Souhan: For Lynx star Napheesa Collier, ‘Phee’ is just fine

The most overused word in sports — well, besides “focus” and “huge” — is “great.”

The most misused word in sports — well, besides “momentum” and “iconic” — is “unique.”

If we describe everything as “great,” then nothing is great.

If we describe something or someone as “unique,” we often ignore a hundred or more years of history during which it’s all been done.

So it is with full awareness of what these words mean, and how they are frequently misapplied, that I offer these observations:

Napheesa Collier is great.

She is also unique.

The “greatness” portion of this conversation doesn’t require a conversation. Collier has done just about everything in basketball other than win a WNBA title, and with a few reasonable officials’ calls, she would be a reigning champ.

Despite being known more as an all-around and unselfish player, she leads the league in scoring this season by a wide margin.

She’s an exceptional leader and defender, and an excellent passer and rebounder, and she has improved her ballhandling enough to be able to bring the ball up the court or break down a defender.

She might be the best player in the world. That fits the definition of greatness.

“Unique” might be a tougher sell, but it should be sold.

What’s remarkable about Collier’s dominance is that she was the sixth pick in the draft and lacks the kind of explosive athletic ability usually required for greatness in the game of basketball.

Her competitors for the title of Best Player in the World are A’ja Wilson, a powerful inside player who would prefer to run you over as she scores, and Breanna Stewart, who has the size of a center and the ball skills and shooting range of a guard.

Not long ago, Collier was considered a quality player but not a star, and that was a comfortable assessment to make because Collier rarely did the kinds of things on court that superstars do.

Her game does not make it to ESPN’s plays of the day, but her production is impossible to ignore. She was just named WNBA Player of the Month for May.

What makes her unique is her ability to become a superstar by mastering fundamentals and footwork and maximizing her skills.

She is an excellent shooter. She can break down a defender with her dribble. In the paint, she can score against larger players by freeing herself with deceptive footwork or shooting her unblockable fadeaway.

She is creative around the basket and is capable of playing point forward and creating shots for teammates.

I can’t remember a great WNBA player who has been as successful with a similar approach and skill set. The only basketball player who has achieved this level without relying on outstanding quickness, leaping ability, power or exceptional shooting range is former Spurs center Tim Duncan.

If your child wants to play basketball, you should have them mimic everything Collier does, from the way she reads situations to the way she treats teammates.

If you are an NBA star trying to diversify your game, you should study Collier to figure out how she almost always makes the right play.

If you are not a white male in a country that has elected just one person of color and zero women to be president in a country that is 248 years old, you can study the way Collier has run her life, becoming a sports star and idol while starting her own basketball league and vocally supporting the causes in which she believes.

The Lynx are one of eight teams in league history to start a season 8-0. They are winning with one superstar, one All-Star caliber player (Kayla McBride) and a bunch of role players.

They are winning without significant help from recent drafts, and without having signed a star in free agency since they landed McBride in 2021.

Duncan earned the nickname the “Big Fundamental.”

Consistent with her low-key personality and fundamentally sound game, I can’t think of a better nickname for Collier, and that one is taken.

No matter.

Many of the greats didn’t require nicknames. Michael. LeBron. Kareem. Magic. Kobe. Steph.

“Phee” will work just fine.