After seven seasons with the Indiana Fever, Tiffany Mitchell decided she needed a fresh start. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Mitchell was drafted by the Fever and had spent her entire career to this point with the franchise. But when the WNBA free agency period rolled around, Tiffany Mitchell chose to sign with the Minnesota Lynx, ending her tenure with the only team she's ever known. During the 2022 season, she posted some her lowest numbers since her rookie season and that factored into her decision.

“That's kind of what it was, a fresh start. I spent all of my career in one place,” Mitchell told ClutchPoints. “So after last season with Indy, I didn't necessarily have the season that I wanted or felt like I was able to be productive there. I knew that going into free agency, I needed to find somewhere else to play.”

In her final season with the Fever, Mitchell averaged 6.5 points per game, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists with splits of 45.1 percent shooting from the field, 38.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 86.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Her field goal percentage and three-point percentage were actually career-highs then, but her overall production was down and she was playing a career-low 16.3 minutes per game.

While Mitchell has never been an All-Star before, she's long-been a productive player in the WNBA albeit little recognition. She's had a couple of seasons of averaging double-digits in scoring and during the first few weeks of the 2023 season, she's looked more like the potent offensive player she was during her most of her time with the Fever.

To this point, she's been one of the better free agent signings in the WNBA. Her production is up to 11.4 points per game, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists with splits of 47.6 percent shooting from the field, 31.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 87.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line. She's been a regular starter with the Lynx after coming off the bench for most of last season and she's been able to fit right in with new teammates and a new system.

After a recent game against the Los Angeles Sparks, a big road win, Mitchell acknowledged that she still needs to get used to some things.

“My role is ever-changing, I just kind of do what the team needs me to do for that game. To be put in the lead position, at the point guard, it's new but at the same time I'm navigating it as best as I can,” Mitchell said. “This probably was not one of my best games at the lead position, but it's a work in progress. I'm just trying to take it all in and learn from it honestly.”

Having to learn a new position later in a player's career is never an easy thing. Going back to Mitchell's college days at South Carolina and even through her overseas career, she's always been a shooting guard. But with the Lynx, head coach Cheryl Reeve has asked her to make the transition to point guard and be more of a ball-handler and playmaker.

As she acknowledged, it's been a work in progress. Throughout her career, Mitchell has only averaged 1.7 turnovers per game. This season she's jumped to a career-high 3.5 turnovers as she continues to adjust to having the ball in her hands more often. In the Sparks she mentioned, she had three assists compared to five turnovers.

With the Lynx, she's playing alongside one of the better scoring guards in the league in Kayla McBride and it's one of the reasons why she's had to take on more of a facilitating role. When it comes down to it, Mitchell believes that the key to becoming more comfortable playing point guard is by getting more reps. Although she is not where she wants to be currently, she believes that as the season goes on, she'll ultimately become more comfortable.

“I think teams and people like being around me and playing with me so I'm able to adapt. This is a new position that I'm in. But for the most part I think I've been pretty solid outside of this game and probably a couple of games that just haven't been my best,” Mitchell said. “It's just all kind of part of the process learning it. It's still early in the season and I'm sure by the end of the season I won't have as many turnovers in a game. It's just a work in progress and I'm learning through each game honestly.”

But it's not just her on-court production that makes Tiffany Mitchell so valuable to the Lynx. In a league in which many players struggle to make a roster due to the overall shortage of roster spots, someone like Tiffany Mitchell who has made it eight seasons and counting, is an incredible source of knowledge for a young Lynx team.

Out of the 12 players on the Lynx roster, seven of them have four or less seasons of experience in the WNBA. While it's not exactly the full scale rebuild that Mitchell experienced her final couple of seasons with the Fever, but this is still going to be a season with a bit learning curve for the Lynx. They've started off the season at 3-7. Currently, that's good enough for a playoff spot in the Western Conference but it's also close to good odds for a lottery pick.

In terms of being a veteran leader for the younger players on the roster, Mitchell knows she has to lead by example and that starts by taking better care of the ball consistently.

“The first thing would probably be taking care of the ball better, I shouldn't be turning the ball over too much. Again, I am playing out position but at the same time I just need to make better decisions,” Mitchell said. “But just trying to talk to them and give them that experience from being out there and dealing with the highs and lows that this game comes with. Especially when Diamond [Miller] gets back out there. It's really big talking to her because she's on the wing and stuff like that. Just trying to get her to navigate certain things differently and see the game differently from college. I'm just here to kind of be there for them to lean on and talk to and try to make their transition a little more comfortable.”

While transitioning to a new position and becoming more of an on-court leader has been the main focus for Tiffany Mitchell with the Lynx, a big part of this season for her is simply having fun playing basketball again. The past couple of seasons with the Fever were a little bit rough and she's hoping the change of scenery can help lift her spirits again.

“I just want to get back to having fun playing basketball, I didn't have a lot of fun last year,” Mitchell said. “So even with our slow start this year, this team is just great to be around. The players are great, the staff is great, really funny as well. So just being comfortable, just having fun playing basketball and the wins will come.”