Olivia Miles possesses this trait the Lynx sorely lacked

It hasn’t always been perfect for Olivia Miles this preseason and training camp for Minnesota, as should be expected from a rookie attempting to take the reins of a highly successful organization — all while just grasping a new league herself.

But the bright spots have been radiant.

Because every time the No. 2 overall draft pick took the floor during the preseason, there were periods of play where she’d use her speed and handle to get to the rim and score.

“She’s really got some jets getting to the rim,” Lynx coach and basketball boss Cheryl Reeve said.

Oh, how Minnesota has needed that, and especially will to open this season.

The Lynx were an excellent offense team a season ago, the best in the WNBA, to be exact. But that was largely based on jumpshooting prowess. Minnesota led the WNBA last season in 3-point shooting.

But much of Minnesota’s paint presence was derived from its bigs, and Alanna Smith and Jess Shepard are now in Dallas, and Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász will miss the start of the season due to injuries.

Reeve said Minnesota’s identity will be more guard-oriented to open the campaign, which officially tips off Saturday against Atlanta. The Lynx will do so with their rookie point guard serving as one of their primary sources of rim pressure. Frankly, the ability to put the ball on the deck and blow by the defense hasn’t been overly prevalent in recent seasons.

Minnesota has an excellent guard duo in Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams but, again, they are primarily jump shooters, with McBride thriving beyond the arc and Williams frequently pulling up in the mid range. That’s a great way to score, but doesn’t break down a defense to generate good looks for all on the floor.

Even a season ago, Minnesota attempted fewer than 30 shots in the paint per game, second fewest in the WNBA ahead of only Golden State.

The more players with legitimate gravity who cause the defense to help and sag, the easier good offense is to generate, especially in the postseason.