Why The Phoenix Mercury Are Built For A Deep 2025 playoff Run
The Phoenix Mercury are demonstrating the hallmarks of a championship contender as the 2025 WNBA season progresses, notably excelling in high-pressure situations. Within the last five minutes of close games, the Mercury boast the league’s highest scoring efficiency, netting 118.1 points per 100 possessions. This success isn’t accidental; its a result of a carefully constructed offensive and defensive system, and a team fully embracing a new beliefs.
A core tenet of the Mercury’s offensive strategy, instilled by Head Coach Nikki Tibbetts, is a “paint and spray” approach. This involves aggressively attacking the paint to force defensive rotations, ultimately creating open three-point opportunities. This is supported by their statistics: the Mercury currently possess the second-highest effective field goal percentage and the second-lowest turnover rate in clutch situations. They aren’t simply slowing down when the game tightens; they accelerate, averaging the fastest pace in the WNBA during those critical minutes.
However, Tibbetts emphasizes that offensive prowess is only half the equation.The Mercury’s defensive pressure is equally crucial to their success. This is particularly evident in their rebounding, where they lead the league in defensive rebound rate in the clutch, allowing them to quickly transition to offense and wear down opponents.
Much of this conversion can be attributed to the impact of Alyssa Thomas. While her remarkable passing metrics are central to any MVP discussion, her influence on the Mercury’s defensive turnaround in a short period is equally significant.The team’s buy-in to Tibbetts’ system is a key factor. As Tibbetts explained after a recent win against Chicago, “I just think when you put a new group together, everyone has to give a little bit to get what we want. So we’re all being asked to do some things differently.”
this willingness to adapt is exemplified by forward Satou Sabally. Previously tasked with consistently creating plays,Sabally is now thriving in a role that allows her to play more off the catch and focus on finishing. Tibbetts has praised Sabally’s improved understanding of when to move off the ball, creating space and keeping the offense flowing. “I think earlier in the year, her [on-ball] usage was as high as it’s been in her career,” Tibbetts noted. “But as the season has evolved, just us moving her around to different spots, posting up mismatches, and getting her into some of our motion or split-action has been really good for her.”
As the Mercury continue to build chemistry and refine their roles, they are demonstrating the behaviors typically seen in top-flight championship contenders. With the tools for a deep playoff run already in place,their focus now shifts to securing homecourt advantage and maintaining health as the postseason approaches.
