2019 WNBA Team Preview: Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury have reached the WNBA semifinals 10 of the past 12 seasons, winning the title in 2007, 2009, and 2014.
Head coach Sandy Brondello enters her sixth season at the helm, faced with a new set of challenges. She will try to get the most out of the tremendous talent that is center Brittney Griner, incorporate some youth on the WNBA’s oldest team and manage an injury to the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi.
Losing a player of Taurasi’s caliber for an extended period of time would have a drastic effect on any franchise. Her absence (disc protrusion) is a particularly pressing development to monitor considering last year’s Phoenix Mercury team received 67.5% of its regular season scoring from their three All-Stars — Taurasi, Griner and DeWanna Bonner. Adapting to life without the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer for the two-plus months she is projected to miss could be a galvanizing endeavor or one that dooms the Mercury’s chances in 2019.
There are positive signs that give the Mercury hope that they can weather the storm early in the season. The addition of rookie forward Alanna Smith and return of veteran forward Sancho Lyttle stand out as reasons to be optimistic. But no Mercury player will be more interesting to watch than Griner. The 28-year-old is in the prime of her career and could really boost her personal legacy with a strong 2019 showing.
2018 Season Recap (Record: 20–14, 2nd in WNBA Western Conference)
The 2018 Phoenix Mercury got off to a fast start, winning 10 of their first 13 games, which included an eight-game winning streak from June 1 to June 17. On June 30, Sancho Lyttle suffered an ACL tear which prompted a 3–9 slide. They finished on a four-game winning streak and took that momentum into the playoffs.
Wins over Dallas (18-point win) and Connecticut (10-point win) set up a highly entertaining series against the top-seeded Seattle Storm. The Storm took the first two games in Seattle with each game finishing with a score of 91–87, but the unrelenting Mercury defended their home court and evened the series at 2–2. Despite a fast start by the Mercury in Game 5, Seattle point guard Sue Bird led the Storm to the series victory.
Projected Starters
Brittney Griner; 6-foot-9 center
(2018 Stats: 20.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.6 BPG, 54.4 FG%, 80.0 FT%)
In six WNBA seasons, Griner has posted career averages of 16.7 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 3.2 blocks per game. She has been an All-Star five times and twice been named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
For the Mercury, Griner is a defensive presence with rare length. She is able to use her length on the offensive end to score high percentage buckets around the basket. WNBA coaches around the league have to do some extra game planning to navigate around her unique abilities.
DeWanna Bonner; 6-foot-4 forward
(2018 Stats: 17.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 45.2 FG%; 2:1 A/TO ratio)
While not the household name that Griner is, those around the WNBA are well-aware of what Bonner can do. In nine WNBA seasons, Bonner has been a steady performer, with averages of 14.1 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game for her career.
After sitting out the 2017 season following giving birth to twins, Bonner had perhaps the best season of her career in 2018. She converted the highest percentage of 2-pointers (53.9%) of any WNBA season she has participated in, while also posting career-highs in total rebounds and assists.
The 31-year-old two-time WNBA All-Star gives the Mercury good size from the forward position and while not a terrific shot-blocking presence, she is considered a strong positional defender.
Like the rest of the Mercury, Bonner will have to do more playmaking herself with Taurasi out. Her effectiveness at taking on such a role will go a long way in determining the fate of Phoenix’s 2019 season.
Briann January; 5-foot-8 guard
(2018 Stats: 7.0 PPG, 3.3 APG, 42.3 FG%, 47.0 3PT%)
After spending the first nine years of her career as a member of the Indiana Fever, January spent 2018 with the Mercury after being acquired via trade.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil saw her scoring average dip to the lowest since her rookie year, but her efficiency was way up. January’s true shooting percentage was the best of her career (58.1%), aided by 47.0% accuracy from beyond the arc.
The opportunity exists for January to be a steadying presence for head coach Sandy Brondello in 2019.
Essence Carson; 6-foot guard/forward
(2018 Stats for Los Angeles Sparks: 7.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 43.5 FG%, 36.1 3PT%)
Carson was another veteran acquisition for the Mercury. She spent the bulk of her career playing for the New York Liberty, but spent the last three seasons a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, where she was a member of their 2016 WNBA Championship team.
Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman commented on the Carson signing in a press release by saying, “She is an established starter in this league with championship experience, who instantly makes us better and deeper. She can play and guard multiple positions, and she is a legitimate three-point threat whose skillset perfectly complements our Big Three.”
