WNBA: How the return of Brittney Griner boosts the Phoenix Mercury

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—in a position to sport their meant beginning lineup, as Brittney Griner made her season debut after being sidelined by a foot harm since coaching camp and Rebecca Allen returned to the court docket after lacking 5 video games whereas in concussion protocol.

Thursday evening, the Mercury play their remaining 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 characterize 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 in opposition to 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 optimistic energy of her presence. That presence proved extra highly effective and productive when Phoenix downed Dallas in double extra time. 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 workforce.

That the Mercury have outscored their opponents by double digits of their two wins with Griner ought to allay any issues about how she would possibly match with the extra uptempo model the workforce 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 along with her new teammates, anticipate her affect solely to extend.

DT’s nonetheless obtained (sufficient) it

Though widely-considered certainly one of ladies’s basketball’s GOATs, Diana Taurasi didn’t make Swish Attraction’s WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy. In actual fact, she didn’t obtain a single vote. Is DT extra DisrespecTed than the Connecticut Solar?

Taurasi’s season captures the conundrum introduced by an ageing all-time nice. The highs can nonetheless be fairly excessive, however they arrive much less typically, sprinkled amongst inconsistent, inefficient nights. As an illustration, 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 sphere with no luck from 3.

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

Kah retains cooking

For as vital 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 throughout the Mercury’s slide. However’s she heating again up. In opposition to 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 beneath a second remaining.

Within the extra time victory over the Wings, Copper logged 44 minutes and lead the workforce 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 practically 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.

Although 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 operating scorching. And as she establishes extra chemistry along with her still-new teammates, and Griner specifically, it’s straightforward to examine Copper persevering with to prepare dinner.