2022 Phoenix Mercury season

The 2022 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season began on May 6, 2022, against the Las Vegas Aces[1] and ended in the 1st round of the WNBA Playoffs against the same team. The season was marred by a number of issues, including injuries and the absence of Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia on drug charges.

2022 Phoenix Mercury season
CoachVanessa Nygaard
ArenaFootprint Center
Attendance7,974 per game
Results
Record15–21 (.417)
Place4th (Western)
Playoff finish8th seed; Lost in 1st Round to the Las Vegas Aces
Team Leaders
PointsSkylar Diggins-Smith – 19.7 ppg
ReboundsBrianna Turner – 6.8 rpg
AssistsSkylar Diggins-Smith – 5.5 apg

On December 6, 2021, the Mercury announced that they would not be renewing Sandy Brondello's contract and parted ways with her as Head coach.[2] On January 24, 2022, the Mercury announced that Vanessa Nygaard had been hired as Brondello's replacement.[3]

The Mercury got off to a quick start to the season, winning two of their first three games. However, that momentum did not last as they then went on a seven game losing streak. They ended May 2–7. They were able to end their losing streak in June and win four of their first six games that month. However, they lost three and won three of their final six to end the month 7–5. July was another up and down month as the team struggled to build momentum and couldn't build a streak. They finished the month 4–5. Diana Taurasi suffered a quad strain during their game against the Connecticut Sun on August 2. The Mercury announced that she would miss the rest of the regular season with the injury.[4] On August 11, 2022, the Mercury announced that Skylar Diggins-Smith would miss the final 3 games of the season due to personal reasons.[5] Despite injuries to two of their prominent players, the Mercury entered the final day of the season with a chance at qualifying for the playoffs. Despite a final day loss and a 2–4 August record, the Mercury finished in eighth place in the standings and qualified for the final playoff spot.

The Mercury faced first seed Las Vegas in First Round of the playoffs. The first two games of the series were in Las Vegas and the Mercury lost both games, preventing the series from returning to Phoenix. Neither game was close with the Mercury losing by sixteen points in Game One and thirty-seven points in Game Two.

Transactions edit

WNBA draft edit

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country
326Maya Dodson  United StatesNotre Dame
332Macee Williams  United StatesIUPUI

Trades and Roster Changes edit

DateTransaction
December 6, 2021Parted Ways with Head coach Sandy Brondello
January 11, 2022Extended a Qualifying Offer to Shey Peddy[6]
January 13, 2022Sign Shey Peddy to a Qualifying Offer [7]
Waived Megan Walker[8]
Extended a Qualifying Offer to Kia Nurse[9]
January 24, 2022Hired Vanessa Nygaard as Head coach[10]
January 31, 2022Traded Kia Vaughn to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for a 2023 Third Round Pick[11]
February 1, 2022Re-Signed Sophie Cunningham to a One-Year Deal[12][13]
February 3, 2022Traded Bria Hartley, the 20th Pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, and a 2nd Round Pick in 2023 to the Indiana Fever, as well as a 1st Round Pick in 2023 to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Diamond DeShields from Chicago[14]
Signed Jennie Simms to a training-camp contract[15]
February 4, 2022Signed Tina Charles to a One-Year Deal[16]
February 5, 2022Signed Kia Nurse to One-Year Deal[17]
February 13, 2022Signed Leaonna Odom to a training-camp contract[18]
March 1, 2022Signed Kiana Williams to a training-camp contract[19]
March 2, 2022Hired Crystal Robinson as an assistant coach[20]
March 10, 2022Signed Kristine Anigwe to a training-camp contract
March 31, 2022Hired Nikki Blue and Cinnamon Lister as Assistant Coaches[21]
April 12, 2022Signed Sam Thomas to a training-camp contract
April 13, 2022Signed Maya Dodson and Macee Williams to rookie-scale contracts
Signed Mael Gilles and Vivian Gray to training-camp contracts
April 16, 2022Signed Emma Cannon to a training-camp contract[22]
April 21, 2022Waived Macee Williams
April 30, 2022Waived Mael Gilles [23]
May 3, 2022Waived Emma Cannon, Kiana Williams, Jennie Simms, and Vivian Gray
May 4, 2022Signed Megan Gustafson to a training-camp contract
May 5, 2022Temporarily Suspend Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields due to Overseas Commitments
Waived Maya Dodson and Leaonna Odom
May 6, 2022Signed Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms to Hardship Contracts[24]
May 10, 2022Activated Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields from their Temporary Suspensions
Released Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms from their Hardship Contracts
May 14, 2022Signed Brianna Turner to a Contract Extension
May 25, 2022Signed Karlie Samuelson to a Hardship Contract[25]
May 30, 2022Released Karlie Samuelson from her Hardship Contract
June 9, 2022Signed Jennie Simms to a Hardship Contract[26]
June 23, 2022Released Jennie Simms from her Hardship Contract
June 24, 2022Waived Kristine Anigwe
June 25, 2022Waived Tina Charles[27]
June 28, 2022Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to 7-day contracts[28]
July 4, 2022Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to their 2nd 7-day contracts
July 11, 2022Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to their 3rd 7-day contracts
July 18, 2022Signed Reshanda Gray
Signed Jennie Simms to a Hardship Contract
July 21, 2022Signed Kaela Davis to a 7-Day Hardship Contract[29]
July 29, 2022Signed Kaela Davis to a 2nd 7-Day Hardship Contract
August 8, 2022Signed Yvonne Turner to a Hardship Contract[30]
August 10, 2022Temporarily Suspend Skylar Diggins-Smith
August 11, 2022Signed Kaela Davis to a Hardship Contract

