It all comes up as Collier sustained a right ankle sprain — possibly Grade 2 — during Minnesota’s clash with the Las Vegas Aces on August 2, ruling her out for two weeks. The injury happened when she landed awkwardly on teammate Alanna Smith’s foot during a fast-break layup late in the third quarter. An MRI later confirmed the sprain, with the Lynx announcing that Collier would be reevaluated in two weeks.
While that two-week mark is almost here, if you ask Terry Horstman, who covers the Minnesota Lynx beat for The Next, things aren’t looking like she’ll be back at full strength right away. As he explained, “I’m not going to sit here and guarantee that once we hit the two-week mark, all right, Napheesa Collier is back in the lineup without any cobwebs to shake off, fully healthy, da-da-da. That’s not necessarily the world we live in,” he said in a recent episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball.
And, he’s right. We’ve seen the consequences of rushing a player back, exactly how Caitlin Clark aggravated her groin injury and has since missed games dating back to July 15. And while Collier’s injury isn’t considered major, ankle sprains have a reputation for lingering and making it difficult for players to regain peak mobility. And this is exactly what ESPN’s Kendra Andrews recently shed light on. “Last Sunday and last Monday and it was revealed, she avoided a major injury, which I think everyone can say, Ok, good, but it is an ankle sprain and ankles are tricky, right?” Andrews said on the Women’s Hoop Show podcast.
Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Sky during the first half of a WNBA game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
So yes, medical check-ins are progress reports, but they’re not guaranteed return dates. And for Collier, a comeback is a significant decision right now. If the ankle isn’t fully healed, a premature return could impact her rhythm and explosiveness when the postseason arrives. As of now, with only 12 regular-season games left, the Lynx must balance protecting their franchise cornerstone while keeping championship aspirations alive. Thankfully, for them, the timing of Collier’s injury collides with a rare easy stretch in the scheduling.
“But you give a star player who goes down with an injury… you give a two-week timeline minimum, and there’s a week in there where you have a game on the 10th and not another game until the 16th, you can’t ask for more serendipitous scheduling than that. So I think the Lynx are ready to reap the benefits of that,” Horstman added.
And he’s right again. After winning their latest game against the Liberty without Collier, the Lynx will face Sabrina Ionescu and company again on August 16, then get four days off before taking on the Liberty for the third time on August 20. So yes, there’s recovery time built in, and if they can replicate their recent win twice more, they’ll keep rolling. Horstman also said that we probably won’t be seeing Phee in either of the New York games or even the Atlanta one. And as for the Indiana one? He thinks it is better to leave Phee out of that as well. “Then at Indianapolis on August 22nd. I would guess probably you leave phee out for that road trip to be safe,” Horstman said. But, the question is…
But can they survive without Collier for long?
Even before the 2025 regular season tipped off, Collier’s dominance was clear — 67% of GMs voted her as their MVP pick. Once the season started, she proved them right, leading the WNBA in scoring with 23.5 points per game while ranking in the top five for steals and blocks. Her dominance shone in the WNBA All-Star Game as well, where she made history with 36 points — the most ever scored in the event. She’s been a key driver of the Lynx’s 27-5 record, but even without her, Minnesota has managed to win all games since her absence. And even Coach Cheryl Reeve is positive.
“I think what we learned is what we know, but it gets reinforced is how gritty we are,” Reeve said after her team’s win over the defending champions. “This team doesn’t break. They don’t break. You might beat us sometimes, but you’re not breaking us.”
Her confidence in her squad is much warranted. The Lynx have been steamrolling opponents all season, rarely breaking a sweat. In fact, only ten of their 27 wins came within single digits. However, Collier’s absence did raise a few concerns. In their first two games without Collier, Minnesota suddenly decided to keep fans on the edge of their seats, squeaking past Seattle and Washington by just four points each. That’s the kind of finish they’d only pulled off three times all year.
So, yes, what happens in the next 12 games will be interesting to watch.
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