Meet the 2010 Lynx: #11 Candice Wiggins, guard

The third of a six-part series profiling the Minnesota Lynx roster as the 2010 season approaches.

BY MIKE PEDEN

Lindsay Whalen may be drawing the most attention out of the Lynx roster as the 2010 season draws closer, but her integration with a strong, supporting team is one reason why the Lynx are getting more preseason buzz than usual.

This year, fans may have a hard time knowing if third-year guard Candice Wiggins will play a supporter or leader when she takes the court, as the former Sixth Woman of the Year handles both roles easily.

"Signing Lindsay Whalen was huge for me," she said. "As a young guard, I really need that veteran leadership to develop myself as a player. Who better to learn from than Lindsay Whalen?"

Wiggins will be relegated to supporting status as the season begins. She underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscal tear last week, and will miss the remainder of the preseason and the start of the regular season.

Although her recovery will end her streak of 34 consecutive starts, the longest among active Lynx players, Wiggins is ready to apply what she learned overseas in Greece. Wiggins won three championships with her Greek team: the 2010 FIBA EuroCup, the Greek Cup and the Greek A1 League title.

"I got a lot better in my decision-making. My shooting percentage skyrocketed," she said.

How those improvements will manifest on American soil is uncertain. Wiggins' scoring average dropped from 15.7 points per game in her rookie season to 13.1 points per contest in 2009, but she finished 8th in the WNBA for free throw accuracy, sinking 89.3% of her foul shots.

The Lynx may need every point they can get out of Wiggins with the league dropping from 13 to 12 teams during the off-season, but no reduction in the number of regular season games. Wiggins expects more contests against Western Conference opponents.

"I think we play San Antonio five times," she said. "We'll be very focused in the West because we want to secure a good playoff spot. That's what we're expecting."

The Lynx will certainly expect to avoid a repeat of the last two seasons, where strong starts were nullified by poor finishes and no playoff berths, especially with two-thirds of the league ensured of making this year's post-season.

However, recent struggles have failed to deter Wiggins' excitement with the new faces coming to Minnesota.

"I'm an optimist. I see the glass as always half-full, no matter what is going on," she said.