Roster edit

2022 Phoenix Mercury roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G9 Cunningham, Sophie6' 1" (1.85m)170 lb (77kg)1996-08-16Missouri3
G33 Davis, Kaela6' 2" (1.88m)170 lb (77kg)03-15-1995South Carolina4
G1 DeShields, Diamond6' 1" (1.85m)172 lb (78kg)1995-03-05Tennessee4
G4 Diggins-Smith, Skylar (S)5' 9" (1.75m)145 lb (66kg)1990-08-02Notre Dame8
F12 Gray, Reshanda6' 2" (1.88m)192 lb (87kg)06-01-1993California5
C42 Griner, Brittney (inactive)6' 9" (2.06m)205 lb (93kg)1990-10-18Baylor9
C10 Gustafson, Megan6' 3" (1.91m)195 lb (88kg)12-13-1996Iowa3
G0 Nurse, Kia  6' 0" (1.83m)168 lb (76kg)1996-02-22Connecticut4
G11 Peddy, Shey5' 7" (1.7m)147 lb (67kg)1988-10-28Temple3
G25 Simms, Jennie6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)04-21-1994Old Dominion1
G/F3 Taurasi, Diana  6' 0" (1.83m)163 lb (74kg)1982-06-11Connecticut17
G/F14 Thomas, Sam6' 0" (1.83m)170 lb (77kg)06-14-1999ArizonaR
F21 Turner, Brianna6' 3" (1.91m)170 lb (77kg)1996-07-05Notre Dame3
G22 Turner, Yvonne5' 10" (1.78m)131 lb (59kg)1987-10-13Nebraska3
Head coach
Vanessa Nygaard (Stanford)
Assistant coaches
Crystal Robinson (SE Oklahoma State)
Nikki Blue (UCLA)
Cinnamon Lister (Cal State Northridge)
Athletic trainer
Hannah Breck (Boston University)
Strength and conditioning coach
Derrick Nillissen (Iowa Wesleyan)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth edit

Pos.StarterBench
CBrianna TurnerReshanda Gray
Brittney Griner (inactive)
PFSophie CunninghamMegan Gustafson
SFDiana Taurasi Diamond DeShields
Sam Thomas
SGShey PeddyJennie Simms
Kia Nurse
PGSkylar Diggins-Smith (inactive)

Schedule edit

Preseason edit

2022 pre-season game log
Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
April: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance
Record
1April 28SeattleL 78–82Tina Charles (16)Kristine Anigwe (8)Skylar Diggins-Smith (8)Footprint Center
2,759
0–1
2April 30@ Los AngelesL 84–87Kiana Williams (25)Kristine Anigwe (11)Cannon
Simms (3)
Matadome
N/A
0–2
2022 pre-season schedule

Regular Season edit

2022 game log
Total: 15–21 (Home: 11–7; Road: 4–14)
June: 7–5 (Home: 4–2; Road: 3–3)
August: 2–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 0–2)
2022 season schedule

Playoffs edit

2022 playoff game log
First Round vs. Las Vegas Aces
Lost Series: 0–2
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance
Series
1August 18@ Las VegasL 63–79Diamond DeShields (18)Brianna Turner (16)Shey Peddy (5)Michelob Ultra Arena
8,725
0–1
2August 21@ Las VegasL 80-117Kaela Davis (23)Brianna Turner (7)B. Turner
Simms
Davis
Gustafson (3)
Michelob Ultra Arena
9,126
0–2
2022 playoff schedule

Standings edit

# W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1xLas Vegas Aces2610.72215–313–513–59–1
2xChicago Sky2610.72215–314–412–69–1
3xConnecticut Sun2511.6941.011–713–512–65–5
4xSeattle Storm2214.6114.010–813–59–96–4
5xWashington Mystics2214.6114.011–712–610–85–5
6xDallas Wings1818.5008.08–108–1010–85–5
7xNew York Liberty1620.44410.010–89–97–116–4
8xPhoenix Mercury1521.41711.07–1111–74–143–7
9eMinnesota Lynx1422.38912.08–107–117–114–6
10eAtlanta Dream1422.38912.05–138–106–123–7
11eLos Angeles Sparks1323.36113.06–127–116–123–7
12eIndiana Fever531.13921.02–163–152–162–8

