In case you have been distracted by other storylines this season, the Phoenix Mercury are currently sitting at the top of the standings with the second-best record (12-4) in the league, despite the doubts of many who questioned the team's offseason moves earlier this season. Satou Sabally, who joined the Mercury as part of a massive four-team trade at the beginning of the year, is a huge factor in driving the team's success — and she is at the forefront of a movement toward more points, more shooting, and more playmaking throughout the league.
Sabally has been putting in major performances since game one, and most recently racked up 25 points and six assists in the team's game against the Liberty — all while tying her career-high seven 3 pointers and helping set a new franchise record.
It was clear at the beginning of 2025 that the Mercury were invested in cleaning up house and ushering in a new era of basketball. Brittney Griner, who was drafted to the team as the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, departed for the Atlanta Dream, and Mercury stalwart Diana Taurasi retired ahead of the beginning of the season.
The Mercury also brought in new players to complement the work of Kahleah Copper, most notably Sabally (who came from the Dallas Wings) and dominant defensive genius Alyssa Thomas (who previously spent her career with the Connecticut Sun). Coach Nate Tibbets told WNBA reporters the team would be experimenting with a kind of positionless basketball, something that took a few games to adjust to but has since paid off in spades.
Alyssa Thomas is also pushing the Mercury
In addition to Sabally, the efforts of the Mercury have been aided in large part to Thomas, who is quietly having one of the best seasons of her career. Thomas is averaging 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 9.5 assists so far this season, but more importantly, she is doing all of this without a concern for whether or not anyone is paying attention.
And while other players and teams in the league can command more attention, the Mercury have consistently out-performed nearly all of them (with or without an audience). The team is also pushing the WNBA as a league to evolve and to, frankly, just do more: bigger shots, more skill, creating more space, making plays that wouldn't have been thought of only a few seasons ago.
The team will next face the Aces Sunday evening in Las Vegas, a team they beat 76-70 when they met this month. The game will be yet another test of what the Mercury is producing this season, and it's one the team is likely to pass with flying colors.