Natasha Cloud 'always been a defensive-minded player,' embraces role with Mercury

If anyone can name Phoenix Mercury players from the top of their heads, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner will come to mind immediately because of what they have done for the team and in the state of Arizona, but that may change as time goes by.

Cloud Taking Pride in Defense, Being a Team Player

Since signing as a free agent in the offseason, Natasha Cloud has been instrumental in how the team flows game in, game out. Her defensive tenacity, playmaking prowess and will to score have seen her instantly become a fan-favorite for both the “X-Factor” and her teammates to rally around.

The Pennslyvania native won the 2019 WNBA Finals with the Washington Mystics – the first championship in the franchise’s history – as she and superstar Elena Delle Donne reached the ultimate pinnacle of the WNBA together.

Now that she joins a squad with the likes of Taurasi, Kahleah Copper and (soon) Brittney Griner, Cloud can fully show just how valuable she can be for any team with championship aspirations.

On Sunday after the Mercury beat the Los Angeles Sparks, Cloud made it clear that there is an honor she is chasing while playing her defensive brand of basketball to a tee.

“Let me take the mic, if y’all leave me off the defensive team this year, I am going to lose my mind, I am guarding one through five,” Cloud said, with a slight smirk. “I have always been a defensive-minded player, I think it is a testament to my Philly roots too which is I take that challenge and I love it… I love going up against whoever is the best opponent on the other team and that’s a role I want to take for this team.

“When you talk about understanding who you are and what you meant to be for this team, that’s who I am. I am supposed to be the point guard first, defense, then the point guard. If I score on nights, that’s cool too but my main focus is to be that dawg on the defensive end and really challenge us to get into people and be that kind of dawg team.”