Courtney Williams Cannot Stop Gushing Over Olivia Miles Despite Season-Opening Loss

The Minnesota Lynx entered the season opener without their leader, Napheesa Collier, who would miss a major portion of the start of the season following an injury in the playoffs. While the former UConn star is waiting for her return, she already expressed excitement about playing alongside Olivia Miles, the 2026 rookie.

The former TCU star showed the exact reason for the player’s excitement over her addition with a clinical and fearless performance in the debut game. Another veteran guard, Courtney Williams, was also in awe of her masterclass in the very first game.

Courtney Williams Loves Olivia Miles’ Gameplay

The 2026 season brought in different promises with the new CBA and players impacting the league’s standard. The Minnesota Lynx chose to go with a young playmaker to build upon in the 2026 draft, and her first game provided glimpses of what fans can expect from the former TCU star in the season.

Although the team lost the game by one point, Miles’ performance stood out for the side, and William also didn’t hold back praising her rookie. “I mean she a little killer, aye man, I said “Look, let me move out your way”… happy to have her, happy to be back at my natural position and she out here killing it man, like I said this little joker here is like a baby Chelsea Gray, like she gonna be cold, she gonna be so cold. I’m excited to just be a part of the journey,” Williams said in the post-game interview.

Courtney Williams on her first impressions of her PG Olivia Miles

“I mean she a little killer, aye man, I said “look let me move out your way”… happy to have her, happy to be back at my natural position and she out here killing it man, like I said this little joker here is… pic.twitter.com/Kz5yp9AWWm

— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) May 10, 2026

Importantly, Coach Reeve mentioned that there won’t be any role change for Courtney Williams despite the addition of a ‘pure guard’ in the lineup, but it seems that Williams is ready to take the shooting guard position in the presence of Miles.

---

Interestingly, that’s not the only impressive aspect of her game; the 23-year-old set a record with her offensive output and earned a place among the league’s elite.

Olivia Miles Joins Elite Group With Solid WNBA Debut

Joining TCU handed the crafty playmaker an offensive look that she didn’t have at Notre Dame. Freely expressing herself, the player put in an excellent performance in the NCAA Tournament. In the WNBA too, she is now picking up where she left off, and finished her debut game with 21 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. She shot 6-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

With the stat line, she became the fifth player in league history to put together 20+ points and 5+ assists on debut. “Olivia Miles (21 points, 8 assists) became the 5th player to record 20+ points and 5+ assists in their WNBA debut, joining Candace Parker, Tonya Edwards, Dawn Staley and Cynthia Cooper,” Alexa Philippou wrote.

Olivia Miles (21 points, 8 assists) became the 5th player to record 20+ points and 5+ assists in their WNBA debut, joining Candace Parker, Tonya Edwards, Dawn Staley and Cynthia Cooper

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) May 10, 2026

She will look to continue to develop into an elite star for her WNBA team and impact the games, helping her side record massive victories.