The latest installment in our series detailing where WNBA teams stand heading into the upcoming offseason and 2025, this time covering the Phoenix Mercury
Do you have any thoughts about the differences between the WNBA game and NBA game, and how Tibbetts did or didn't adjust? And does it make sense to expect him to be better next year as he adjusts to those differences, or is the gap wide enough to take a long time to bridge?
Appreciate this context about Tibbetts’s growing pains in terms of adjusting to coaching in the W, where it’s a different game than the NBA. As someone who doesn’t watch the men, I found this enlightening and helpful!
I feel like the Tibbets situation is interesting because the team didn't really succeed in playing the style of basketball he prefers (NBA-style 4-out smallball) and a losing record with such a veteran roster is always a bad look, but the players seem to love playing for him. And for a team that's had such atrocious vibes for a couple of seasons, his firing might not go over well in the locker room.
I figure he gets at least one more season to figure things out.
Do you have any thoughts about the differences between the WNBA game and NBA game, and how Tibbetts did or didn't adjust? And does it make sense to expect him to be better next year as he adjusts to those differences, or is the gap wide enough to take a long time to bridge?
Appreciate this context about Tibbetts’s growing pains in terms of adjusting to coaching in the W, where it’s a different game than the NBA. As someone who doesn’t watch the men, I found this enlightening and helpful!
I feel like the Tibbets situation is interesting because the team didn't really succeed in playing the style of basketball he prefers (NBA-style 4-out smallball) and a losing record with such a veteran roster is always a bad look, but the players seem to love playing for him. And for a team that's had such atrocious vibes for a couple of seasons, his firing might not go over well in the locker room.
I figure he gets at least one more season to figure things out.
One reason they didn't have success is that they didn't have that many really good players. Talent always makes coaches look smarter.
You're not wrong. Roster's real thin.