.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
Two years ago, the Washington Mystics rallied from an 0-12 start to make the WNBA playoffs.
The Phoenix Mercury certainly don't look as if they're going to repeat the script of starting badly but roaring back to reach the postseason.
Following a limp 111-77 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Monday, the Mercury slipped to 2-8 -- and into a tie with the Connecticut Sun for the WNBA's worst record.
This comes just eight months after the Mercury played the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals.
MORE: Courtney Williams sets Lynx record by breaking Maya Moore's mark in Minnesota history
So what's gone wrong in Phoenix, especially after the Mercury tipped off 2026 with a 99-66 win over the Aces in Las Vegas?
There isn't one good answer. The Mercury's problems are multifaceted.
Phoenix has an older roster; Kahleah Copper (31), Alyssa Thomas (34) and DeWanna Bonner (38) are the team's leaders in minutes. Phoenix was one of the league's most aggressive 3-point shooting teams last year, ranking third in attempts, fifth in makes and sixth in percentage. This year -- in part due to the absence of veteran sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb -- the Mercury rank ninth, ninth and 10th respectively in those categories.
On the defensive end, the Mercury sported a top-five unit by efficiency in 2025 but have sunk to 13th in 2026, as a roster assembled on the cheap has struggled to gel around the talismanic Thomas. The drop-off has been massive: Phoenix has allowed at least 95 points four times already, and they give up 111.7 points per 100 possessions.
Most glaringly, the Mercury never waded into the market to replace All-Star forward Satou Sabally, who bolted to the New York Liberty in free agency after one year in the desert.
Sabally offered length and spacing that played into coach Nate Tibbetts' philosophy of "positionless basketball." Without Sabally, the Mercury have instead made bets on veteran rookies like Noemie Brochant and Jovana Nogic, handing outsized responsibilities to role players.
Sabally's absence -- and Thomas' lack of shooting -- has allowed teams to target Copper exclusively. The former Finals MVP is shooting a career-worst 33.7 percent from the field and just 19 percent from 3-point range.
The schedule says the Mercury have plenty of time to turn this season around. But a mismatched roster that is shockingly low on proven talent doesn't look like it's going anywhere fast -- and already, Phoenix might have to start planning for the future.
English (US)