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Playoffs edit

Round One:
Best-of-3
Semifinals:
Best-of-5
Finals:
Best-of-5
         
1Las Vegas Aces2
8Phoenix Mercury0
1Las Vegas Aces3
4Seattle Storm1
4Seattle Storm2
5Washington Mystics0
1Las Vegas Aces3
3Connecticut Sun1
2Chicago Sky2
7New York Liberty1
2Chicago Sky2
3Connecticut Sun3
3Connecticut Sun2
6Dallas Wings1

Bold Series winner

Statistics edit

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game
 APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG% Field-goal percentage 3P% 3-point field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage TO Turnovers per game
 PF Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular Season edit

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Skylar Diggins-Smith303034.0.429.296.8444.05.51.61.019.7
Tina Charles161633.1.441.364.8007.32.10.80.817.3
Diana Taurasi313131.0.373.337.8943.43.80.70.616.7
Diamond DeShields301925.3.388.236.7653.82.21.00.513.1
Sophie Cunningham282029.5.449.400.8754.41.61.00.412.6
Shey Peddy342428.6.418.329.8893.83.41.60.29.9
Kaela Davis505.4.692.667.7501.20.00.00.04.6
Brianna Turner353533.4.607.000.5006.82.31.21.64.3
Megan Gustafson3309.6.549.462.7651.90.50.20.23.8
Jennie Simms23413.2.476.211.7892.20.90.50.03.4
Yvonne Turner3011.7.400.0001.0000.72.30.00.03.3
Karlie Samuelson1010.0.333.333.0003.01.00.00.03.0
Emma Cannon106.01.000.000.5002.01.00.00.03.0
Reshanda Gray1609.5.405.091.3331.80.60.30.32.0
Kristine Anigwe1016.5.500.000.5001.30.20.10.21.5
Sam Thomas2404.9.211.0671.0000.20.30.30.10.4


Waived/Released during the season
Traded during the season
Acquired during the season

Playoffs edit

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Diamond DeShields2227.0.432.333.7144.52.01.00.019.5
Kaela Davis2023.5.483.000.8003.51.50.50.516.0
Megan Gustafson2023.5.316.0001.0004.52.00.50.59.0
Shey Peddy1126.0.231.286.0002.05.02.00.08.0
Sophie Cunningham2231.0.455.375.3332.52.00.50.07.5
Jennie Simms2224.5.267.200.2003.02.00.00.05.5
Brianna Turner2230.0.444.000.00011.52.50.00.54.0
Reshanda Gray208.0.400.000.5001.00.00.00.02.5
Yvonne Turner2112.0.286.000.0003.01.50.00.02.0
Sam Thomas207.0.500.500.0000.00.00.50.01.5

Awards and honors edit

RecipientAward/MilestoneDate awardedRef.
Skylar Diggins-SmithWNBA All-Star SelectionJune 28[31]
Western Conference Player of the WeekJuly 18[32]
All-WNBA First TeamSeptember 15[33]

References edit

  1. ^ "2022 Phoenix Mercury Schedule". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "MERCURY COACHING ANNOUNCEMENT". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH". Phoenix Mercury. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Maloney, Jack. "Diana Taurasi injury update: Mercury star to miss remainder of WNBA season with quad injury". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Gonzalez, Isabel. "Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith out for the remainder of the season for 'personal reasons'". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "WNBA Transactions". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Ortiz, Jenna. "Phoenix Mercury sign Shey Peddy, waive Megan Walker in offseason moves". azcentral.com. Arizona Central. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "WNBA Transactions". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. ^ "Atlanta Acquires Kia Vaughn in Trade". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  12. ^ "MERCURY RE-SIGNS SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "Richard Cohen Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "MERCURY ACQUIRES ALL-STAR DIAMOND DESHIELDS". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "MERCURY SIGNS 2021 WNBA LEADING SCORER TINA CHARLES". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "MERCURY RE-SIGNS ALL-STAR WING KIA NURSE". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "Khristina Williams Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "Khristina Williams Tweet 2". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "MERCURY ADDS CRYSTAL ROBINSON TO COACHING STAFF". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "PHOENIX MERCURY ADD NIKKI BLUE AND CINNAMON LISTER TO 2022 COACHING STAFF". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "MERCURY ADD EMMA CANNON TO TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  23. ^ "The Phoenix Mercury has waived Maël Gilles". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms to replacement contracts". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Karlie Samuelson to a hardship contract. She will be available for tonight's game". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Jennie Simms to a hardship contract. She will be available for tomorrow night's game". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  27. ^ Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (June 25, 2022). "Thank you, Tina! (thread)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Phoenix Mercury sign forward Reshanda Gray, guard Jennie Simms". Arizona Sports. June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (July 21, 2022). "The Phoenix Mercury has signed forward Kaela Davis to a hardship contract. She will be available for tomorrow night's game against the Seattle Storm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (August 8, 2022). "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Yvonne "Vonnie" Turner to a hardship contract due to an injury suffered by Diana Taurasi" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "Chicago Sky Trio of Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman, Courtney Vandersloot Highlight Reserves for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  32. ^ @WNBA (July 18, 2022). "These two have been BALLING 👏 @SkyDigg4 & @De11eDonne are your #WNBA Players of the Week 🌟" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Kia WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson Leads 2022 All-WNBA First Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.

External links edit