Brianna Turner was succinct. After a 117-80 playoff loss last August that ended a 2022 campaign that was challenging in so many ways, the Phoenix Mercury forward said the season was something she never wanted to go through again.
The fact the Mercury were even in the playoffs was pretty amazing, considering all the hurdles they faced, led by center Brittney Griner‘s season-long absence as she was imprisoned in Russia from February-December 2022. Sometimes obstacles bond teams together, and sometimes they just exhaust them. The 2022 season did both for the Mercury, who finished 15-21.
Now, with the page turned for 2023, are the Mercury due for a summer in which they can just focus on basketball? And how good might Phoenix be this season?
“I am just ready to get back on the court,” said Diana Taurasi, who heads into her 19th WNBA season. “It’s a great vibe right now. I think we have a good group of characters that are pushing toward one goal. Whatever that ends up being.”
The Mercury, who went to Game 4 of the WNBA Finals in 2021…
