MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Lindsay Whalen broke her left hand, the Minnesota Lynx were 20-2 and steamrolling the rest of the WNBA. They went 4-5 in the first nine games without their Olympian point guard, and though Whalen’s absence may not have been entirely to blame for the late-season swoon, there were plenty of sighs of relief as she took the court again on Wednesday.

Whalen practiced with the team for the first time since suffering the hand injury that caused her to miss the final 12 games of the regular season. With a week to prepare for the WNBA semifinals, Whalen is planning to be back at full strength and ready to go now that the playoffs are here. The Lynx went 7-5 over that stretch of games and locked up homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

After serving as an extra coach during that time off, Whalen was raring to get back into the action.

“I tried to just help where I could and help in any way and still be a part of the game-day routine,” Whalen said. “That’s what is the most fun anyways. Now to actually be able to play again will be even more fun.”

Renee Montgomery filled in capably as the starter with Whalen gone. Now that one of their primary leaders is back, the Lynx will be that much stronger with Montgomery running the second unit.