Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles has had such a hot start to life in the WNBA that she has even put Naismith Basketball Memorial HOFer Teresa Weatherspoon on notice, who recently sang her praises.

During a recent discussion on ESPN's Women's Sports Now, Weatherspoon highlighted the names she most enjoys watching, with the Lynx rookie standing out from the rest.

"Olivia Miles. ... She's playing unbelievable basketball. She's playing with such confidence, you wouldn't even know that she's a rookie." Weatherspoon said.

Weatherspoon also went on to praise players like Azzi Fudd, Pauline Astier, Rhyne Howard, and Paige Bueckers. However, out of all the young crop of talent, Miles has been Weatherspoon's player to watch.

Miles has been earning accolades all over the place, recently adding the honors of May's Rookie of the Month and Western Conference's Player of the Week on her resume.

And she is yet to be stopped. In the Lynx's latest game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Miles was the best player among both teams. She recorded a career-high 31 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes. It is the highest-scoring game by a rookie this season.

But Miles was especially effective during the first half. She scored 24 points in the first 20 minutes of the game, setting a WNBA rookie record for most points scored in a half.

The No. 2 overall pick was so good that even the opposing team's head coach could not help but applaud the rookie's performance.

Los Angeles Sparks HC All Praise for Rookie Olivia Miles

Miles has been earning recognition left and right since the start of the season, and what is a better honor than receiving one from the opposition head coach, Lynne Roberts, after scoring 31 points on her team.

“She's good,” Roberts said, per ESPN. “She's talented, and it's what I said pregame, she's super skilled, so we were trying to mix things up."

"We didn't execute it exactly how we hoped to all the time. But you have to just tip your hat to her. She's a great player with a lot of skill. Her ball-handling and vision is what separates her.” She added.

In Roberts' defence, she did not have star player Kelsey Plum at bay while she recovers from a lower leg injury. Still, it was impressive that the Lynx secured a double-digit win.

With the win against the Sparks, the Lynx extend their record to 12-3 for the season and comfortably sit atop the WNBA table.

Nobody could have predicted this domination from Cheryl Reeve's team after Napheesa Collier was sidelined for months with an ankle injury. And credit once again goes to Miles, who has taken over the scoring mantle in some fashion.

The Minnesota Lynx's next challenge is a road game against the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night.

So, is Olivia Miles already the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy