It’s hard to believe that this Phoenix Mercury team was just in the Finals. They eliminated both the Lynx and the Liberty, arguably the favorites earlier last season. They still have perennial All-WNBA and MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas to serve as the fulcrum of their offense in addition to a massive defensive impact. With former Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and six-time all-star DeWanna Bonner also returning, a disastrous 2-8 start should be shocking, but unfortunately for the Mercury, it’s not actually that surprising.
With a rough offseason that likely left it with more losses than gains, Mercury simply needs young blood and shooting ability. Thomas, Copper, and Bonner lead the team in minutes played, and they are 34, 31, and 38 years old, respectively. While players in their 30s can certainly still be effective, it’s unreasonable to expect an aging roster to be as good as the previous season without adding new high-impact players.
Mercury hasn’t found a replacement for Satou Sabally
Losing Satou Sabally to the New York Liberty in free agency is a big loss. Sabally is an extremely talented, well-rounded, versatile unicorn of a player, and despite injury, she contributed quite a lot to the team's success last year. Letting a player of this caliber walk without making any big free agency signings in response is a choice this team will likely regret.
The most glaring missing piece is her shooting. Without Sabally, the Mercury’s spacing is looking pretty rough. For all of Alyssa Thomas’s strengths, outside shooting is not one of them. She has never made a 3 in her 12 years of play and rarely even tries. Few of their healthy players are major threats from deep, which allows defenders to target Copper, causing a rough shooting start to the season.
Phoenix needs some fresh faces
While other teams, like the Lynx, have been successful even after losing key players in free agency, this came with an active pursuit of replacements and strong drafting. Phoenix was passive over the offseason and didn't have their first round pick. With an aging roster and poor spacing, this team needs some young talent and fast.
To their credit, the Mercury have strong international scouting. Serbian rookie Jovana Nogić had a very strong start to the season, although she is slowing down as other teams catch notice of significant defensive limitations. Overlooked international players can be a strong supplementary piece, but players with no WNBA experience are always a risk, and with the magnitude of the Mercury’s roster issues, this won’t be enough of a solution.
This roster is not going to do the trick. Unless they manage to pull off some crafty signings or trades, the Mercury need to look to the draft for the talent they need. The best long-term move might be to let this season play out as is and grab a top pick in the loaded upcoming draft. Instead of hoping for a regular-season comeback, Phoenix fans looking for a silver lining might be better off starting to picture their favorite prospect in orange and purple.
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