Diamond Miller Is Still Chasing Her No. 2 PromiseBy Anthony Price  Diamond Miller guards the Las Vegas Aces' Chelsea Gray. Photo: Stephen Joyner Jr.  Diamond Miller’s WNBA dream became real when the Minnesota Lynx selected her No. 2 overall in the 2023 draft, just behind the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston. Miller engraved April 10, 2023, on her brain. The 6-foot-1 forward had beaten the odds. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, about 20 miles northwest of New York City, she was the youngest of three siblings–two girls and a boy. Her new chapter began with a walk across a stage in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. Dressed in a bespoke pink suit and matching tube top, she flashed her megawatt smile. In her hand, she held her team jersey for the first time and posed for photographs with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. The television cameras captured every moment. After she left the stage, Miller greeted Lynx officials. “I can’t wait to see you guys in person,” she said over the telephone, “and I’m just extremely blessed that you picked me, and I won’t disappoint.” “It honestly doesn’t feel real right now. I’m still kind of soaking it in, but I’m super excited,“ she told a Jersey Sports Zone reporter later that night. “This is why I worked so hard to get to this moment. But work is just starting now.” She knew she would have to work harder than at any time in her life because first-round draft picks routinely wash out of the W, like fish stranded on the Jersey shore after a storm. Nowhere to Hide Miller lived up to expectations as a rookie, scoring 18 or more points eight times while starting every game. The Lynx made the playoffs and lost to the Connecticut Sun 2-1, finishing the season 15-17. She was an All-Rookie Team honoree, second in scoring, second in assists, and fifth in rebounding amongst rookies. She was the third Lynx player (after Naphessa Collier and Hall of Famer Maya Moore) to achieve 380 points, 110 rebounds, 30 steals, and 10 blocks. She was on the path to stardom. This is why I worked so hard to get to this moment. But work is just starting now.  Aliyah Boston’s season also opened eyes. She couldn’t miss, shooting 57.8 from the field and becoming the first rookie to lead the league in the category. She won the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.25 blocked shots in over 31 minutes. Miller’s second season took a sudden shift when she sustained an injury to her right knee in the third game of the season, which would keep her out for a month and require surgery. (This wasn’t new to her. During the offseason after her rookie year, she injured her left knee while playing overseas and required surgery. She had her right knee operated on in 2022 at the University of Maryland, where she was an All-American.) Bridget Carleton replaced her in the starting lineup. She finished the season playing 10 minutes a game in 25 games and averaging 2.9 points per game, with four starts. In her third year, she averaged 4.1 points in 9.7 minutes. Miller didn’t start. With the emergence of Carleton, she became expendable. In early August 2025, the Lynx traded her to the Dallas Wings along with Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round draft pick for DiJonai Carrington. Miller played in 15 games for the Wings, averaging 3.9 points and nearly 13 minutes of playing time. She started one game on a 10-34 team that didn’t make the playoffs. In April 2026, Miller was traded to the Sun for Rayah Marshall, a USC rookie who rarely played. Now in her fourth season, she is starting and averaging 8.9 points (33% from the field and 27% from the 3-point line), 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Against the New York Liberty, in the season opener in Brooklyn, she scored 16 points in a 106-75 loss. Her play gave second-year GM Morgan Tuck reason to be optimistic—but the W history is littered with players who had talent but failed.  Connecticut Sun vs Las Vegas Aces. Photo: Stephen Joyner Jr. Road Woes Pile Up On June 5th, the Connecticut Sun played the Chicago Sky on the road. The Sky limped onto their home court. Three players sat on the bench with injuries. At 7:54 in the first quarter, Rachel Banham blocked Miller’s 2-foot driving layup. Miller grabbed the offensive rebound and scored two points. It was the Sun’s first basket. The Sun won the first quarter 25-12. The Sky punched back, winning the second quarter 32-20. When it mattered most, the Sky grinded out an 85-80 win (4-6) with strong third and fourth quarters. They ended a five-game losing streak. I feel like I started strong today, but the second half I was a no-show. In 28 minutes, Miller scored 16 points (14 points in the first quarter) on 6-of-15 shooting (1-of-5 from the 3-point line)—tying her season high. With the loss, the Sun (2-10) dropped to 1-7 on the road. After the game, Miller and Saniya Rivers, a second-year guard, met the media for the postgame press conference. This writer asked Miller over Zoom what she needs to do to take advantage of her opportunity. “I definitely think to be consistent on offense and defense,” she said. “I feel like I started strong today, but the second half I was a no-show. So, at the end of the day, you can’t play 20 minutes. That’s not basketball. The game is 40 minutes.” “I feel a little disappointed,” she said. “I definitely thought as a team we could have won this game—just disappointed.” Her voice broke, fighting back emotion. Rivers patted her on the back for support. In the locker room, coach Rachid Meziane told his players to keep their heads up and to “continue to work to find a way to play with more consistency because the highest level requires and demands your best focus.” At the postgame press conference, Meziane said, “We know she [Miller] can hit a lot of shots when she is playing with a lot of confidence. We are trying to create this environment for her. And tonight, she took a lot of advantage of playing with this level of confidence. But the highest level is to play for 40 minutes and not only the first half. And I hope that this game could help her to understand that she has to play with more consistency.” “I hope that we can learn from this tough loss tonight,” he said, as if giving himself optimism.  