Olivia Miles Was MVP-Caliber, So Why Did She Say She Was Too Focused On the Wrong Things?

Olivia Miles, the Minnesota Lynx guard, just wrapped up a rookie season that saw her earn unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year and land in MVP conversations after leading her team to first place. But the shine came off in the playoffs, where her team got swept and Miles herself struggled, prompting some super honest talk about a “scarcity mindset.”

From Rookie of the Year to MVP Conversation

Miles came out absolutely swinging, no doubt about it. Her stat line was ridiculous for a rookie: a fantastic 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. She wasn’t just good, she was one of the WNBA’s best players, period, in her first year. The Lynx were flying high, riding her play all the way to the top of the regular season standings. It felt like she could do no wrong, and everyone in the league was talking about her.

Playoff Pains and a “Scarcity Mindset”

Then came the postseason, and it was a total flip. The Lynx got absolutely swept in two games by the New York Liberty, losing both contests by a tough 16 points. Miles, who had been torching the league all year, went ice cold. She averaged just 8.0 points on a brutal 20 percent shooting, and only dished out two assists total across the series. Talk about a tough series. In her exit interview, she didn’t mince words, admitting she played with a “scarcity mindset” and was focused on playing not to lose, rather than having that “dire” hunger to win. That’s a huge shift for someone who dominated all season long.

The Weight of Expectations and a Brutal Learning Curve

Miles dove deep into why that mindset crept in, saying, “I think it was an interesting year, right? We started off with weird expectations and then we got really good, and then it was like, ‘OK, I should win.’ And then it felt like, if we didn’t win, it was the end of the world almost. I was just navigating all those expectations.” Think about that, going from an unknown rookie to MVP talk overnight. She nailed it, “I also started off as a rookie who no one really thought would do what I did. Now I’m in MVP conversations and now I have to play at that level.” She called the year a “roller-coaster expectations and emotions.” Facing New York, a strong team that was an eight seed only in name, after dropping game one at home and needing to win on the road in an elimination game as a rookie? That’s a lot. Miles was straight up, saying “maybe I was too focused on the wrong things and things that really didn’t matter and should have really just been focused on doing the best I can and just playing carefree in those moments.”

It was a learning experience for sure. Miles still finished her rookie campaign as one of the league’s brightest stars with an incredibly bright future ahead. Her honesty and self-awareness about the playoff struggle shows she’s ready to take those lessons and apply them. We’re all gonna be watching closely to see how she comes out in her sophomore season.

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Originally reported by Bleacher Report.