Sug Sutton determined to help Mercury win, taking defense ‘to another level’

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The Phoenix Mercury are set to begin their preseason slate in almost 24 hours from now, and players will be fighting for their spots on the roster before opening night of the 2024 regular season.

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Signed to a training camp deal in February, guard Sug Sutton is back for year two in Phoenix off of a 2023 campaign in which she became a starter. The Missouri native played in all 40 games last year, averaging 8.2 points, 4.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Mercury’s Secret Weapon

After impressing during her first season as a member of the Mercury, Sutton wants to build off of what she had done and continue to get better with the players around her.

With Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner and others on the team, Sutton is confident she will be able to do so.

“I am keeping my confidence and I had a really good year last year and I am just building off of that,” Sutton said. “We have some really great players and some vets that have come in, so I have to kind of switch my role and I am super thankful to be able to learn from them.

“I think one of my biggest goals this season is trying to give these scorers the ball,” Sutton said. “As a point guard, one of my dreams is to pass the ball and be able to pass to my teammates that are able to score. That is something that I have always loved to do. You’ve seen my scoring last season, I am still going to bring scoring but I am super excited to make plays for these players that we have all around us.”

Sutton was the final pick (36th overall) of the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics. The Mystics waived her after she completed her first season in the league.

The Texas product was not in the WNBA for two seasons after being waived before signing her first training camp deal with Phoenix before last year. She did so well at the camp that she made the Mercury’s opening night roster.

New Season, New Energy

While she was in Washington, she spent some time as a teammate with the Mercury’s big-named free agent signing, Natasha Cloud.

Reuniting with Cloud once again, Sutton is elated over the fact that she will play with someone she knows can help guide her to elevate her play on the court.

“It’s been exciting, there’s a lot of energy and just being a part of this team, trying to mirror what Tash is doing on the floor, I am super thankful to play under her again,” Sutton said. “I was with her in Washington, but we didn’t have that much time to work together and in training camp. Now I am here and she is here and it is just amazing to see everything come together again. I am super excited for the season because I get to play behind Tash, DT [Diana Taurasi] and just some amazing guards that we have here.”

Breaking out as a scoring threat last season, Sutton is considered to be a secret weapon that other teams could underestimate.

Even though she has the tools to be offensively sound, she believes her hard work and dedication on the defensive side of the ball will pay dividends when it comes down to how the Mercury looks to operate this season.

“For me, my defense is a work-in-progress but this year, I have taken it to another level,” Sutton said. “I think with my defense and the energy that we bring every single day, it starts with our defense and our point guard. I think one of our weapons this season is going to be our defense. Our defense is going to set the tone, and allow us to get whatever we want on offense. So that’s the goal coming into the season that all of our guards apply to the court so that this season we can just go out and run. Teams will be scared to go up against us because we are going to bring that heat every, single day.”

Tip-off of the Mercury’s 2024 preseason begins on Tuesday night when they clash with the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. PT.

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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini