Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts reflects on first WNBA season, believes 2024 was ‘a great step in the right direction’

Nate Tibbetts’ first year as a head coach in the WNBA is in the books and he tackled problems head-on from the get-go.

The team was ravaged by injuries and with the Olympic break halting a rhythm, there were various amounts of problems with consistency since the lineup was always changing, leading to a 19-21 record and being swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Making the transition from an NBA assistant coach to a totally different league with a prestigious role could present challenges and he was thrown into adversity right off the jump. Griner missed the first 10 games, Rebecca Allen was practically out half the season, the team broke the record for most technical fouls in a season (35) and games decided by questionable officiating were just some of what he had to deal with.

Coming back to the Valley after the team’s playoff elimination, Tibbetts outlined that there were different reasons they didn’t meet the expectations the team set but saw some silver lining.

“Obviously it is not the record that we wanted,” Tibbetts said. “Coming into the season, I think we had six W players that had been rotation players, Bec, Sophie and our other four. I think they played a total of 11 games together because of injuries and stuff like that. To get done what we got done and especially after they had the year they had before, it is a great step in the right direction. I know our group really believes in each other.”

Phoenix was 9-31 last season and seemed to have nothing going for them. Multiple players this season, however, have talked about the culture Tibbetts and the team have formed, buying into where the franchise wants to go.

With the offseason additions of Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud, the Mercury returned to the playoffs but were quickly bounced by being swept 2-0 by the Minnesota Lynx.

Though they were winless in the postseason, Phoenix showed the fight and desire to erase a 23-point deficit and lead in the fourth quarter before a few calls did not go their way in Game 1.

“Obviously losing 0-2 in Minnesota was not what we wanted but we had a chance to win Game 1. There was a call with 1:18 left that could have gone either way. If that goes the other way, you get Game 1 or for sure coming here to Phoenix for Game 3. I think it was a good step in the right direction and obviously we need to keep getting better.”

Knowing the franchise and its rich history in the league, Tibbetts understood the championship aspirations the Mercury has year in and year out. Making the moves for Copper, Cloud and others, general manager Nick U’Ren put together a roster that was capable of contending.

While factors outside of his control impacted that goal, Tibbetts admits the team fell short of the mission.

“The organization here speaks for itself. They’ve won championships, we’ve got an owner that wants to win championships. That’s our goal and we didn’t reach that goal this year,” Tibbetts said.

Now in the offseason, the team has just four players signed for 2025. Copper, Cloud, Allen and Sophie Cunningham will all return while everyone else is a free agent. Diana Taurasi has yet to confirm or deny if she will retire, raising speculation of what the team is going to look like next season.

Regardless of what happens, Tibbetts has learned a lot in his first year in the league and is looking forward to gaining more experience. Realizing how competitive every game is and how each one matters regardless of the opponent, Tibbetts will be more prepared and develop better habits as he gets accustomed to the WNBA.

“It’s a great league. Only 12 teams and obviously we are adding more. You have four teams that are really, really good and have championship-caliber teams. Then the next four had a chance, so every night is a challenge and not many games you can just go through the motions and get a win. There is only 40 games, so all of the games are competitive,” Tibbetts said. “I learned a lot going into Minnesota for the first time in the playoffs and it was a great experience for me. Personally, I think there are differences from the NBA to the WNBA and I am going to feel more comfortable a year from now.”