MN Lynx Cut 1st Round Pick That Could’ve Been Angel Reese

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Alissa Pili, Minnesota Lynx
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx are currently the best team in the WNBA. At 18-4 and nearing the halfway point of the season, Cheryl Reeve has her team in line for another run at the WNBA Championship.

Napheesa Collier won Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, and she’s on her way to league MVP this summer, averaging a career-best 23.6 points per game this season, earning Collier the 2nd most All-Star votes of any player in the league, outside of Caitlin Clark.

Unfortunately, Saturday night was not Minnesota’s best. Just a couple nights after beating up on the LA Sparks out West, the Lynx flew into Chicago and fell 87-81 to the Sky, behind Angel Reese’s 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Minnesota Lynx waive Alissa Pili

A mere hours after the MN Lynx took their fourth loss of the season, Cheryl Reeve turned around and waived 2024 first round pick (8th overall) Alissa Pili, who had been sitting on the end of their bench all season.

Why is the timing of Pili’s dismissal ironic? Because it comes just over one year after Cheryl Reeve went out of her way to avoid drafting Angel Reese, a failed plan that landed Pili in Minnesota. Entering the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx held the seventh overall pick.

The obvious pick was Angel Reese, who fell right into Reeve’s lap. But instead of selecting one of the most popular and polarizing players to ever come out of women’s college basketball, the Lynx’ president of basketball operations traded back one spot with the Sky, who selected Reese.

Minnesota then took Pili out of Utah… and the rest is history. As a rookie last season, Pili appeared in just 22 games with the Lynx. She never cracked the starting lineup and averaged a paltry 2.4 points per game. This season wasn’t much better. Pili played in 14 of the Lynx 22 game, averaging 1.9 points and 1.2 rebounds.

Related: Minnesota Lynx Passed on Angel Reese Because Cheryl Reeve Did Not Want to Coach Her

Angel Reese
Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Lynx have a difficult rotation to crack, as a team that went to the WNBA Finals last season. But I know one player that would. Her name is Angel Reese, and while she is far from a perfect basketball player, the polarizing 23-year-old is currently leading the league in rebounds, at 12.8 per game.

What could have been for MN Lynx with Angel Reese?

She also, single-handedly, puts fans in the stands too, something most WNBA teams need help with. Angel Reese is already a two-time All-Star, and she finished runner up last season for Rookie of the Year, behind Caitlin Clark.

Reese is an exceptional defender, at 6’3″. She also racks up 13.0 rebounds per game during her young career. Unfortunately, she can’t shoot, but that has gotten better in year two, improving from 39.1% FG as a rookie to 43.4% this season.

The Lynx head coach and PoBO has backed away from personalities that overshadow her. She even helped to keep Caitlin Clark off the Team USA Olympic roster last summer. But Reeve’s decision to avoid Reese in last year’s draft could go down as one of her worst as Minnesota Lynx head decision-maker.

Related: MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was 100% Right About Angel Reese

Maybe Reese would never have worked in Minnesota, and thus it’s better off she never ended up here. because But even if that hypothetical were true, who’s fault is that? Reese has plenty of warts as a player, but she isn’t getting cut 36 games into her career either.

A major part of being a great executive and/or coach is an ability to recognize, develop and get the best out of whatever talent you get your hands on. On paper, the Minnesota Lynx would be an even better team this season with Angel Reese on the club… but Cheryl Reeve wasn’t interested.

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