Souhan: Just how good is Cheryl Reeve?

After the Lynx finished practice on Friday, they faced questions appropriate for a team atop the league standings.

Should Alanna Smith be defensive player of the year?

Could Napheesa Collier win the MVP award even if she misses a slew of games because of her ankle injury?

After looking at how the Lynx acquired the key players on their roster, I have my own question:

Is Cheryl Reeve the best coach in America?

I think so.

I can’t think of another way of explaining how a team filled with long shots and overachievers is dominating a league that has never been more saturated with talent.

They are 3-1 since Collier, their superstar, injured her ankle.

In a sport usually dominated by stars, they have won while relying mostly on players who entered the league projected to be role players.

Of the eight players who make up their current optimal rotation, only one was a top-five pick in her draft — guard Kayla McBride.

Collier was taken sixth. Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith were taken 8th.

Jess Shepard was taken 16th, Natisha Hiedeman 18th, Dijonai Carrington 20th, Bridget Carleton 21st.

Carlton was picked up off waivers.

Also, the Lynx are dominating despite having missed on, or dissed, three star-caliber players. Two wound up with New York.

Reeve went after Breanna Stewart in free agency. Stewart signed with the Liberty.

Reeve went after Emma Meesseman, the best player not on a WNBA roster, last month. Meesseman signed with the Liberty. Reeve countered by trading for Carrington.

And, of course, Reeve chose to trade a draft pick that would have landed Angel Reese, and chose Alissa Pili, who was recently released.

They’re winning because of coaching, and because Reeve, as the general manager, valued cohesiveness, ball movement, shooting and defensive aptitude over explosiveness.

The result: The Lynx lead the league in offensive rating, defensive rating, assist percentage, blocked shots, assist-to-turnover ratio and effective field-goal percentage.

They clinched a playoff berth on Thursday night when Indiana lost. Before Reeve added Williams and Smith, and before Collier went from good to great, making the playoffs would have been an admirable goal for this franchise.

Let’s not forget, in 2022 and 2023 the Lynx were a combined 33-43, and didn’t win a playoff series.

Without adding a superstar since then, Reeve built a team that has to be the envy of the league.

At what point does a coach or manager earn the benefit of the doubt?

I remember listening to former Twins manager Tom Kelly on his Sunday morning radio show, defending his strategic decisions, after he had won two World Series with a low-revenue franchise.

Similarly, Reeve has taken arrows for perceived mistakes, even while winning at a level that defies logic.

In my career covering professional sports, I’ve been around three other coaches or managers who seemed to be able to win with dubious rosters.

Kelly, who won the 1987 World Series with two reliable starting pitchers and a patchwork bullpen.

And Jacques Lemaire, who took the Wild to the Western Conference finals with an expansion roster.