Though we are hitting a bit of a lull in the WNBA offseason until the calendar flips from 2024 to 2025, players have continued to play across the globe or are preparing for their seasons to begin in the United States leading up to the new WNBA campaign.
Over the past week, the league experienced a bit of a shake-up with the WNBA Expansion Draft, where Golden State selected 11 players from 11 of the 12 WNBA squads. For the Minnesota Lynx, the player that was selected from their roster was Cecilia Zandalasini in somewhat of a surprising move.
With Zandalasini’s departure, that drops Minnesota’s total of players playing this offseason from 13 to 12, some of which are playing overseas and a few others remaining in the country taking part in a pair of leagues that will start in the new year. Those players are Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alissa Pili, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Dorka Juhász, Diamond Miller, Myisha Hines-Allen, Maïa Hirsch and Jessica Shepard.
With that offseason action underway for some or about to begin for others, it’s time for the return of our Lynx Offseason Update, which will provide weekly updates on Lynx players who are on the court this offseason.
Let’s take a look at how each of the Lynx players performed over the past week. A spoiler: it was another strong showing from the Lynx all over the world.
Bridget Carleton — UNI Györ (Hungary)
Carleton is back with UNI Györ for a second straight offseason after a strong season in Hungary last year, and she’s gotten off to another great start in both Hungary-A Division action and Euroleague contests.
Carleton has not only contributed offensively, but she has done a nice job on the boards and has defended well also. Over the past week, she recorded one double-double while helping her team to two victories.
Season Stats:
Hungary-A Division: 4 games — 13.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 30.3 MPG
Euroleague: 2 games — 15.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 36.0 MPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 1 vs. Szekszard (103-71 win): 16 points (3-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block over 27 minutes
Dec. 4 vs. Sopron (78-67 win): nine points (2-4 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six assists and five rebounds over 35 minutes
Alanna Smith — Shandong (China)
Smith has been all over the globe over the course of her WNBA career, currently playing for Shandong in China. During her career, Smith has played in Australia, Poland, and Turkey before landing with her current Chinese squad.
So far this offseason, Smith has averaged a double-double over the first eight China-WCBA games, surpassing the 20-point mark in both games over the past week while recording a double-double in one of those outings.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 8 games — 16.3 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 SPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 3 vs. Guangdong (85-65 loss): 23 points (9-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), seven rebounds and one assist
Dec. 25 vs. Xinjiang (95-56 win): 20 points (10-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 10 rebounds, three steals and one assist
Dorka Juhász — Famila Schio (Italy)
Juhász is back in Italy again this year, coming off a strong campaign with Famila Schio last offseason and looking to build upon that this season as she prepares for her third WNBA campaign in 2025.
Juhász has continued to see a limited role this far in Italy, having a quiet outing over the past week in Italy-Serie A1 action though she did manage to contribute on the boards in a blowout win.
Season Stats:
Italy-Serie A1: 3 games — 4.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 APG, 11.3 MPG
Euroleague: 2 games — 5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 18.5 MPG
Recent Games:
Nov. 24 vs. Scrivia (84-57 win): two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), six rebounds and one assist over 12 minutes
Diamond Miller — Gorzow Wielkopolski (Poland)
Miller had her season cut short last offseason while dealing with a knee injury, only appearing in three games in Hungary before returning to Minnesota to rehab her injury.
So far in Poland-OBLK and EuroCup action in Poland, Miller has made the most out of her opportunities thus far, which is exactly what Miller and the Lynx hoped would happen. Over the past week, she nearly posted a triple-double while continuing to find success offensively.
Season Stats:
Poland-OBLK: 4 games — 15.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 28.8 MPG
EuroCup: 2 games — 15.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG, 29.5 MPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 7 vs. Wroclaw (80-75 win): 26 points (6-10 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), nine assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one block over 38 minutes
Natisha Hiedeman — Inner Mongolia (China)
As a soon-to-be WNBA free agent, Hiedeman is spending her offseason ahead of WNBA free agency overseas with Inner Mongolia in China. During her career, Hiedeman has also spent time in Israel, Russia, and Sweden before arriving in China.
With her Chinese squad, Hiedeman has gotten off to a nice start to China-WCBA play, putting together eight balanced outings thus far.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 8 games — 15.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 1 vs. Xinjiang (89-55 win): 20 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and three steals
Dec. 3 vs. Hebei (90-52 win): two points (1-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists and two steals
Dec. 6 vs. Shanghai (89-82 loss): 12 points (3-6 FG, 2-5 3Pt), four assists, four steals and three rebounds
Myisha Hines-Allen — Heilongjiang (China)
Also a soon-to-be free agent, HInes-Allen is spending her offseason in China while playing for Heilongjiang in the same league as her Lynx teammates Smith and Hiedeman. During her career, Hines-Allen has also played in France, Italy, South Korea, Russia and Turkey.
Hines-Allen has impressed so far this offseason, averaging a double-double in nine China-WCBA contests. Over the past week, she had two strong showcases while averaging 27.5 points and 13 rebounds over a two-game span.
Season Stats:
China-WCBA: 9 games — 18.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.7 SPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 1 vs. Wuhan (79-72 loss): 33 points (12-22 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 16 rebounds, eight assists and three steals
Dec. 3 vs. Wuhan (82-57 win): 22 points (7-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals
Dec. 7 vs. Henan (78-73 win): 22 points (9-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal
Jessica Shepard — Athinaikos AS Vurona (Greece)
Some may have forgotten about Shepard since she didn’t play in the WNBA in 2024 on a suspended contract while remaining overseas, but the veteran is still under control of the Lynx.
Shepard has continued her stellar offseason in Greece while playing with Athinaikos AS Vurona. Shepard has dominated in Greece-A1 action while averaging north of 30 points while posting a double-double in every game so far this year.
Season Stats:
Greece-A1: 5 games — 30.2 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 33.0 MPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 1 vs. Panserraikos (85-61 win): 32 points (10-12 FG, 12-15 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists and one steal over 25 minutes
Maïa Hirsch — ESB Villeneuve (France)
Hirsch has yet to appear with the Lynx or in the WNBA after being drafted 12th overall by Minnesota in 2023 but is still under team control as she remains in France with ESB Villeneuve.
So far this offseason, Hirsch hasn’t appeared in many games for her French squad but returned to the court on Dec. 8 for the first time since Oct. 6. Though she didn’t contribute much off the bench, it’s at least a bright spot to see Hirsch back on the court.
Season Stats:
France-BWL: 3 games — 4.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 BPG, 14.3 MPG
Recent Games:
Dec. 8 vs. Landes (81-70 loss): no points, one rebound, and one steal over nine minutes
Not Yet Underway
While the players listed above have already begun their seasons across the globe, four more Lynx players will remain in the country and will take part in leagues in the United States at the start of the 2025 calendar year.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams are taking part in the new Unrivaled league, which is co-founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart. Former Lynx General Manager Clare Duwelius is also taking part in that league as an executive, serving as its General Manager and Executive Vice President.
Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league featuring six players on six teams, will kick off its inaugural season in Miami on Jan. 17.
The fourth Lynx player remaining in the country but still playing is rookie Alissa Pili, who will take part in the Athletes Unlimited league. Athletes Unlimited, which was founded in 2022, will be taking the league to Nashville this season, kicking off the year on Feb. 5.
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.