Souhan: Lynx, Vikings built similar winners ... but what comes next?

Maybe the story will come out some day. Maybe we will find out that Lynx coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve and the Vikings’ brain trust held a retreat and discussed innovative ways to build a great team.

The Lynx should have won the WNBA championship last year, and this season they have the second-best record in the league.

The Vikings are coming off a 14-win season despite relying on a journeyman quarterback they didn’t even try to keep.

Both have built powerhouse organizations that share surprising similarities.

Why compare these two teams?

Because, if you look at the underpinnings of their success, they look like they have taken many of the same steps to becoming the teams most likely to win the Twin Cities’ next major professional sports championship.

The Lynx should have won the WNBA title as an overwhelming underdog last year, and should be favored to win it this year, and yet they are receiving almost no value from recent drafts.

They have one first-round pick who is a starter — Napheesa Collier, who was selected in 2019. They have one second-round pick who is routinely productive off the bench — Jessica Shepard, who was also selected in 2019. (They also selected current backup point guard Natisha Hiedeman in 2019, but they immediately traded her to Connecticut before bringing her back last year.)

They have excelled by surrounding Collier with veteran free agents more notable for their savvy and adaptability than their raw talent — guard Kayla McBride, guard Courtney Williams, forward Alanna Smith and wing Bridget Carleton (another 2019 second-round draft pick, by Connecticut, who later signed with the Lynx as a long shot).

Collier is a superstar. McBride is an occasional All-Star. The Lynx’s other key players could have been signed by anyone, but Reeve correctly identified them as ideal fits.

The Vikings got almost nothing from the first draft of their current regime, in 2022. They have thrived anyway because of their ability to acquire veterans via free agency or trade.

A short list of those veterans: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, T.J. Hockenson, Blake Cashman, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy, Josh Oliver, Harrison Phillips. They brought in another batch this offseason.

You have to draft well to win? Apparently not.

Both teams have superstars. Collier is the best player in the world. Justin Jefferson may be the best receiver in the NFL. And both dance.

Jefferson popularized “The Griddy.” Collier and her teammates dance on the court after every home victory.

Collier has always exuded class and maturity. Jefferson has avoided the pitfalls that taint many star NFL receivers, displaying leadership instead of selfishness.

Reeve reserved her spot in the Hall of Fame by winning four WNBA titles last decade. She’s doing her best work this decade.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has won 13 games with Kirk Cousins, and 14 with Sam Darnold, whose goal is to become something like Kirk Cousins.

They stand at the top of their profession.

Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah blew his first draft, but has learned to use the expertise available to him in the Vikings’ organization to excel at signing and trading for veterans.

Reeve, who became GM in 2017 and is now president of basketball operations, was unable to sign star players such as Breanna Stewart in the WNBA’s first unfettered free agency season, and wound up with Ariel Powers, McBride and Natalie Achonwa.

Powers was a disaster. Achonwa was unproductive. McBride has been excellent.

Now, instead of hoping to attract big names, Reeve seeks the right kinds of players. How can you argue with the results?

Reeve went on an epic rant after her team was victimized by officiating in the WNBA Finals. O’Connell ditched his quarterback and interior offensive line after losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Reeve wants and expects to add to her four championship rings. O’Connell wants to be the first Vikings coach to win a Super Bowl.

Don’t be surprised if they both get what they want, eventually.