With Taurasi and Lyttle out, Carson could get the chance to play heavy minutes.
Yvonne Turner; 5-foot-10 guard
(2018 Stats: 4.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 37.6 FG%, 32.4 3PT%)
The well-traveled Turner spent considerable time playing overseas before her professional basketball journey landed her in the WNBA in 2017.
Her 2018 regular season numbers weren’t terribly impactful, but she finished strong, scoring 19 points apiece in Games 3 and 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
A free agent in the offseason, the Mercury elected to bring the 31-year-old back, hoping she could provide some extra playmaking — a skill she has displayed with great success over the years in the EuroLeague.
Injured List/Key Bench Players
Diana Taurasi; 6-foot guard
(2018 Stats: 20.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.3 APG, 44.6 FG%, 38.3 3PT%, 92.5 FT%)
Taurasi, known by many as the G.O.A.T., will begin 2019 on the sidelines after a back procedure. Her presence on the court will be greatly missed by the Mercury as well as WNBA fans around the globe.
With her return roughly expected in July, the Mercury will miss the scoring, playmaking, leadership and all else the nine-time All-Star brings.
Sancho Lyttle; 6-foot-5 forward
(2018 Stats: 18 GP, 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 54.0 FG%, 87.5 FT%)
The six-time WNBA All-Defensive Team honoree was acclimating to Phoenix well in 2018 before her ACL injury.
The 35-year-old has put in the work and can hopefully return to form sometime during the season.
On a team not lacking for veterans, Lyttle is another component of the Mercury attack that can get by on experience and basketball IQ, even if the legs aren’t as spry as they once were.
Alanna Smith; 6-foot-4 forward
(2018 Stats at Stanford University: 19.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 51.5 FG%, 39.7 3PT%)
Amidst all the experience on the Mercury, Smith can be considered a big part of the future of the franchise. The eighth pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft had a highly decorated career at Stanford and has been well-known on the international circuit, playing for her native Australia.
A forward that can score in a variety of ways, don’t be surprised if Smith challenges for more playing time as the season progresses.
Leilani Mitchell; 5-foot-5 guard
(2018 Stats: 4.4 PPG, 2.3 APG, 35.1 FG%, 34.1 3PT%)
Mitchell led the Mercury in bench scoring a year ago. The veteran point guard may have seen her averages dip a bit, but her per-36 minutes tallies were on par with the rest of her career.
Brianna Turner; 6-foot-3 forward
(2018 Stats at the University of Notre Dame: 14.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 63.2 FG%)
During the 2018 WNBA Draft, the Mercury traded their 2018 first-round pick Marie Gulich to the Atlanta Dream for Turner, the 11th pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
Turner was a reliable commodity on the 2019 NCAA runner-up Notre Dame Fighting Irish. She was a strong factor in the paint, converting her field goal attempts at a very high percentage (63.2%).
Sophie Cunningham; 6-foot-1 guard
(2018 Stats at the University of Missouri: 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 48.1 FG%, 40.3 3PT%)
With the 13th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, the Mercury picked up Cunningham. Known as a tough-minded competitor, Cunningham was also a terrific shooter at the collegiate level, hitting 85 3-pointers as a senior.
Key Losses
The Mercury return their top seven scorers. Centers Angel Robinson (unsigned) and Marie Gulich (traded) depart along with forward Stephanie Talbot (traded). The 6-foot-6 Robinson was fourth on the team in rebounds per game, despite being 10th in minutes per game. Talbot started eight games after Lyttle’s injury.
Questions to Address
Will another scoring threat emerge?
The 2018 version of the Phoenix Mercury had no trouble offensively, finishing in the league’s upper tier in most offensive categories. But as was previously mentioned, the scoring was top-heavy, with a strong reliance on three individuals. Both with and without Taurasi, they may need to get better scoring production “outside the Big Three.”
Can they end their semifinal woes?
After winning the WNBA Finals in 2014, the Mercury have been ousted in the semifinals in each of the past four seasons. Their record in those semifinal games has been 2–11, with the lone two wins coming this previous season.
Outlook
The Phoenix Mercury are a solid bet to finish in the upper echelon of the WNBA in 2019.
At full strength, these Mercury can compete with anyone. This author predicts a return to the Western Conference Finals and another hard-fought series loss.
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