Inside Olivia Miles' record-breaking WNBA rookie season - ESPN

Lindsay Whalen sometimes looks at Olivia Miles and has flashbacks.

In 2004, Whalen was a rookie point guard with a lot of responsibility: She started 30 games for the Connecticut Sun, who made the WNBA Finals that season. Now Whalen is an assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx, who've put the keys in the hands of Miles, a rookie point guard.

Whalen knows from experience how exhilarating it is to be in Miles' shoes, but she also knows how much pressure it is. Like Whalen, Miles seems very capable of handling it.

The league-leading Lynx, who are 16-6 after Wednesday's win over Connecticut, host a marquee matchup with the New York Liberty on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ABC). We'll see whether Miles, who has sat out the past two games because of a calf injury, is back against New York.

If so, it will be her second chance to face the Liberty, who like the Lynx are championship contenders this season. Miles had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in Minnesota's 99-86 loss at New York on July 3.

Two months into the season, Miles has wowed WNBA observers with her transition to the pro game. She leads the Lynx in scoring (18.5 points per game) and assists (5.7) while also averaging 4.8 rebounds. She is the ninth rookie in WNBA history to be named an All-Star starter and the fourth in the past four seasons, following the Indiana Fever's Aliyah Boston (2023) and Caitlin Clark (2024) and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers (2025). Miles joins Maya Moore (2011) as Lynx rookies who have been named All-Star starters

Moore, Boston, Clark and Bueckers were all No. 1 draft picks. Miles was the No. 2 pick behind fellow guard Azzi Fudd (Dallas), but Miles is in the driver's seat for the Rookie of the Year award. How has Miles compared to the top