What to make of the Phoenix Mercury?
Through seven games, the team sits at 3-4, owners of an inspiring win, a 98-88 triumph over the Aces in Las Vegas, and some disappointing displays, highlighted by a 70-47 loss to the Sun in Connecticut. That Brittney Griner has yet to play in the 2024 season due to a toe injury makes the Mercury even harder to judge.
Entering the season, there was some skepticism about the Mercury from around these parts, a belief that the organization’s offseason moves, from hiring a new head coach to signing free agents Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen to executing a blockbuster trade for Kahleah Copper, represented much sound and fury that, ultimately, would signify little in terms of elevating Phoenix into a title contender, or even a playoff team.
However, despite a below .500 record, the Mercury have shown enough encouraging signs, suggesting that the offseason revitalization has the team on the right track. Here are three early-season observations about Phoenix.
The new additions are excelling
Phoenix gave up a lot to bring Kahleah Copper to the Valley, sending the No. 3 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, which became Kamilla Cardoso, a 2026 first-round pick and rotational players Brianna Turner and Michaela Onyenwere to the Chicago Sky.
So far, the 2021 Finals MVP has been worth the haul. After dropping a career-high 38 points on the Atlanta Dream, she doused the Aces for 37 points, becoming only the second player in WNBA history to score 35 or more points in back-to-back games. Bolstered by those outbursts, she’s averaging 24.7 points per game, the third-best mark in the league. She also was named Western Conference Player of the Week and recently surpassed 3,000 career points.
Natasha Cloud likewise is putting up big numbers in Phoenix, except in the assists category. She’s tossing 7.1 dimes per game, good for the highest average in her career and the third-highest in the league thus far. She also moved up to 19th on the W’s all-time assists list.
Then, there’s the surprising emergence of Natasha Mack, a training camp signing who not only earned a roster spot, but, in the absence of Griner, also is serving as the Mercury’s starting center. She’s making the most of the opportunity, using her outlier athletic skills to do the dirty work, grabbing seven boards, swatting more than two shots and swiping nearly a steal per game. Last November, Swish Appeal’s Łukasz Muniowski talked to Mack about her hoops journey.
Phoenix has a defined offensive identity
Part of the successes of Copper, Cloud and Mack must be attributed to the offensive system installed by new head coach Nate Tibbetts. The Mercury are playing fast and firing away, currently ranking second in pace and first in 3-point attempts.
Copper is taking a career-high 6.7 triples per game, while Diana Taurasi—never shy about launching from behind the arc—currently leads the league in total 3-pointers made. As a team, more than 38 percent of the Mercury’s points have come from long range, whereas a league-low 43.1 percent of their points have been generated via 2-pointers.
In short, Tibbetts and the team are all in on a modern, analytically-inclined offensive approach. Of course, such an embrace of the 3-ball does not come without pitfalls, as was evident in Uncasville. The gods of 3-point variance seemingly cursed Phoenix with a 1-for-27 3-point shooting performance—only 3.7 percent—in their loss to the Sun, explaining why the Mercury scored only 47 points, the lowest single-game point total by a WNBA team since 2015.
Come back, BG
Phoenix’s defensive identity, in contrast, is a work in progress, as they sport a defensive rating of 103.8, the second-worst rating in the league.
Although a single player cannot solve all of the Mercury’s problems on that end, Brittney Griner is as close as it gets to a singular defensive system. Arguably the greatest rim protector in WNBA history, the 6-foot-9 Griner can take control the paint, not only discouraging drives but also serving as a backstop for when Phoenix’s perimeter defenders aggressively pursue steals or insufficiently provide resistance.
Griner, who has been out of a walking boot for a few days, was getting work in on the court before the Mercury’s eventual 81-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Wednesday, suggesting she is progressing toward a return. Before the game, Tibbetts also indicated that she is close to making her season debut.
The Mercury finish up their current three-game road trip with a matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday, May 31 at 9:30 p.m. ET (ION). They then welcome the Los Angeles Sparks to Phoenix on Sunday, June 2 for a Commissioner’s Cup game at 6 p.m. ET (League Pass).