic team member Napheesa Collier is currently sidelined with a plantar fasciitis condition in her left foot, leaving her status for upcoming games uncertain. Collier missed Saturday's 74-67 win over the Washington Mystics, with no specific timetable given for her return from the injury.
Lynx and U.S. Olympic team coach Cheryl Reeve acknowledged that Collier’s potential return would be carefully weighed, particularly with the upcoming Olympics in mind.
“It's certainly on our minds. There's no way I'm going to sit here and say we aren't considering that,” Reeve said, per Michael Voepel of ESPN. “The situation she's in, it's best for us to just kind of take it day by day.”
Collier's condition, plantar fasciitis, has been a recurring issue since her college days at UConn. She experienced discomfort in her foot during the third quarter of the Lynx's loss to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday and left the game with 2 minutes and 36 seconds remaining. She was seen on the bench in street clothes during Saturday’s game against Washington.
“This is something she's used to dealing with,” Reeves said. “At the same time, she has goals. And we've always felt like doing right by the players … balancing if it's good for her to go, then we'll look at that. And if it's not, and it's in the name of being ready for when we have a chance to get the national team together (we'll do that). We're just going to evaluate that. It's obviously too soon. We've got a couple of weeks.”
Lynx clinch win in Napheesa Collier's absence
The Lynx have four games remaining before the break for the July 20 All-Star Game in Phoenix, where Collier is scheduled to play for Team USA against Team WNBA. Following the All-Star Game, the Paris Olympics will start on July 26.
Despite Collier's absence, the Lynx managed to secure a win on Saturday, breaking a two-game losing streak. Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams led the team with 17 points each. Dorka Juhasz, who filled in for Collier, contributed with two points and a team-best 11 rebounds, helping the Lynx improve to a 15-6 record.
“We've got to depend on our defense,” Williams said about the team's strategy without Collier. “We emphasize that so much … and that's what we did. We all knew we had to give just a little bit more.”
Collier has been having a standout season, averaging 20.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She was named MVP of the Commissioner's Cup final, which the Lynx won over New York on June 25. Earlier in June, she was also named to her second 5-on-5 Olympic team for the United States.
“Phee will work her tail off and do what's necessary,” Reeve said. “I’ll just check in every day and see where it's at.”
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