For the first time since 2012, the Phoenix Mercury did not make the WNBA playoffs. A 9-31 record also gave the 2023 Mercury the worst winning percentage in the franchise’s 27-year history.
Here’s a look at what went right, what went wrong and what’s next for Phoenix:
What went right?
Not much.
But one, very important thing did go right: Brittney Griner was back in the United States and back on the basketball court. Regardless of all the many ways the Phoenix season was a disappointment, the presence of Griner makes it a success. Although the Mercury would fall to the Chicago Sky, the home opener, when Griner returned to the floor in Phoenix for the first time, arguably was the season’s high point.
A close second? The night Diana Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 points. The 41-year-old Taurasi dropped a regular-season career-high 42 points as she surpassed the 10,000-point barrier, and the Mercury treated the fans in Footprint Center to a rare, dominant victory.
Last night, Diana Taurasi become the first WNBA player ever to reach 10,000…
