The Phoenix Mercury’s 2024 season has come to a close and while fingers can be pointed towards different directions of why they were swept in the first round of the playoffs, the team is excited for what the future looks like ahead.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Being swept in playoffs overshadowed adversity Mercury dealt with
Having just Diana Taurasi, Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner returning this year after last season, the Mercury had to piece together a relatively new roster and coaching staff in the offseason.
Being slammed by injuries throughout the season was arguably the biggest thing that impacted Phoenix detrimentally, with multiple, crucial players missing games and forcing constant lineup changes. Paired along with defensive miscues, setting the WNBA record for most technical fouls (35) in a season, turnovers and other issues, the inconsistency around the Mercury altered its true potential of being a possible title contender.
But after finishing a poor 9-31 last season to clinch a playoff berth given the challenges that were thrown their way, Phoenix showed promise and will look to take another step this offseason heading into 2025.
For Mercury first-year head coach Nate Tibbetts, he pointed out everything that changed from when he was hired before this season and how there are positives to take out of the campaign as a whole after an early playoff exit to the Minnesota Lynx.
“Everybody was new, the staff. We had some carry-over from the existing team, I think there were only three players from the team before. New terminology, new rhythm, new system,” Tibbetts said. “I think every time you call a timeout or call a play, those are opportunities to grow. I think we will continue to evolve, I think we have some really good pieces moving forward and obviously we need to continue to get better. This is a great league and very top-heavy with four or five teams with legitimate chances to win it. I think we have some good foundational pieces that we are excited about.”
Cloud looking forward to what 2025 has in store
Giving the Mercury a realistic chance at advancing against the Lynx, point guard Natasha Cloud was a game-changer throughout the year with her exceptional playmaking and her scoring ability coming out more and more as the season was coming to a close.
Being that sparkplug energizing her teammates with constant communication and helping them in any way she could have, Cloud instantly became a leader alongside the likes of Griner and Taurasi. In the playoffs, “Agent Zero” scored 49 points and 20 assists across two games.
Signing with Phoenix after departing from the Washington Mystics last offseason, Cloud is proud of what the team accomplished and is determined to do everything she can so the team doesn’t lose in the playoffs again.
“When I came into free agency, we talked about a two-year plan of knowing we were getting some pieces this year but this next free agency is going to be a big piece for us. We get into the season and we think we could be really good,” Cloud said. “From there, it ebbs and flows of a new season. I think people forget that we literally took a core of three, then added and plugged in a bunch of pieces. A lot of the summer was about trying to figure everyone out chemistry-wise, figuring out how we wanted to play, defensively where we were strong at.
“I am proud of us, I am proud of how we played over the past few days. I feel like this is the most connected we’ve been on both ends of the floor. Obviously we could have stepped up better defensively in a lot of instances. I am really proud of us for the year that we put together, staying the course, staying together even when s*** got a little frustrating. We know what we have in our locker room, so we’ll go into free agency and go into the offseason, go to work, we’ll get better and we are going to come back hungry next season.”
The mutual respect between Cloud and Tibbetts has grown exponentially, commending each other for what they have done to help each other numerous amount of times.
With Cloud signed for next season, she can’t wait to continue the strong bond that they formed together and achieve further success.
“Nate’s my favorite coach that I have ever played for,” Cloud said. “He has a way of being consistent, he’s a player’s coach, he will be stern on us when he needs to. I think a lot of coaches will lose their humanness in this business because if you don’t win, you know what happens, you get fired. The fact that he is able to keep his humility as just a great man, Nate is my favorite coach that I ever played for. I will run through a wall for him any day.”
Mercury swept by Lynx with 101-88 loss, historic 42-point game from Napheesa Collier
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
