Fresh off a rollicking victory over the Dallas Wings, 100-84, the Phoenix Mercury (12-10) have three more games before the All-Star/Olympic break, beginning with a road test against the Indiana Fever on Friday, July 12 (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
On the last day of June, the veteran Mercury failed to close out the upstart Fever, allowing Indiana to escape Phoenix with a 88-82 victory. The Mercury surely hope to avenge that loss before then reversing another recent result against the Connecticut Sun. Connecticut bested Phoenix 83-72 on the first day of July. The rematch is Sunday, July 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena (1 p.m. ET, ABC). The Mercury then finish off the first half(ish) of the season in DC, taking on the Washington Mystics in a matinee matchup on Tuesday, July 16 (11:30 a.m. ET, League Pass).
A three-game road trip certainly is not an ideal pre-break schedule. However, if the team can build on their three-straight wins and reel off three more victories, there will be nothing but good feelings around Phoenix. For a team that entered the seasons with questions about how much new additions could solidify and strengthen an existing infrastructure that had more than wobbled in recent seasons, a 15-10 record would present a resoundingly positive assessment.
As is, there’s plenty of reasons for optimism in Phoenix. Here are three of the biggest ones:
Worth every penny
While pennies are made of copper, Kahleah Copper provides much (much, much) more value than one cent for the Mercury. During the offseason, Phoenix swung a surprising blockbuster trade for the 2021 Finals MVP, sacrificing the draft pick that became Kamilla Cardoso, a future first-round pick and quality role players, but she has been worth it—and then some.
She notched her seventh game scoring 30 or more points on Wednesday, dropping 32 points to lead the Mercury past the Wings. Throughout the season, she has scored at a career-best pace, averaging 23.0 points per game, the second-best scoring mark in the league.
Copper can further enhance her value to the Mercury by applying her advantages more consistently on the defensive end. Last time Phoenix played Indiana, she eagerly took on the Caitlin Clark assignment, aggressively hounding and harassing the rookie. That kind of effort will be required again on Friday night, as well as throughout the second half of the season.
Cloud control
For a team that experienced its fair share of turbulence in recent seasons, Natasha Cloud, the Mercury’s other key offseason addition, has ensured that the skies have remained rather clear in the Valley. While Copper and her explosive scoring performances may steal the headlines, Cloud has provided more thankless, yet no less essential, play for the Mercury.
She ably controls the offense, averaging a career-high 7.2 assists per game as she sets up the likes of Copper, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner in favorable scoring situations. She’s also posting career best numbers in rebounds (4.4), steals (1.7) and blocks (0.6) per game, exerting the extra effort even as she often is tasked with guarding opponents’ power forwards.
Cloud also is offering some of the most efficient scoring of her career. Although her 3-point shot has been shaky, she consistently has cashed in inside the arc, finishing particularly effectively at the basket and from the deep midrange. She had it all working in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks, when she finished with a career-high 31 points, along with nine boards, five assists and pair of steals and blocks.
BG is the best
A huge reason why both Copper and Cloud are compiling career seasons: They’re playing alongside Brittney Griner.
As she is in her age 33 season, it was fair to wonder if Griner would begin to show signs of decline. Griner missing the first 10 games with a foot injury only raised further concern about her ability to consistently be at her best. Well, Griner has assuaged any anxieties; she remains one of the greatest forces in the game.
In the 12 games she has played, Phoenix is 8-4. When she’s on the court, the Mercury outscore their opponents by a team-best seven points per game. Overall, the team is a plus-84 in her 374 minutes of court time. Unsurprisingly, Griner’s presence substantially improves the team’s offense and defense. The Phoenix attack hums to a tune of a 110.6 offensive rating with BG, while the defensive rating is a solid 99.7 with her on the court.
In terms of tradition stats, she’s averaging 19.7 points and 6.7 boards per game, along with 1.4 blocks. And, she’s already tied her career high with nine 3-points attempts, making four of them. Two of those came in Wednesday’s win over Dallas. While she’s certainly not yet one of the Mercury’s 3-point slinging sharpshooters, her proficiency from behind the arc is not not interesting.