The Phoenix Mercury have had their fair share of injuries this season, but in their time fully healthy, they’ve played their best basketball yet.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix is 4-1 in its last five games, all of which saw the team fully healthy for the first time all season. Brittney Griner and Bec Allen had returned from their respective injuries on Friday, June 7 against the Lynx, and the Mercury have flourished since.
Unfortunately, injury has struck the Mercury once again. Backup guard Sug Sutton will miss Saturday’s contest with a hamstring injury — one that head coach Nate Tibbetts doesn’t see as severe but also doesn’t want to risk worsening.
Phoenix has dealt with this type of adversity already, and Tibbetts stays prepared for moments like these. He discussed how he’s instilled a ‘next woman up’ mentality, discussing his ‘stay-ready lineup’.
"I want our players on the roster to feel like they are making an impact."
Our @LaCertosaSports asked Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts about the "next player up" mentality the team has with Sug Sutton out injured.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #LynxRecognize pic.twitter.com/nyXrCzCHGm
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 22, 2024
“I want our players on the roster to feel like they’re making an impact,” said Tibbetts. “You don’t know when your time is going to come, I think our staff has done a great job with the individual workouts. But again, I mentioned our practice players and what they’ve done. We’ve got a stay-ready group, which is [Natasha] Mack, Liz [Dixon], Charisma [Osborne], Kiki [Herbert Harrigan], and even Sug [Sutton] when she’s healthy. When our veterans are having a light practice, those five players if Sutton can’t go, they’re playing four-on-four or five-on-five and those are opportunities for them to continue to improve and be ready for these moments.”
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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports
