WNBA: Copper, Cloud and Griner stand out for surging Mercury

Contemporary off a rollicking victory over the Dallas Wings, 100-84, the Phoenix Mercury (12-10) have three extra video games earlier than the All-Star/Olympic break, starting with a highway check towards the Indiana Fever on Friday, July 12 (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).

On the final day of June, the veteran Mercury failed to shut out the upstart Fever, permitting Indiana to flee Phoenix with a 88-82 victory. The Mercury absolutely hope to avenge that loss earlier than then reversing one other current end result towards the Connecticut Solar. Connecticut bested Phoenix 83-72 on the primary day of July. The rematch is Sunday, July 14 at Mohegan Solar Enviornment (1 p.m. ET, ABC). The Mercury then end off the primary half(ish) of the season in DC, taking up the Washington Mystics in a matinee matchup on Tuesday, July 16 (11:30 a.m. ET, League Move).

A 3-game highway journey definitely isn’t a great pre-break schedule. Nevertheless, if the workforce can construct on their three-straight wins and reel off three extra victories, there might be nothing however good emotions round Phoenix. For a workforce that entered the seasons with questions on how a lot new additions might solidify and strengthen an present infrastructure that had greater than wobbled in current seasons, a 15-10 report would current a resoundingly optimistic evaluation.

As is, there’s loads of causes for optimism in Phoenix. Listed here are three of the most important ones:

Value each penny

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Whereas pennies are product of copper, Kahleah Copper offers a lot (a lot, a lot) extra worth than one cent for the Mercury. Throughout the offseason, Phoenix swung a shocking blockbuster commerce for the 2021 Finals MVP, sacrificing the draft decide that grew to become Kamilla Cardoso, a future first-round decide and high quality function gamers, however she has been price it—after which some.

She notched her seventh recreation scoring 30 or extra factors on Wednesday, dropping 32 factors to steer the Mercury previous the Wings. All through the season, she has scored at a career-best tempo, averaging 23.0 factors per recreation, the second-best scoring mark within the league.

Copper can additional improve her worth to the Mercury by making use of her benefits extra persistently on the defensive finish. Final time Phoenix performed Indiana, she eagerly took on the Caitlin Clark project, aggressively hounding and harassing the rookie. That sort of effort might be required once more on Friday night time, in addition to all through the second half of the season.

Cloud management

Picture by Kate Frese/NBAE through Getty Photographs

For a workforce that skilled its fair proportion of turbulence in current seasons, Natasha Cloud, the Mercury’s different key offseason addition, has ensured that the skies have remained quite clear within the Valley. Whereas Copper and her explosive scoring performances might steal the headlines, Cloud has offered extra thankless, but no much less important, play for the Mercury.

She ably controls the offense, averaging a career-high 7.2 assists per recreation as she units up the likes of Copper, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner in favorable scoring conditions. She’s additionally posting profession greatest numbers in rebounds (4.4), steals (1.7) and blocks (0.6) per recreation, exerting the additional effort at the same time as she usually is tasked with guarding opponents’ energy forwards.

Cloud is also providing a number of the best scoring of her profession. Though her 3-point shot has been shaky, she persistently has cashed in contained in the arc, ending significantly successfully on the basket and from the deep midrange. She had all of it working in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks, when she completed with a career-high 31 factors, together with 9 boards, 5 assists and pair of steals and blocks.

BG is one of the best

Picture by Barry Gossage/NBAE through Getty Photographs

An enormous cause why each Copper and Cloud are compiling profession seasons: They’re taking part in alongside Brittney Griner.

As she is in her age 33 season, it was truthful to surprise if Griner would start to point out indicators of decline. Griner lacking the primary 10 video games with a foot harm solely raised additional concern about her capability to persistently be at her greatest. Effectively, Griner has assuaged any anxieties; she stays one of many best forces within the recreation.

Within the 12 video games she has performed, Phoenix is 8-4. When she’s on the court docket, the Mercury outscore their opponents by a team-best seven factors per recreation. Total, the workforce is a plus-84 in her 374 minutes of court docket time. Unsurprisingly, Griner’s presence considerably improves the workforce’s offense and protection. The Phoenix assault hums to a tune of a 110.6 offensive score with BG, whereas the defensive score is a strong 99.7 together with her on the court docket.

By way of custom stats, she’s averaging 19.7 factors and 6.7 boards per recreation, together with 1.4 blocks. And, she’s already tied her profession excessive with 9 3-points makes an attempt, making 4 of them. Two of these got here in Wednesday’s win over Dallas. Whereas she’s definitely not but one of many Mercury’s 3-point slinging sharpshooters, her proficiency from behind the arc is not not attention-grabbing.