On July 17, the Connecticut Sun traded for Marina Mabrey, receiving her from the Chicago Sky in exchange for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and a future second-round pick.
Nearly one month later, the Sun finally got to see how Mabrey—acquired for her abilities as a shooter, isolation scorer and playmaker—would amplify Connecticut’s existing core in their chase for the franchise’s first championship. As general manager Darius Taylor said upon Mabrey’s arrival:
We are extremely excited to welcome Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun. She is a player that we feel will give us the extra edge to compete for a championship this year. She brings a competitive spirit and scorer’s mentality along with an ability to make big plays. I believe Stephanie and her staff will be able to utilize Marina in many ways as we start the second half of our season and continue our quest for our first title.
So, five games in, how is the Mabrey era working out for the Sun?
Uneven experimentation with the Sun’s new top six
Mabrey’s Connecticut debut, which came against one of her former teams in the Dallas Wings, nearly flawlessly fulfilled the team’s vision. She scored an efficient 17 points as a starter, highlighted by a 3-for-5 effort from 3. She also added four assists as…
