What does the Phoenix Mercury Need From Brittney Griner as They Await Diana Taurasi's Return?
The team came into the season looking for more balance. Now, they have a new challenge.
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The WNBA bubble was not easy for most players. For the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner, it proved to be too much. The six-time All-Star appeared in 12 of her team’s regular-season games before she unceremoniously departed from the league’s contained environment in Florida, leaving her team to complete the rest of their 22-game season without her.
At the time, the team simply cited “personal reasons.” Since that time, Griner has spoken to several reporters, including Jeff Metcalfe of the Arizona Republic, about seeking help after she left.
"I definitely used counseling a lot when I left,” Griner told Metcalfe. “It's helped me out tremendously. I think more people should be open to talking about mental health issues and finding that centerpiece with themselves. It's done wonders for me. I'm at a place now where I feel amazing.”
Griner will need to continue to draw on that strength because her importance to the Mercury might be greater than ever since the injury to Diana Taurasi.
The team announced on Tuesday that Taurasi would be out for four to six weeks with a small fracture to her sternum. She suffered the injury during the May 16 game at Connecticut but played in two additional games before the diagnosis. For a team that was already short-handed, it will put more pressure on those healthy enough to take the court.
“It’s definitely a joint effort,” Griner said. “Every year, it seems like something. It’s just one of those things where it’s like, ‘Damn! Not this.” But it could be worse.”
Before the season, the Mercury were focused on becoming more balanced. Last year, they spent a season in flux as they attempted to get to know each other and deal with injuries and absences. This year was supposed to be the year they put it together and Griner was expected to be a big part of that.
“I think that's the one thing that when I look at our roster,” Taurasi said at the team’s preseason media day. “If we can become a more balanced team offensively and defensively, then we have a much better chance of getting to where we want to go. And we all know what BG can do when she comes here focused and ready to go. She's the most unstoppable force in our game...She looks amazing after her Russian season. She looks strong, fit. You know, it's up to BG what she wants to do. When she's on her game, she makes us one of the best teams in the league.”
Griner’s numbers this season illustrate the balance Taurasi spoke of. While they have been down on the offensive side of the court, her defensive and rebounding numbers have picked up a notch in the early going.
In her 12 appearances last season, Griner scored 17.7 points per game. That was her lowest scoring average since she had 14.5 PPG in 2016. She also had her lowest rebounding average since 2016 with 7.2 RPG. On defense, her 1.8 blocks per game were the lowest in her career.
Through the first four games this year, the reduced scoring has continued. In fact, it’s down even more in 2021 to just 13.2 PPG on a career-low 42.9 shooting percentage.
The improvements have come in other parts of her game. Griner has stepped up on the boards, which has been an area of concern for her and the team in the past. Her 7.8 RPG will be the third-highest mark in her career if she can maintain it over the season. Her 3.0 blocks per game match the third-highest in her time in the WNBA.
The balance that Taurasi referred to is important for the team as a whole, but it’s of extra importance to the frontcourt. Over the past two years, Griner has been adapting to playing alongside Brianna Turner, who seemed to have been slotted into the role of defender and rebounder while the offensive load fell to Griner.
This season, Turner is having her best year offensively with 8.8 PPG while Griner has lifted her game on defense and the boards. The pair has had double-doubles in two of their four games.
That doesn’t mean that the rebounding issues have completely disappeared for the Mercury. In their last outing, the team was out-rebounded 48-24 by the Connecticut Sun. Cierra Burdick had almost as many rebounds (4) in under seven minutes as Griner and Turner (5 each) did with both playing at least 30. It was an aberration for Turner, but Griner has had games with four and five rebounds to go along with her two double-doubles this season.
“We have to clean up the boards,” Taurasi said. “And that's a team effort. That's five guys on the court wanting the ball more than the other team.”
Now comes the real test. Phoenix needs Griner’s improved rebounding to continue. With Taurasi out, they likely need her to increase her scoring, as well. The team has to find a lot of point production somewhere as their leader sits on the sidelines.
“Every year, it seems like something,” Griner said.
In the first four games, Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Mercury with 16.5 PPG while Taurasi was close behind with 15.8. Griner’s 13.2 PPG gave them a third player averaging double figures in scoring. Now they must find Taurasi’s points somewhere else while also making up for her 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest.
No single player can make up for all of the things that Taurasi does, but Griner has proven that she can be a scoring machine. She is just two years removed from a three-year streak of scoring over 20 PPG.
“Everybody’s got to do just a little bit more, little bit more,” Griner said. “Everybody bring just another 10 percent and we’re good.”
At least it’s not a new experience for the team.
“A team that something like this has never happened to, I can see them scrambling, not knowing what to do,” Griner said. “But for us, unfortunately, we’ve had this happen. Somebody goes down, somebody’s not here, and we just step in and keep it going.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Mercury as they have to try to keep it going against another title contender when they face the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday.
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