Coach Rachid Meziane talks to reporters before the Connecticut Sun-New York Liberty Game on June 8, 2026. Photo: Anthony Price. The blistering pace of the WNBA schedule is merciless. “I don’t want to find excuses, but since the beginning of the season, we spent three weeks away,” Meziane said. For a team with five rookies and four players in their second year, he knows it’s too much. (Kennedy Burke and Brittney Griner are the Sun players with six or more years of experience.) Back to Practice On Sunday afternoon in an empty Mohegan Sun Arena, with players, coaches, and support staff scattered around the court, the Sun prepared for their next game on Monday night at home against the New York Liberty. The Sun opened practice to the media for the final 30 minutes. The team went through offensive and defensive sets against mostly male practice players. After practice, Miller spoke to this writer. She sat down and was upbeat, smiling. Through the sounds of coaches’ and players’ voices, basketballs hitting the floor like an offbeat metronome, and sneakers squeaking, Miller talked for a few minutes. “It’s weird. It’s year four, but I still feel like I’m still learning myself.” She is aware that she must be “ultra-aggressive” on both sides of the court. “Sometimes it’s not about physical, it’s about mental, and really working on my mental strength off the court so I could be prepared on the court.” As a professional, every game is a test of the mind. And she is hard on herself, which comes with the weight of being drafted No. 2. It’s weird. It’s year four, but I still feel like I’m still learning myself. When I mention the success that Boston has had in the league, she is quick to respond, “I just think everybody’s journey is different. So, I don’t really care about other people’s journeys. I only care about mine and what I could do. I can’t control anybody else’s journey. So, I like number two.” She mentions how, in a family of siblings who all played the game, she developed high standards. “I think it just comes with being a high achiever. You always want the best, you always want to play your best game, but obviously that’s not realistic, right? So, of course, you’re going to be a little critical of yourself. “But at the end of the day, it’s all fun. And I might be hard on myself for an hour, and then I get over it. So, it’s not like I’m moping around the whole day. No. I like to have fun, and it’s fun.” She flashes a big smile that’s her way of ending the sentence. The Season Continues The Sun are on course to have a second-straight losing season. For a young team, now is the time to develop work habits that will lead to a winning culture. Miller can be a dominant player for stretches of the game. She has the athleticism, the size, speed, and ability to be a top player. She is the only Sun player to start all 12 games on a squad that is desperate for experience. Griner, the team’s low-post presence and rim protector, has missed 7 games (more than half of the season) to various injuries. Miller can bring the ball up the court, relieving pressure from the Suns’ guards—she’s almost like a point forward, a la LeBron James. She can make big plays on defense. And at the same time, she can miss a wide-open layup or turn over the ball when the team needs a bucket. She also disappears for stretches in a game. That’s where consistency matters, and showing up when your team needs you is important and a sign of growth.  Diamond Miller (l) and Aneesah Morrow (r) play defense against the Seattle Storm. Photo: Clay Johnson.  Diamond Miller backs into the paint against a Seattle Storm defender. Photo: Clay Johnson. We revisited the loss on Friday night and why she got emotional during the postgame press conference. “I just felt like throughout the game, just being consistent [was the difference],” she said. She feels she can maintain consistency in a game. “And I don’t think throughout the game I was.” And film today was interesting,” she stated. She described the film session as “fun.” “I definitely could see certain things and know that it’s not always about scoring. It’s about running back on defense and stuff like that.” Seeing the Positive Through it all, Miller maintains a positive outlook. “I feel like I’ve been blessed with so many different situations, and I have grown in so many different ways. I feel like it [the game] has blessed me throughout the whole thing. Even stuff that you don’t wish to happen. I feel like I’m still blessed because how lucky am I to get the opportunity to pursue something in my life that I really love.” Strong, fun, and passionate, Miller is driven and wants to succeed. Looking in from the outside, she’s clearly a solid contributor to the Sun’s locker room—something that every team needs during a long, grind of a season. You can see it in the joy she has being around her teammates. The way they share high-fives and consistently offer each other reliable, emotional, and physical support. Through the dancing and screaming And-1s, they are one—even if it doesn’t show up in the win’s column. Over her career of 105 games, Miller’s numbers don’t jump off the page. She is averaging 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists—shooting 38.2% from the field and 28.7% from 3. There’s room for improvement. Miller has the talent. She has the opportunity. Now she has to turn flashes into consistency–and prove that the Sun’s bet on a former No. 2 pick can still pay off. ### Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun.
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