MINNEAPOLIS -- It's not often Minnesota Lynx coach Brian Agler is able to watch his best players on the court together during a regular-season game.

	Katie Smith led the league in scoring, averaging 23.1 points over 32 games.

Last year, Svetlana Abrosimova missed the first six games with an injured left foot. Then, it was Kristi Harrower's knee. Then, Betty Lennox's hip. Now, after a year of waiting, Agler will finally be able to see what his healthy lineup can do -- maybe.

Katie Smith, the WNBA's leading scorer last season, dislocated her right index finger on her shooting hand in practice on Monday, deeply cutting it in the process. Her status for Saturday's opener against Utah is uncertain.

"If Katie can't play Saturday, that will hurt us but we'll just have to adjust and be tougher defensively,'' Agler said.

Coming off the worst of their three seasons in the WNBA, in which they went 12-20, the Lynx are still trying to prove they can consistently put together 40 solid minutes of basketball.

In the past, the pattern for a standard Lynx game has gone something like this: Get the ball to Smith; hang tough for a while; fall behind on a run; not recover; lose.

"Last year, we would have lapses that would kill us. In a 40-minute game, you can't get away with five-minute lapses,'' Smith said.

Last season, the Lynx lost eight games by five points or less, while only winning three. They went 0-17 when trailing at halftime.

Depth has been one of the primary reasons for the team's lack of success. While Smith was busy averaging 23.1 points per game, only two others were in double figures.

Abrosimova finished with 13.2 points per game and Lennox, who played in only seven games, averaged 11. Still, heading into the 2002 regular season, Agler says he's more encouraged by this year's depth.

"I like our energy. We're improving every day,'' he said. But, "we still have to get better at just about everything.''

Agler said he expects rookie forward Tamika Williams, the team's first-round draft pick, to be a regular starter. "She is a little behind because she was back at school for graduation and other things. So, she doesn't know all the plays yet.''

With a host of younger players, Agler will look for more leadership from Smith and Lennox, the 2000 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Lennox missed 21 games due to a strained left hip capsule last season, which required surgery in November.

After an offseason of intense rehab that consisted of weight training and countless hours in the gym, Lennox still isn't 100 percent healthy, but she's more confident she can return to her top playing form.

"I feel my offensive game is close to where it was last year, but I know I can't go 40 minutes yet,'' Lennox said.

With Lennox in the lineup, the Lynx averaged 69.1 points per game and went 4-1 after she was activated from the injured list Aug. 4, before reaggravating her hip.

"We've got to keep an eye out on her,'' Agler said. "It can't be like the old days where she could just walk off the street, warm up a little bit and start playing. She's really going to have to be mature about this and really take care of her body, and really prepare for practice and for games.''

The Lynx lost a club-record 66 player-games due to injury in 2001. Harrower suffered a torn ligament in her left knee June 12 against Indiana and missed the final 28 games.

The 2002 season has already gotten off to a painful start. Rookie guard Lindsey Meder, the team's third-round draft pick, is expected to miss the entire season with a torn ACL. And team officials are worried that one wrong blow will reopen the deep cut on Smith's finger, which is being held together by seven stitches.

"Katie is a big impact player because she can do so many things. But no team can get away with relying on just one player,'' Agler said. If Agler can get all his players healthy, they'll finally be able to concentrate on figuring out how to be more competitive.

"For us to win games, we need to establish tempo and not lose our focus for short periods of time,'' Lennox said. "It doesn't take long to fall behind by 10 points and that's a big gap to overcome.''