Mercury Replace: Boosted by the return of Brittney Griner, can Phoenix stand up the standings?

After shedding 5 of six video games, the Phoenix Mercury (6-6) have responded with two-straight wins, squeaking out a last-second win over the Minnesota Lynx and a double-overtime victory over the Dallas Wings.

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix escaped their rut and reached .500 when—lastly—capable of sport their meant beginning lineup, as Brittney Griner made her season debut after being sidelined by a foot damage since coaching camp and Rebecca Allen returned to the court docket after lacking 5 video games whereas in concussion protocol.

Thursday night time, the Mercury play their ultimate Commissioner’s Cup sport, internet hosting the Las Vegas Aces (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video). If Phoenix wins and the Seattle Storm lose their sport in Dallas, the Mercury will symbolize the Western Convention within the Commissioner’s Cup Championship, assembly the New York Liberty in Brooklyn on June 25.

Let’s check out Phoenix’s three American Olympians for some causes for purple-and-orange optimism.

BG’s again!

In her season debut towards Minnesota, Griner performed simply 21 minutes, scoring 11 factors and grabbing 4 boards. Nonetheless, Griner was a plus-13 within the one-point win, a sign of the constructive energy of her presence. That presence proved extra highly effective and productive when Phoenix downed Dallas in double time beyond regulation. Ramping as much as 39 minutes, Griner dropped an environment friendly 24 factors, along with 9 boards and 5 assists. She additionally was a plus-12, the second-highest plus-minus on the staff.

That the Mercury have outscored their opponents by double digits of their two wins with Griner ought to allay any issues about how she may match with the extra uptempo fashion the staff embraced in her absence. Whereas the pattern measurement is small, Phoenix’s video games with Griner have been amongst their slower paced contests, an indication that the squad is ready to adapt to amplify their greatest participant’s strengths. As soon as Griner will get much more court docket time together with her new teammates, anticipate her affect solely to extend.

DT’s nonetheless bought (sufficient) it

Though widely-considered one in every of ladies’s basketball’s GOATs, Diana Taurasi didn’t make Swish Enchantment’s WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy. The truth is, she didn’t obtain a single vote. Is DT extra DisrespecTed than the Connecticut Solar?

Taurasi’s season captures the conundrum offered by an ageing all-time nice. The highs can nonetheless be fairly excessive, however they arrive much less usually, sprinkled amongst inconsistent, inefficient nights. As an example, Taurasi scored a season-high 31 factors, propelled by a 7-for-9 efficiency from behind the arc, in Phoenix’s June 2 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Two nights later, she scored simply seven factors in a loss to the Seattle Storm, going 3-for-12 from the sector with no luck from 3.

In brief, it’s exhausting to know what to anticipate from the now 42-year-old Taurasi, which not solely makes evaluating such a participant tough, but additionally, and extra importantly, makes constructing sport plans round her a problem. Thankfully for Phoenix, the specter of her scoring stays sturdy sufficient that opposing defenses nonetheless should intently account for her. So even when she supplies little affect past her up-and-down scoring output, as Natasha Cloud now instructions the facilitation position that Taurasi occupied for previous Phoenix squads, the prospect of a classic DT outburst retains defenses trustworthy and opens up alternatives for different members of the Mercury. Like Kahleah Copper…

Kah retains cooking

For as essential as Griner’s return has been to Phoenix’s two-straight victories, the wins wouldn’t have come if not for Copper. After a scorching begin to the season, Copper had cooled through the Mercury’s slide. However’s she heating again up. Towards the Storm, Copper not solely scored 34 factors, her third sport of greater than 30 factors this season, however she additionally drilled the game-winning 3-pointer with below a second remaining.

Within the time beyond regulation victory over the Wings, Copper logged 44 minutes and lead the staff with 29 factors. In each video games, she had her 3-ball working, dropping 5 triples on Seattle and 4 on Dallas. For the season, she’s making almost 40 p.c of her 3s on a career-high 7.4 makes an attempt per sport. She’s additionally continued to get to the road for a career-best 5.8 free throws per sport. Her 24 factors per sport are additionally a profession excessive, in addition to the third-best mark within the league.

Though she is exceeding her previous marks, Copper’s output doesn’t really feel unsustainable. Though she is a streaky participant, nobody can cool her off when she’s working scorching. And as she establishes extra chemistry together with her still-new teammates, and Griner particularly, it’s straightforward to examine Copper persevering with to cook dinner.