Three Takeaways: Phoenix Mercury lose to Seattle Storm in Brittney Griner’s return

PHOENIX– The imagined became true tonight in Phoenix, as the Mercury were able to see out Brittney Griner’s return on time and in time. Initially estimated to be a four-to-six-week injury, today’s home tilt against the Seattle Storm became the goal about a week or two ago internally. Less than a month after suffering injuries to both legs, Griner was able to return and play 21 minutes in a Mercury loss, 98-89.

Though that was the biggest takeaway from tonight’s game, Griner has been a constant for the Mercury all season. The details on the margin are where the most important questions and answers arrived tonight. Facing Breanna Stewart and a Storm team in their first game under new coach Gary Kloppenburg, the Mercury had a lot to prove against an opponent in flux.

Here are three takeaways from a not-so-close loss:

1. Mercury rotation still in flux

Mo Currie told me following Griner’s injury in July that her absence would “give an opportunity to other players to step up and play.” Though a 3-5 record might give observers a different impression, the young bench pieces gave the Mercury a vital push without Griner. Their improvements on both sides of the ball culminated in Thursday’s win in Dallas, in which rookie Emma Cannon played 38 minutes, scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

However, with Griner back, other questions have arisen in Phoenix. Currie now starts, but that unit doesn’t bring the defensive versatility that it did when Stephanie Talbot was in her place. Which of the reserve bigs proved themselves worthy of backup minutes once Griner is fully healthy? And while we’re on the subject of injuries, how many minutes should each of Leilani Mitchell and Danielle Robinson play now that Robinson is at full strength following her own early-season injury?

It seems coach Sandy Brondello might now know the answers herself. Tonight, faced with an early injury to Angel Robinson and foul trouble for Camille Little, she played each of Cannon and George extended minutes. Cannon’s outstanding rebounding fills Phoenix’s biggest hole, and George’s floor-spacing has been valuable, but their defensive limitations are exposed by each opponent the Mercury face.

Alexis Prince played five minutes to close the first half but did not appear again until garbage time. Leilani Mitchell, a big part of Phoenix’s winning early in the season, was a team-high minus-12. To put the puzzling discrepancy between starter and reserve performance in perspective, Griner was a plus-one in a game that Phoenix lost by nine.

2. The WNBA has no answer for Breanna Stewart

There is no scarier picture in the league than Stewart pump-faking from behind the three-point line. Heading into tonight’s game, Stewart is somehow managing 20 points per game on a 54 percent effective field goal rate, along with one of the better assist rates for a big in the league. She is the core reason that Seattle’s is a desirable coaching job.

Besides the value that she brings for her team every night, her performance tonight against the Mercury shows what an offense focused around her can be. Few players as tall and long as Stewart can make efficient plays driving toward the hoop. That type of scoring play is part of the standard script for the Storm.

Somehow only in her second season, it’s clear what kind of value Stewart might hold as the focal point of an elite offense next to a rejuvenated Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd, who is also just scratching the surface. That’s the thrill and pressure facing Seattle’s next coach.

3. Three-point shooting difference on display

Of the four WNBA teams to shoot at least 500 threes so far this season, the Storm have been by far the most efficient. They are just ahead of the Mercury in terms of volume, but have managed to make over 36 percent of their threes this year, putting them far ahead of Phoenix.

So it was interesting tonight to see Seattle put that advantage to use in a big way. The team was able to find and make open looks after kickouts from the paint. Loyd made three of her four looks, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis shot a harpoon into Phoenix’s winning aspirations with a bomb to end the third quarter. Each player to attempt a three for Seattle tonight made at least one.

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Though there wasn’t a radical difference between the effectiveness of three-point shooting between the two teams tonight (Seattle shot 10-20 and Phoenix shot 8-17), the constant threat of that shot for the Storm compared to the Mercury is what really made the difference for each team’s offense.