Courtney Williams has the Minnesota Lynx offense humming

“I’m going to start this off by saying, I myself in that final game, I dropped the ball, bro,” Williams said in the second episode of the Courtney’s Daddy and Her podcast, which she does with her father, Don. “… I know we talked about the controversial call, but just from my seat, I’m thinking like, ‘damn bro if I did what I’m supposed to do it doesn’t even come down to that.’”

Neither Williams, nor anyone else in a Minnesota Lynx jersey, has hesitated to address the lingering chip on each of their respective shoulders. They have been up front on any of the numerous times they’ve been asked about it since October: this is a weight and a sting that only a championship trophy can remedy.

“That’s the main motivation,” Williams said after Minnesota’s opening night win in Dallas when asked about turning the page on last season. “That’s the main motivation, man, we trying to go get us one. So honestly, that’s the main motivation and that’s the only motivation at this point.”

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In just the month of May, the Lynx can’t do everything needed to cleanse the bad taste left from last year. But the beginning of the regular season presents a welcome opportunity to start doing something after weeks and months of being asked about it.

“It puts that chip on your shoulder,” Williams said earlier this preseason. “We know what it takes to get there, and lose in the final game. We know what we’ve got to do and I think that’s what we bring in every day, and we’re stacking our days and not taking any short cuts. That’s where we want to be again and we want to get over that hump this year.”

The language of ‘getting over the hump’ was appropriate, because in both of Minnesota’s first two games of 2025, the Lynx needed to get over the hump of a sub-par first half to earn their 2-0 start and an unbeaten road trip.

Williams’ play has been essential; in games against Dallas and Los Angeles, the point guard shook off rusty first half performances, and turned into an assassin after halftime. Williams has scored 32 points in the second half so far this season, compared to just six in the first half. On opening night, she shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field after intermission and scored 21 of her 25 points in the second half. 

“To just give you an idea of what I’m dealing with, I shared with them [during] post-game some of our superlatives, Courtney obviously had a double-double, and when I began to read her stat line I stared with ‘5-for-19,’” Lynx head coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said after Minnesota defeated the Sparks 89-75. “She about fell off her chair, so she had no idea that she was 1-of-9 [in the first half] and that it wasn’t going well with her shooting. That’s partly what makes her really good. She’s not dwelling on anything. She’s going to heat-check and everything else. She’s just supremely confident.”

Just as essential as her scoring, Williams’ play-making has been key in Minnesota’s 2-0 start. She’s off to a blistering pace of 19-0 in the assist-to-turnover department. Her 19 assists lead the league heading into the May 20 slate of games, and the next highest assist total without committing a single turnover belongs to Connecticut’s Lindsay Allen with eight.

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“I came into the game just telling myself, ‘the work gonna show,’” Williams said. “I’ve been in the gym, getting here early, getting shots up. This is the first time in my career I done did that. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth. It’s the first time I actually did just that extra, like when it comes to my handles, my shot, my three. So, like I said, I think the work’s just showing at this point.”

A common denominator of both victories has been Minnesota’s dominance when it comes to ball movement. The Lynx were the best team in the league last season in percentage of field goals assisted (66.8% on 2-point shots, 97.4% on 3-point shots), and they held an identical 27-15 assist advantage in each of their first two games to start their 2025 campaign, with Williams dishing out a game-high nine and 10 assists respectively. 

“We understand that we’re a great team when we’ve got the ball moving, getting it going and taking the right shots,” Williams said after Sunday night’s win in Los Angeles. “We trust everybody. We know that everybody can score, so I think that’s one of the biggest things for our team, just trusting one another and making sure if you’re open, you gotta take that shot, and we trust that whoever is taking that shot is gonna knock that shot down.”