Mercury head into offseason following roller coaster season

Persistence became a theme for the Phoenix Mercury from the offseason all the way through the team’s final game.

The team shouldered its heaviest load in the last two weeks with the news of Griner’s sentencing occurring before a road game followed by playing without its stars during the final stretch of the season.

Diana Taurasi missed nearly three weeks with a quad injury and passed the baton over to Skylar Diggins-Smith. But then Diggins-Smith missed the final week of action and the first round of the playoffs due to personal reasons.

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Once again, the Mercury had to readjust to the roster changes.

“The last 10 days, it seems like it’s been a lot longer than 10 days. Saying all that stuff was in 10 days is crazy to me because there was a lot of preparation and change and work that had to be done to prepare for playoffs and make adjustments to different lineups," Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said. "There was bringing new players and getting them up to speed. So there was a lot of things and it was a whirlwind, but I guess the season prepared us for that because we were constantly in these times of change."

Without either on the court, it made the guard-focused offense more difficult, but the grit from the remaining players, most notably Diamond DeShields, Shey Peddy, Sophie Cunningham, and Brianna Turner showed up.

Although the remaining players put on their best efforts, it eventually became too much for the team to overcome. Facing the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs wasn’t an easy task without Taurasi and Diggins-Smith, but losing Peddy to an Achilles injury in the opening game made it insurmountable.

“She’s the glue to our team and for her to hurt herself how she did, it put a dagger in everyone’s heart and it was kind of the final straw,” Cunningham said.

Peddy not only was one of the leaders on the court offensively, but was a presence that couldn't be matched.

Playing without her in Game 2 was evidently a challenge for the Mercury as it lost one of its best on-ball perimeter defenders. The Aces took advantage and made a WNBA-record 23 3-pointers in the game.

“Shey is one of those teammates who shows up with a smile on her face. She’s refreshing, she’s great to be around. Shey never has a bad day. Even if she is having a bad day, she still shows up and is a pro. I think she’s everyone’s favorite on the team," Cunningham said.

Injuries plagued the team from the beginning with Kia Nurse inactive the whole season and unable to return from an ACL injury suffered in the 2021 playoffs. Taurasi's injury late in the season broke her active streak of being the only starter to start in every game.

With all the movement from injuries this season, it gave opportunities to players like Kaela Davis, who caught the attention of the league.

Davis had to step into Peddy's role in Saturday's game and delivered with a career high 23 points and six rebounds.

“Individually, it was huge for me. I’ve been in the gym just working on my individual self and trying to get better and improve. To be able to have an opportunity to go out and showcase on that platform in a playoff game on ESPN, that meant a lot to me," Davis said.

The forward was initially signed by the Mercury on July 21 on a seven-day contract, but was brought back three times when the Mercury needed extra help on the bench.

It wasn't an understatement that the Mercury consistently changed its roster. Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said there were 31 contracts signed this season.

The team wasn't spared a healthy lineup often in the season and Saturday became the final breath of the Mercury's emotional marathon.

"When I look at the injury report that we had for this last game and we had basically a potential starting five not with us," Pitman said. "That we were able to somehow manage to get through with four replacement contracts and still be a playoff team, I'm really proud of that."

Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury head into offseason following roller coaster season