The Opals centre was forced off the court while she recovered from her knee reconstruction; her career was thrown off course and her Olympic Games dream was unlikely.

Fourteen months on and she is playing better than ever. She played in Rio but decided to hold off against a WNBA return, instead taking time post-Games to rest her knee and play the Australian summer with her beloved Canberra Capitals.

On Friday LA won their first WNBA title in 14 years but as is Tolo's nature, she was ecstatic for her friends and former teammates.

She could have been soaked in champagne, but then she wouldn't have had the chance to transform into a scoring machine under Capitals coach Paul Goriss.

"Gori definitely helps with that," Tolo said. "At practice whenever I pass it out he yells at me, 'TOLO, ARE YOU A SCORER OR ARE YOU A PASSER?!'"

"And he makes me yell back at him, 'I'M A SCORER!'"

And it's working.

The Capitals may have only played three games so far this season but Tolo's stats are dizzying.

She leads the league for points per game with 23.3 and is second for rebounds with 13.5. She scored 54 points over two games last weekend which included 38 against the Sydney Flames.

When Tolo does go back to the WNBA, she goes back knowing she can score.

She and the Capitals now travel to Perth to take on the Lynx in what is shaping up as an early test for the new-look Canberra team.

"This is going to be a really tough game," Tolo said. "They are obviously the runners-up from last year and Tessa Lavey might be back in the game as well."

"It's a long road trip and a quick turnaround but I think we'll go in as underdogs with a nothing to lose attitude and try and come away with a win."

WNBL ROUND 3

Saturday: Perth Lynx v Canberra Capitals at Bendat Basketball Centre, 10pm (AEST).