Phoenix Mercury season in review: Year of constant obstacles ends with playoff appearance

No one could have predicted the course of the 2022 season for the Phoenix Mercury.

Back in early February, the team looked poised to return to the WNBA Finals for a second straight year after General Manager Jim Pitman pulled off two massive additions, landing Diamond DeShields via trade and Tina Charles in free agency.

The enviable depth brought by those two players bolstered a core group led by playoff heroes Shey Peddy and Sophie Cunningham, along with the faces of the franchise: Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner.

But then the unimaginable happened. When news broke of Griner's detainment while trying to rejoin her Russian team, putting her return to the U.S. in jeopardy, the Mercury's season of uncertainty began.

Griner's absence all season forced the team to redesign its playing style. And even when the team tried to work with the rest of its depth, it ended the season shorthanded for a number of reasons. First, there was Charles, who started off at center but her time in Phoenix was short-lived after she left through a contract divorce in late June.

It took time for the team to adjust to a smaller lineup that emphasized the play of its star guards Taurasi and Diggins-Smith. But with Brianna Turner moving from power forward to center and Cunningham shifting from small forward to power forward, the team started to find its bearings and make a strong case for the postseason.

The Mercury have heard numerous times of how resilient their group is. It's especially true, and impressive, considering first-year head coach Vanessa Nygaard was able to lead her team to the postseason even after once sky-high hopes vanished.

"Considering what happened, I'm really proud of how resilient our players were and what we were able to achieve and those big wins we got towards the end especially," Nygaard said.

Now, with the season completed following a first round exit to the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces, the Mercury go into the offseason hoping to regroup mentally and physically.

Playing with Brittney Griner in mind

There were constant reminders of Griner's absence and trials everywhere the Mercury turned this season.

Support for Griner was appreciated by the team, but it was also mentally taxing. From Griner's detention being extended at the beginning of the season, to her conviction on drug charges and subsequent nine-year prison sentence, the Mercury were constantly checking updates while also preparing for games.

For those who came to the Mercury during the season, the daily obstacles the team went through became their own reality quickly. Kaela Davis, who first joined the team on July 21, didn't fully understand the impact of Griner's absence until she saw how much her teammates were affected.

“It’s what you would expect coming from a situation where there’s so many things you can’t control. You can’t control this BG situation, I think that’s the most frustrating part. You want to do something, but there’s nothing we can really do," Davis said. "At the same time, we still have practices, we still have games, we still have to focus in on all these aspects. It’s frustrating, but that’s why it’s hats off to them to be able to go through a whole season and make playoffs and have a season they did.”

On the court, Turner had to play in Griner's place instead of continuing the chemistry the two had built over the years. Playing without Griner was hard on Turner, but it was made even harder when she would receive continued criticism on social media about Griner.

“It was definitely hard, but it was good to see BG’s name out there with all the courts saying BG 42 and a lot of teams wearing her shirts," Turner said. "It was good to see her name was trending as it should be. It was sometimes hard when we’d get asked questions, different people were giving their opinions on social media, they might not necessarily be accurate. I’m glad that her name is out there and attention she can get in the media and us wearing shirts is good, even if it is tough, it needs to be done and said."

More: Dennis Rodman wants to help free Brittney Griner from Russia: 'I know Putin too well'

Several developments in securing Griner's release have been made over the last few weeks, including former NBA player Dennis Rodman telling a news outlet over the weekend that he is going to attempt to go to Russia this week to seek Griner's release.

Switching to small ball

Losing Griner and Charles forced the Mercury to return to a small-ball style that worked in some ways, but also had some flaws with the team not maintaining consistency.

As seen with other obstacles this season, when one new challenge presented itself, players would use that as an opportunity to grow.

Cunningham went from being the first guard off the bench to a starting power forward. Charles' departure kickstarted it, but the previous constraints on the forwards group without Griner was another reason.

“The best thing that could’ve happened to me is Tina leaving. I think that really helped me have the opportunity that I had,"  Cunningham said. "I’ve never played the (power forward) position in my life, but it honestly opened up a lot for me on the court, especially with my 3-point shooting. It opened a lot for our drivers too."

Her improvements even earned her the nickname of "Baby Penny" from Taurasi as Cunningham's play reminded her of Penny Taylor when she was with the Mercury as a 6-foot-1 power forward several years ago.

Cunningham sees that trend playing in the Mercury's favor as it produced successful results in the past.

"Even though it might be a defensive liability, you make up for it by being scrappy and outworking your opponent and having defensive schemes that mess with your opponent," Cunningham said.

Without Charles, Turner further expanded her defense and continued to grow as a player.

"I think I got a little bit better guarding centers. I’m usually guarding the small forward or the forwards, so I think I played a little bit better this summer playing my position and guarding some of the taller centers in the league," Turner said.

Turner will be one of the key pieces for the Mercury moving forward as she remains under contract until 2025.

Diggins-Smith's future with Mercury

Diggins-Smith has consistently established herself as one of the best point guards in the league. This season wasn't any different, as Diggins-Smith earned her sixth All-Star bid and another spot on the All-WNBA team.

However, this season also featured potential trade rumors around the All-Star break involving Diggins-Smith. At about that time, the Mercury were not in position for a postseason berth.

A trade never materialized, and Diggins-Smith then took matters into her own hands and had a prolific stretch following the All-Star break, averaging 26.3 points and 7.3 assists in the following four games.

Keeping Diggins-Smith was crucial for the postseason spot that presented itself in the final parts of the season, but then Diggins-Smith did not finish the season, following the emotional Aug. 4 game in Connecticut, due to personal reasons.

Nygaard and Pitman remained firm in keeping Diggins-Smith's reasons private. Pitman did say that the Mercury do expect Diggins-Smith to return next season. Diggins-Smith will become a free agent in 2024.

“Sky is under contract for next year, so she’s obviously not with us for personal reasons that I really can’t talk about, but she is under contract," Pitman said.

Besides Diggins-Smith, DeShields and Turner are the only other players under contract for next season.

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 2022 review: Tumultuous season, no Griner, playoff appearance