2015 Regular-Season Record: 20-14 (2nd in Western Conference)
Postseason: Defeated Tulsa Shock 2-0 in Western Conference Semifinals, Lost to Minnesota Lynx 2-0 in Western Conference Finals
After fielding one of the most dominant teams in WNBA history in 2014, not many gave the defending champion Phoenix Mercury much of a chance this season. They headed into 2015 severely handicapped by player absences not related to injury: superstar wing duo Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor had decided to take the season off to rest their aging bodies, and center Brittney Griner was to serve a seven-game suspension for her role in the messy domestic violence case with her then-fiancée Glory Johnson.
As if missing three Olympians wasn’t bad enough, the Mercury had a near complete overhaul of their guard corps. In addition to Taurasi taking the season off, Shay Murphy would miss the season with a torn ACL, and Erin Phillips departed in free agency to play for the Los Angeles Sparks. Phoenix made a flurry of free-agent signings to make up for this, inking Monique Currie, Noelle Quinn and Leilani Mitchell to contracts and drafting defensive specialist Alex Harden out of Wichita State. But as any basketball coach will tell you, it’s hard to form chemistry between so many new players in such short order.
Bluntly, reigning Coach of the Year Sandy Brondello made it look easy. Granted, Griner’s absence early on meant the Mercury were without an irreplaceable shot-blocker and rim protector, and they got off to a mediocre 4-5 start in June as Brondello tried everything in her repertoire to get her new pieces to jell as quickly as possible.
Fans started seeing results in July, though, when Phoenix began the month winning five straight and then started another five-game winning streak heading into August. In addition to getting Griner back into the swing of things, DeWanna Bonner had settled comfortably into her role of the team’s go-to option. Though she struggled with her shot at times, she led the team in both scoring and assists, and at 6’4” could guard all three perimeter positions.
Factor in the ever-steady Candice Dupree at PF and a pair of foreign gems in stretch 5 Cayla Francis and combo guard Marta Xargay, and under Brondello’s superb coaching, the Mercury were still able to secure a 20-14 record and the West’s second seed heading into the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, they ended the season as one of the WNBA’s top defensive teams, finishing as the only team in the league to hold opponents to below 50 percent shooting in the restricted area (having the best shot-blocker the league has ever seen will do that for you).
Combined with their patient, balanced offensive attack, the Mercury were able to easily dispatch the Tulsa Shock in the first round of the playoffs. Though they lost to the rival Minnesota Lynx in the conference finals, 2015 was without a doubt a success for the Phoenix Mercury, as they were able to remain plenty competitive without their stars, while keeping themselves in a good enough position for when those stars return this year.
Biggest Need Heading Into 2016: Health of stars, frontcourt depth
This is fairly simple: with Griner, Taurasi, Taylor, Bonner and Dupree all on the floor together, the Mercury were nearly impossible to best on either end of the court in 2014. The versatility of the three perimeter players also allowed Brondello to stagger her rotations in a way that left at least one matchup problem on the court at any one time.
So, the obvious answer to this question is that the Mercury need all of those players back and healthy. Taylor in particular has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons, but her skill and intelligence helped her game mature effectively, while Taurasi is a perennial MVP candidate who’s undoubtedly the heart and soul of the Mercury franchise. While it’s easier said than done to keep players in their mid-30s performing at their peak throughout an entire season, the players in question here will still probably be an instant and very significant upgrade if they’re able to stay on the court.
As far as roster improvement goes, Griner’s importance to the Mercury cannot be understated, but they could use a quality backup to keep her minutes low and be the type of frontcourt player who does all the dirty work defensively and on the boards. For all of Griner’s game-changing strengths, only once in her three seasons in the WNBA so far has she appeared in the league’s top 10 rebounding percentage rankings (eighth in DREB% in 2015), which for a player who’s 6’8” is a little underwhelming.
The team’s 2015 first-round pick Isabelle Harrison could be the perfect fit in this area. Though she missed last season with an ACL injury of her own, she became known at Tennessee for her rebounding tenacity and high energy levels, which would help the Mercury bench immensely.
Still, as long as Phoenix has their big 3 (or big 4…or big 5…) back for 2016, they should be right back in the mix for the championship, regardless of what happens with their second unit. The question until then will be whether or not those players can stay together and repeat the same magic they found two seasons ago.