Compared to any other franchise this offseason, the Phoenix Mercury entered a completely new era. Diana Taurasi made the decision to retire and Brittney Griner joined the Atlanta Dream.
As those big names left, the holes were filled with big names in their own right. Trading for Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to join up with the lone star remaining on the roster in Kahleah Copper made for major headlines but resources were depleted. That is where the incredibly impressive front office strategy from the Mercury comes in.
The secret depth of the Mercury
Due to the lack of capital to trade and cap space to offer, the Phoenix Mercury had to get very creative with the way the built around their big three of Thomas, Copper, and Sabally. This meant going to find diamonds in the roughest of roughs that fit the playstyle that Head Coach Nate Tibbetts was looking to deploy.
This meant going to find as much shooting as you could find for as cheap as you could get it. Enter in the names you might have never heard of, but are currently playing massive roles in the Mercury being fourth in the WNBA standings.
Players such as the 29-year-old rookie Kathyrn Westbeld who has been able to work as a floor spacer while standing at 6'3". Or rookie Lexie Held who is putting up five threes per game. The Mercury even went international with French rookie Monique Akoa Makani who has started every game for Phoenix so far.
These are examples of players that have yet to be given a true opportunity in the WNBA to play a major role and yet here they are. And it isn't that they are putting up insane stats, even though it has come to feel like each game there is a high likelihood that one of these lesser known players has an impactful game, but it is how they are aiding the stars.
Kahleah Copper is just returning from injury having just returned to the lineup during the Mercury's previous game. Frankly, seeing Copper go down with an injury during preseason and be out for an extended period of time, it was easy to write this Phoenix team off until she returned. However, both Sabally and Thomas have been incredible in large part due to the system and players around them.
Satou Sabally's importance to this team, amongst other reasons, is her shot volume. While the role players have been impressive, none of them are players you particularly want putting up 15 or more shots a game. Enter Sabally. A true three level scorer that is completely comfortable scoring anywhere on the court. She can make plays for her teammates and handle the ball as well. She’s truly an offensive engine all on her own. The spacing afforded to her by her teammates and the Mercury's ball movement which is good enough to average 19.8 assists per game allows her to be the offensive player she is with no shame.
Alyssa Thomas is not a shooter, but she does love having them around her. Thomas has a special ability to draw in the attention from the defense as she drives to the basket and kick out to the role players along the perimeter. You add that into the way that Thomas' effort and switching ability elevates the team defense, which is currently second in the WNBA in steals per game with 8.8, you have the perfect star to elevate the rest of the roster.
This is a roster that is completely brand new outside of Copper and Natasha Mack. It would have been understandable to need time to gel, especially with this team being home to several first time WNBA players, yet here they stand at fourth in the WNBA. Most of the stats and accolades will go the big names, especially as Copper gets comfortable, but the fact that this team is winning like it is serves as a testament to the underrated depth that is being deployed by Phoenix.