MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 09: Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles 5 controls the ball during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings on June 9, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis MN. Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 09 Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon20260609035
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 09: Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles 5 controls the ball during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings on June 9, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis MN. Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 09 Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon20260609035
Olivia Miles is learning in real time what the jump from regular-season basketball to playoff physicality actually feels like.
After the Minnesota Lynx's recent loss to the New York Liberty, the standout rookie spoke candidly about the increased contact and shifting officiating standards she's run into as the postseason approaches. For a first-year player who's carried heavy responsibility all season, the change has been noticeable, and at times, frustrating.
"Yeah, like I said, this is my first time doing this," Miles said in a media interview as posted on X by @adukeMN. "Trying to understand, obviously, they were calling it one way at the beginning of the season, and now it's like a free-for-all, I guess, and trying to adjust back.”
November 23, 2025, Fort Worth, Texas, USA: TCUÃââ s OLIVIA MILES 5 during warmups prior to their game against UTRGV at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth on Sunday. Fort Worth USA - ZUMAm257 20251123_zsp_m257_045 Copyright: xBrianxMcLeanx
November 23, 2025, Fort Worth, Texas, USA: TCUÃââ s OLIVIA MILES 5 during warmups prior to their game against UTRGV at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth on Sunday. Fort Worth USA - ZUMAm257 20251123_zsp_m257_045 Copyright: xBrianxMcLeanx
The runner-up to the 2026 MVP race also talked about the changes she had to make quickly.
“I have to do so a little bit more quickly but yeah, I mean, it's frustrating at times when you feel like you're getting hounded everywhere and pushed off your spots and thrown on the ground and stuff,” Miles said in a media interview as posted on X by @adukeMN. “But ultimately we can't rely on the refs to win us the game... the more reps I get at it, I'm pretty confident I'll figure it out."
The final stretch of the schedule has brought a noticeably rougher style of defense. Teams have started picking her up earlier in possessions, bumping her off her spots, and testing her ability to finish through contact.
The outing reflected a growing trend: opposing teams have started giving Miles the kind of focused, physical attention usually reserved for established stars.
Despite loss, Miles ties Caitlin Clark's record
Olivia Miles is closing in on Caitlin Clark's rookie scoring record, tying it despite a tough night for her team.
The Lynx fell 81-93 to the Liberty on Friday, but Miles still put up 20 points, matching Clark's rookie-season scoring record of 769 points, which Clark set with the Indiana Fever back in 2024. With a game to spare and three left on Minnesota's schedule, two of them against the Fever, Miles is all but guaranteed to surpass the mark unless she sits out the rest of the season, as per HITC.
Assists tell a different story. Clark set the rookie-season assist record in 2024 with 337, a mark that still stands well clear of the field. After dishing out five assists against New York, Miles now sits at 232 for the year, good for second among rookies, but not within realistic range of catching Clark in the three games remaining.
Do you think Miles will adjust quickly enough to be a difference-maker for Minnesota in the playoffs?
Written by
Zaid Quraishi