Since she was drafted in the WNBA by the Indiana Fever in February, Phoenix Mercury rookie Celeste Taylor’s first year as a pro has been a rollercoaster, especially for the past two weeks.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Battling through uncertainty, adversity
A few months after the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Fever waived Taylor before she was signed with the Mercury on July 12. Her seven-day contract then expired on Aug. 16 which led to her joining the Connecticut Sun a few hours later. Playing just two games for the Sun, her time with them ran out as Phoenix wound up signing Taylor again to a second, seven-day deal.
While it may be different for others to comprehend not having a stable home, Taylor’s collegiate career gives her experience in handling uncertainty about where she will be playing.
She originally began at Texas for her freshman and sophomore years (2019-21), played two seasons for Duke (2021-23) and finished at Ohio State before declaring for this year’s draft.
Dealing with so much uncertainty for the past few years, the 5-foot-11 guard has demonstrated her mental toughness to persevere throughout the process.
“Yeah, it’s definitely tough,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely not something that a lot of rookies this season have gone through. People are always telling me like, ‘Your journey is your own journey’ and I think I have taken that along the way. Definitely some times are tough, you don’t necessarily know if you have a permanent spot a lot of the times, especially in the W. All you can do is be who you are and work hard. I have been trying to keep that going.
“It’s definitely tough when you are leaving an organization that I was with for a couple months and coming on a seven-day knowing that I have to leave or there is a potential spot for me somewhere else. Just going out there and exploring my options because, thankfully, I am blessed to have those options of going to a team the next day for another seven days. Just trying to stay focused. It is definitely hard sometimes, but my parents are constantly talking to me and I have great people around me.”
“Your journey is your own journey.”
Our @AlecCipollini asked Phoenix Mercury rookie Celeste Taylor (@_celeste620) about how she is handling the past few weeks mentally with moving from team to team.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #AtlantaDream pic.twitter.com/AfLc9GlEiu
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) August 24, 2024
Taylor, Mercury excited for reunion
In her first game back as a Mercury on Friday, the New York native scored a career-high nine points against the Atlanta Dream and defended against anyone coach Nate Tibbetts instructed her to guard.
For Tibbetts and the coaching staff, they were impressed by Taylor during her first stint with Phoenix and are pumped that she returned.
“We’re really excited to have her back,” Tibbetts said. “I think the staff, the front office, all the coaches liked what they saw in her time here. Because of roster management, we had to let her seven-day [contract] expire to get Mo [Monique Billings]. We’re just excited for her to be a part of this team moving forward.”
Not only are the coaches or the front office happy for Taylor, but Mercury legend Diana Taurasi spoke highly of the 23-year-old.
“I love that Celeste is here,” Taurasi said. “I think she has made such an impression on our team, and really any team she has been on. She works her tail off, she comes in with the right attitude, she finds a way to affect the game every time she comes in… She has a bright future ahead of her and we’re happy that she is wearing our jersey.”
The Mercury will have to decide later next week whether they want to re-sign Taylor or let her go and she becomes a free agent once again. Billings is also on a seven-day contract and hers is set to expire soon, so things will get interesting as to what Phoenix will end up doing with both of them.
A team can sign a player to a seven-day contract up to three times in a single season. If Taylor is somebody the Mercury wants to keep beyond her current deal, they can either sign her to one last seven-day or for the rest of the season, assuming that they don’t exceed the salary cap.
Even though there are multiple scenarios of what will happen when that time comes, Taylor is thankful for another shot with the Mercury, is taking everything day by day and is solely focused on playing basketball to the best of her ability.
“It’s been great, it’s great to be back in a great organization,” Taylor said after her return. “I really enjoyed my time here for my first seven-day [contract], and so for them to have me back feels great. They do a great job, they have great vets on the team, great teammates all the way down the line. It feels great to be back.”
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
