Though the Minnesota Lynx have been one of the top teams in the WNBA through the first week-plus of the regular season, they are about to get a big addition to the team for the first time this season.
Over the weekend, All-Star guard Kayla McBride joined the Lynx after missing the first four games of the regular season due to personal reasons. On Monday, Minnesota listed McBride as probable, putting her in a good position to make her season debut in front of the Target Center crowd on Tuesday against the Seattle Storm.
“We’re happy to see here,” Cheryl Reeve said after McBride’s first practice back with the team. “We have a group that is always in a good mood and is in a good space. KMac adds to it for sure. It’s good to have her back.”
The addition of McBride is obviously a big one, coming off a strong season in 2024 and an offseason where she was an Unrivaled MVP runner-up, claimed a KBSL title, and finished third in EuroLeague postseason play in Turkey with Fenerbahçe. And she will only strengthen an already talented squad on both ends of the floor.
Without McBride
A season ago, Minnesota was a top-five offensive and defensive squad, led by the effort on defense while holding the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA. There’s no doubt that McBride played a large role in that success on both ends.
So far in 2025, though it’s a small sample size, the Lynx have returned as a talented offensive squad, ranked second in the league, but have seen a bit of a dip in defensive rating compared to a season ago — sitting middle of the pack, ranked sixth in that area.
Dallas Wings v Minnesota Lynx Photo by Adam Bettcher/NBAE via Getty Images
With that said, Minnesota is still 4-0 and sits atop the WNBA standings entering a little over a week into the 44-game regular season schedule, all while not playing a complete game to this point.
“We’re not a well-oiled machine. There are teams that are maybe feeling a little better about themselves than we are,” Reeve said. “I’d rather be sitting here saying that 4-0. We know we can play a lot better.”
With McBride back, that early-season performance on defense should improve. She is typically tasked with guarding the opposition’s best offensive talent. But that will result in some adjustments for other players on the roster who started to learn their roles with McBride not present.
“We have some players who are playing roles that are more prominent without someone like (McBride) out there. Now, you’re number two or three wing is now slid up, and that responsibility is now changed — that’s a real thing,” Reeve added. “They were good in the space they were in, and now you’re asking them to do a little bit more. Now they’re being challenged.”
A Boost On Both Ends
Along with her veteran leadership and locker room presence, McBride, without a doubt, has been a key player for the Lynx since she arrived in Minnesota in 2021, especially on both ends of the floor.
In 2024, a year where McBride averaged 15.0 points, 3.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 42% from the field and 40.7% from three in 39 games, McBride definitely helped her team both offensively and defensively.
2024 WNBA Finals - New York Liberty v Minnesota Lynx Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
When she was on the court in those 39 games, McBride helped Minnesota to an offensive rating of 107.1 and a defensive rating of 94.9. When she was off the court, which was 378 of her 1,617 total minutes played, the Lynx posted an offensive rating of 99.7 and a defensive rating of 103.4.
That means McBride provided a +7.4 offensive rating and +8.5 defensive rating when comparing the time on and off the court. That impact made a difference in 2024 and should do so again in 2025.
Regardless of the play on the court, it’s good to have McBride back after an absence due to personal reasons. Whatever kept her away from the court, seeing her back with the Lynx is a welcome sight for many reasons, notably what she will provide to her squad to strengthen them as they build on a strong start to the year and attempt to run it back this summer in pursuit of a championship.