Mercury star says club ahead of where it was when camp opened in 2020,
The Mercury have nine returners from a 13-9 team that reached the second round of the WNBA playoffs in a season played entirely in Bradenton, Florida, due to COVID. They added Kia Nurse and Megan Walker in a February trade and only have salary cap room for 11 on their final roster.
Even with only eight players cleared for COVID and fully healthy on the first day of training camp Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury are “way ahead of where we were last year,” per no less of an expert than 17th-year guard Diana Taurasi.
That’s largely because Taurasi is going into her second season with running mate Skylar Diggins-Smith after both made All-WNBA second team in 2020. And that the two of them spent much of the last five months in Phoenix working out together at the Suns/Mercury new $45-million practice facility.
They also participated in a recent USA Basketball training camp during the NCAA Tournament Final Four as lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics with that 12-player team still to be selected.
“I built great chemistry with Diggs last year,” Taurasi said. “It was a pleasure to play with her. Her competitive spirit just rubs off on everyone. We’ve been here all offseason training together, every single day so we’re really familiar with each other, our tendencies, our personalities. We respect each other and just know the things that make us go. Hopefully that summer can translate into more wins and to getting where we want to go.”
The Mercury have nine returners from a 13-9 team that reached the second round of the WNBA playoffs in a season played entirely in Bradenton, Florida, due to COVID. They added Kia Nurse and Megan Walker in a February trade and only have salary cap room for 11 on their final roster.
Competition to unseat someone will be intense between now and the start of the regular season May 14.
Those available Sunday in addition to Taurasi and Diggins-Smith were Nurse, returner Alanna Smith, draft pick Ciera Johnson and camp signees Sara Blicavs, Tiana Mangakahia and Akela Maize.
Others here but not participating were Bria Hartley, Sophie Cunningham, Cierra Burdick and Avery WarleyTalbert. Hartley is not yet full go coming back from major knee surgery, Cunningham and Burdick are awaiting their final COVID clearance and Warley-Talbert sat out due to an ankle injury.
Those not yet in the country after their international seasons are Brittney Griner, Brianna Turner, Kia Vaughn, Shey Peddy and Walker. Spanish guard Marta Xargay also has yet to arrive.
“With having more continuity and having Diana, Skylar and Bria here right from the get go certainly helps and allows us to progress,” coach Sandy Brondello said. “You saw the chemistry they built last year has already carried over. That’s what it takes. All the players are really similar so now it’s about reading defenses and understanding how each other plays. We’ve taken a step in the right direction bringing as many players from last year back.”
Hartley’s right knee injury was Aug. 28 and her surgery three weeks later on Sept. 18.
Now seven months later, she is doing individual drills but not fully cleared for up and down team practice.
“She’s moving quite well,” Brondello said. “She probably won’t be ready for the start of the season, but she’s progressing nicely. You see her sprinting on the court, she’s changing direction, now she just needs time to keep building up strength and confidence in that knee. But she looks good. Her shooting really hasn’t deterred. Game conditioning will take the longest. There’s no time frame. We’re going to bring her back when we feel she’s 100 percent. Hopefully that’s sooner than later, but only time will tell.”
WNBA career scoring leader Taurasi, who turns 39 in June, is in “unbelievable shape,” Brondello said, even though she no longer plays in Russia during the WNBA offseason.
“It almost becomes harder when you don’t play overseas,” Taurasi said. “It’s easy to take a week here, go on vacation, not do anything for a couple of days and those days add up. So every single day I’m in the gym. I’ve had a great supporting cast here. Every single day you try to get a little bit better. You have days where you don’t see the end of the tunnel. It’s your due diligence and tough work and it pays off when the first day of practice happens and you feel like you’re in shape for the season.”