En route to her second Olympic Games, forward Napheesa Collier is relishing everything she learned from being in Tokyo in 2020.

“I think just my experience has grown a lot,” Collier said. “Obviously every year I try to get better in a different way on the court. I think my 3-point game has gotten a lot better, off the dribble game...just from my experience, I think it's gotten a lot better.”

Collier might be selling herself short with her improvements since the last Olympic games. As a member of the 2024 USA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament Team, she averaged a team-high 19 points along with 4.7 rebounds, 3 assists and a team-best 3.7 steals while playing 23.5 minutes per game. She also posted the highest field goal percentage of the qualifying tournament, shooting 61.5% from the field on 24-of-39 shooting.

It’s not only her play with USA Basketball that is leaving some in shock and awe. It’s her WNBA play too. Collier is averaging a double-double, with 20 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Her stellar play has led the Lynx to a tie for the top seed in the western conference heading into the Olympic break.

Nonetheless, Collier understands just how deep the Women’s National Team really is.

“It was really good, it's always awesome to play with such talented players,” Collier said. “I've never played with this specific group before so it's different. Every training camp and every event that we have so far is building that chemistry. It's pretty easy with this much talent on the court.”

Despite the spectacular play, there’s no doubt that the hectic schedule takes a toll on players throughout the roster. Luckily for Collier, this isn’t her first rodeo and she understands how to compartmentalize and lock in during these stretches.

“We always do that, we play on our WNBA teams during the season and then we go overseas and play,” Collier said. “For USA (Basketball), we’re focused on the next game. It’s not even who we’re playing next week, it’s the very next game, so I think it comes pretty naturally.”

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