Phoenix Mercury
Last season the Mercury missed the playoffs for the first time in ten seasons. Can first-year Coach Nate Tibbetts lead this team to the playoffs?
Last year did not go as planned in Phoenix as they finished a league worse 9-31. The Mercury dealt with multiple injuries which led to the poor record.
Brittney Griner missed nine games
Sophie Cunningham missed nine games
Diana Taurasi missed 14 games
But that was last year, with all three of the above players healthy the Mercury sit sixth in the WNBA standings with a record of 13-12.
First-year general manager Nick U’Ren’s decisions are another reason the team has improved. U’Ren was busy before this year.
Hired longtime NBA and G league coach Nate Tibbetts.
Signed point guard Natasha Cloud.
Traded Moriah Jefferson to the Sun for Rebecca Allen.
Executed a four-player, multiple-draft pick trade, with Chicago, that brought Kahleah Copper and Morgan Bertsch to Phoenix.
Coach Tibbetts has installed a high-tempo offense that stresses shooting three-pointers which has led to the Mercury scoring seven more points a game this year compared to last.
Cloud has had a career year. She is averaging 12.4 ppg/4.2 rpg/7.2 apg/1.7 spg. Cloud is known for her defense and passing but showed her ability to score against the Sparks this year. With Diana Taurasi sidelined with an injury, Cloud stepped up and scored a career-high 31 points. She has been the perfect fit for this team.
Allen has started all 17 games she has appeared in for Phoenix. She has missed eight games due to injury. But when available, she is shooting 35.8% from behind the arc and playing great defense.
Copper has been worth everything that the Mercury sent to Chicago. Copper is averaging a career-high 23.1 ppg. The Olympian has been a phenomenal scorer, recording over 30 points eight times this year.
Key Stats
13-12 straight-up
15-10 ATS
12-13 to the over
83.8 points per game
44% field goal percentage
33.7% three-point field goal percentage
9 made three-pointers per game
80.7% free-throw percentage
6.9 offensive rebounds per game
14.3 turnovers per game
85.8 points allowed per game
43.8% opponent’s field goal percentage
33.6% opponent’s three-point percentage
78.1% opponent’s free-throw percentage
9 made three-pointers allowed per game
9.5 offensive rebounds allowed per game
13.9 turnovers forced per game
Phoenix is one game above .500 and it is simple to see why. Their offensive and defensive numbers are very similar. They have to play better defense to make a climb up the standings.
Key Players
Diana Taurasi
You can not talk about the Mercury without mentioning Taurasi or DT. DT has spent her entire career in Phoenix and what career it has been.
DT’s accomplishments include
Three WNBA Championships
2009 WNBA MVP
Two-time WNBA Finals MVP
Five-time gold medal winner and hopefully a sixth this week
Even tho it is year 20, she is still starting and putting up impressive numbers. DT is averaging 16.1 ppg/ 4.8 rpg/ 2.5 apg while shooting 35% from behind the arc. She has perfected the transition three-point shot, it is a thing of beauty to see her trailing the play perfectly, and then stepping into a three-point shot.
Sophie Cunningham
Cunningham is showing her teammates what buying in looks like. After starting 31 games last year, she has been asked to play off the bench. It has been really impressive to see a player of her caliber make this move.
Cunningham stole the show at the WNBA All-Star skills challenge with personality but what is impressive is her three-point shot. She is shooting 38% from behind the arc.
Cunningham should be a top candidate for sixth Women of the Year.
Remaining Schedule
The Mercury sits in the middle of the pack at sixth in the hardest remaining schedule. They have only one game left each with Vegas, Connecticut, New York, and Minnesota.
Phoenix are two and a half games in front of Indiana and Chicago with one game left against Indiana and three against Chicago. They have a legit chance of making the playoffs but it will be a hard task to climb higher in the standings.
Fanduel has the Mercury’s season win totals at 21.5 juiced to the under at -132 with the odds for the over being set at +104. I totally agree they are going to win under 21.5 games.
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