Diamond Miller, the WNBA No. 2 pick two years ago, must work her way back into Lynx rotation

Through a year of pain, injury, surgery, rehab and waiting, Diamond Miller has learned that doing all the right things doesn’t guarantee a good result.

“I can’t control everything,” said Miller, who is about to start her third season with the Lynx. “I can do my exercises, my [physical therapy]. But if an injury happens, it happens. You have to roll with the punches.”

Miller turned 24 in February. The 6-3 guard/forward was a star at Maryland, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft behind Aliyah Boston. As a rookie with the Lynx, Miller played in 32 games, all starts, and averaged 12.1 points while being named to the league’s all-rookie team.

The idea was to build off that with a season in Europe. That dream ended after one game, a left knee injury, a return to the States, surgery and an entire winter of rehab.

Last season, Miller started the first three games before injuring her right knee, requiring another procedure. By the time she was ready to return, Bridget Carleton was having a career year, the Lynx had won 11 of 13 games and coach Cheryl Reeve had settled on a rotation that would take Minnesota to the No. 2 seed and a march to the league finals.

Miller, to a large extent, became a spectator.

“Honestly, what happened to me last year was something I never experienced in my whole career,” Miller said. “And it was hard. If anyone asks, I’m going to tell them Year 2 was hard.

“The team was very good, so that was a distraction from what I was going through. I’m just happy that, if I had 10 percent of myself, I gave that 10 percent. … But the good thing about sports is the next year, everything can change."

That is not only her plan, but Reeve’s as well.

Miller is coming off a strong winter playing for a team in Poland, finally able to work on her game rather than rehab during the WNBA offseason. Now she’s ready to return to the rotation on a Lynx team that, with all five starters back from last year, is looking to get even deeper.

Early in camp, it appears backup point guard Natisha Hiedeman and wing Karlie Samuelson will get a lot of minutes. Ditto for Jessica Shepard, looking stronger after taking a season off; she’ll add rebounding and playmaking from the post.

Reeve wants Hiedeman to take more threes and knows Shepard will hit the glass.

Miller? Reeve would like to have a second unit that plays differently from the first, one that uses Miller’s strengths in transition, plays at a faster pace. Exactly how that will look will need more time in camp to show.

“We know Diamond Miller plays in transition really well,” Reeve said. “She’s unique to our team in that way.”

Miller made a big improvement in her on-ball defense from her rookie year to last summer. That will need another step. But Reeve is targeting the types of opportunities and shots she wants Miller to get.

The jump from a rookie season to Year 2 is usually a big one. That process was impeded by injury for Miller. But now, she’s healthy and ready to take that leap.

“Anyone who has seen me play knows I am very aggressive in transition and like to play fast,” Miller said. “A lot of aggression is something I could bring. I did it overseas. I’m just ready to get my feet wet again.”

And to it with a healthy sense of optimism. She knows, as she said, that the team is filled with heavy hitters. She knows she’ll have to work for every minute of playing time.

“I’m fighting right now,” she said. “I’m in the grind of my career. And I love it."