It only took one conversation for Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve to realize she had something special with Courtney Williams.
“I knew how real she was as a person.” » said Reeve. “That’s probably why we’re so successful. I can tell Courtney anything, and she can tell me anything.”
They spoke on the phone during the offseason and connected immediately. Reeve liked Williams’ simplicity. She also liked what she could bring to the Lynx point guard position.
And since arriving in Minnesota, Williams the person and Williams the player have both thrived.
She helped the Lynx advance to the WNBA Finals on Tuesday, with 24 points and seven assists in an 88-77 Game 5 win over the Connecticut Sun. This is the type of play the Lynx have seen from their guard all season.
Williams didn’t miss a shot in the first half. She went 6 of 6 as the Lynx took a 53-34 lead. The third quarter was tough for Williams, who shot 1 of 6 as the Sun mounted a comeback.
Reeve knocked out Williams and the two had a conversation on the sidelines. After that, Williams returned to her game. She scored seven points in the final quarter and dished out three assists.
“(I told her) when she’s aggressive and plays, we have a chance to be in the final,” Reeve said. “We knew she would play a big role in us winning this series.”
From the first time they spoke, Reeve expected Williams to excel in the Lynx system, but throughout the season, Reeve gained a new appreciation for the guard.
“I knew Courtney Williams, the player, but I didn’t know Courtney Williams, the person,” Reeve said after Game 3. “The way Courtney Williams has been with the team is exactly what this team has been missing.”
Williams wasn’t a point guard before coming to Minnesota, but Reeve and his staff asked her to become the team’s primary ball handler. They also had a vision for how she would play with Napheesa Collier, the team’s leading scorer and MVP candidate.
“We knew his offensive game was going to help, especially in the pick-and-roll with Phee,” general manager Clare Duwelius said. “But she can also do her own scoring.”
Williams and Collier have been a dynamic duo for the Lynx all season long, and the pick-and-roll play that Duwelius is excited about has been a focal point of Minnesota’s offense.
In the Game 5 win over Connecticut, Williams showcased every element of her game. She ran the two-man game with Collier – who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds – driving and finishing at the rim, a knocked down 3-pointers and, of course, showed off his patented mid-range game.
On the season, Williams is averaging 6.9 mid-range attempts per game, making 46.2 percent of them. She is by far the most prolific mid-range scorer in the WNBA.
“It’s a point of pride to keep the mid-range game alive,” said the nine-year veteran.
It was also one of the first things teammate Alanna Smith noticed about Williams.
The two are now close after playing together last season in Chicago. But in 2019, Smith was a rookie playing for Phoenix, and Williams was in his fifth season in the league and fourth with the Sun.
“I remember watching Courtney that season and wondering, ‘Who is this chick?'” Smith said. “She had the best mid-range game I’ve ever seen. “
It was her play that first impressed Smith, but it was Williams’ personality that had the biggest impact on her future teammate.
Williams, the player, has been important for the Lynx this season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Williams, the person, was even more crucial.
“She’s the best,” Smith said. “She got me through some very difficult things, personally. And that’s what you play for, to have teammates like that and to be able to win with people like that.
They won the semi-finals together. Next, Williams, Smith and the Lynx will face the Liberty for a chance to win the final together.
The WNBA Finals begin Thursday at 7 p.m. in New York.
