Sophie Cunningham expanding her versatility for the Phoenix Mercury

Minus Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, Cunningham is Phoenix’s longest-tenured player. Spending her sixth season in the Valley, Cunningham has spent the entirety of her career in Phoenix thus far. The former second-round pick was forced to work her way up in the rotation, and in 2022, Cunningham saw a career year averaging 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.

The six-foot-one guard has seen winning basketball with the Mercury, and is excited for Phoenix to get back to its winning ways with a brand new core.

“Introducing the new team and the new era is going to be off the charts,” said Cunningham. “We’re excited to bring winning back to this culture, winning back to the X-Factor, and I really think that we’re going to have a hell of a squad starting this year.”

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In year six, Cunningham can be labeled as a veteran in the association. Just two games into the season, Cunningham has vastly expanded her positional versatility to fill specific team needs.

Cunningham has been accustomed to playing the two and the three throughout her career, but under Tibbetts, has been challenged to play the four and even the five with Griner out of action. In an unforeseen role, Cunningham has excelled thus far early into the season. 

“She can play the two – she can play the three – she’s now playing the four, she probably never dreamed she’d be a five, but she’s doing it all,” said Tibbetts. “And I told her that today. I just really appreciate her commitment to the group, and her willingness to fly around…That’s who she is. She’s tough, and we’re happy she’s here.”

Cunningham has never been labeled a star in the league – but that’s okay. Her impact thus far has gone far beyond the box score itself, and she’s received praise for some of the team’s new veteran talent early on.

“Five field goal attempts. Three-for-five. And two of those three’s came when we needed them most,” said Natasha Cloud following Cunningham’s performance against Atlanta. “What Sophie does won’t always show up on this box score. She comes down, she plays hard every possession on both ends of the floor.”

“We ask her to play the four, we ask her to play the five a lot of times. I think she’s taking a bit of a lesser approach on the offensive end, because we have so many scorers. But for her to come up with those two big threes at the end, it’s just a testament to who she is. Who she is for this team, for us. You want to talk about just a solid player, that you know what you’re gonna get from every single night…It gets us going.”

For a new-look Phoenix squad that’s stacked to the brim with star-power, Cunningham provides a needed presence. A versatile guard who can fill multiple roles on the floor, hits timely shots, and does all the dirty work – a skill-set that any contending team would crave. With the 2024 season still young, Cunningham has the opportunity to provide more impact than ever before.

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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports