Olivia Miles entered the playoffs as the unanimous Rookie of the Year and one of the brightest young stars in the WNBA. Two games later, her first postseason ended in disappointment.

The Minnesota Lynx, the No. 1 seed with a 33-11 record, were swept in the first round by the eighth-seeded New York Liberty. 

In that game, Miles averaged just 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist while shooting 20 percent from the field across the two games.  

In Game 1, she scored 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. In the decisive Game 2, she managed only five points on 1-of-8 shooting in 17 minutes and was benched for most of the second half. The drop-off, as is evident from the stats posted by  @realapp on X, stood in sharp contrast to the 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 49.2 percent shooting she produced during a historic regular season.

Miles had spent the year rewriting the rookie record book, breaking Caitlin Clark's single-season scoring mark with 790 points, leading all first-year players in multiple categories, and helping Minnesota claim the top seed for the second straight season. 

New York's length and physicality completely neutralized Minnesota's offense. Miles struggled to finish at the rim and couldn't generate the open looks that defined her regular-season success. The Liberty's size forced her into difficult mid-range attempts and limited her ability to create for teammates. 

The struggles carried extra weight given the comparisons that followed Miles all season. For months, she had been discussed alongside Clark and Paige Bueckers as part of the next generation of franchise guards. 

When her playoff production cratered, those same comparisons were suddenly used against her, with some arguing the gap between her and that tier of players had simply been exposed.

Fans react to Miles’ drop-off

Fans did not hold back after Olivia Miles’ and the Lynx’ quiet playoff exit. The Rookie of the Year’s sharp drop-off from regular-season dominance sparked a wave of frustration, with many questioning the hype that surrounded her all year.

One fan who once bought into the story turned sharply critical, admitting the regular-season numbers had completely fooled him.

“Olivia Miles is a fraud... and I can admit she had me fooled … what is even crazier is that they were resting her the last couple games of the season like she was some mega star... I hate this league.”

Another framed her struggles as a clash between style and substance.

“Olivia Miles wanted the league to adapt to her "pace," and her ego, but instead, the physical reality of the WNBA playoffs broke her.”

Some went further, tying her underwhelming series directly to earlier comparisons with bigger stars and suggesting her production had been inflated by Minnesota’s supporting cast.

“Exposed as a fraud. She acted like she was better than Caitlin Clark -- even had me fooled. But it's clear her stats benefited from her great team, and that she's too weak mentally to handle the big stage.”

A different line of criticism focused on physicality, accusing the rookie of dirty plays that went unpunished in both games.

“The dirtiest rookie of the year in league history!! She took a head shot at Sabrina in the first game. Tonight was Stewie's turn to be hit in the head by Miles. Neither was reviewed. Hopefully Stewie doesn't have any issues with a concussion.”

And one commenter simply cut to the core of the backlash.

“She is so overrated.”

Do you think Miles' playoff struggles are simply rookie growing pains, or a real red flag heading into next season? 

Written by

Zaid Quraishi