New era in the desert: Rookies help power Phoenix Mercury to WNBA playoffs

Led by the Big Three, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, the Mercury have exceeded expectations this season. Whether it was helping secure triple-doubles, making league history from beyond the arc, or gritting out wins, Phoenix did everything it could for another opportunity at a championship.

Behind the star power is a group of rookies who have contributed their fair share this year.

Lexi Held, Kitija Laksa, Kathryn Westbeld and Monique Akoa Makani have helped the Mercury become the team it needed to be. While these players have experience overseas, the WNBA is a completely different game.

That didn’t faze them, as the rookies stepped up in big moments during the season when key players were out with injuries.

“They’ve been huge for us all season,” Thomas said when asked about the rookies’ contributions. “It’s not easy your rookie year, especially playing year-round, coming from overseas to this, but I think they’ve all handled it with poise… For them to come in on a playoff team and hit big shots time in and time out, they have a lot to be proud of.”

Akoa Makani is a rookie who made an immediate impact, with clutch shooting and defense that have been essential in Phoenix’s success.

“The year that [Akoa Makani] has had is pretty special,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “Once the season’s over, we’ll probably look back and remind ourselves how good a year she’s had… When you look at the top five teams in the W, I don’t know if there’s a starting guard on any of them besides [her], right? And so, the impact that she has had at both ends is pretty special.”

The rookie is one of three players this season shooting at least 40% from the field, 39% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line. She’s averaging 7.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

“Honestly, I’m very proud of that,” Akoa Makani said on helping Phoenix secure a playoff berth. “But at the same time, it doesn’t get in my head too much. Because at the end of the day, for me, it’s just basketball. A game that I love. I’m just able to play and I’m just grateful for that.”

When it comes to how the rookies have leaned on each other this season, Akoa Makani credits everyone on the Mercury for helping them navigate their first year.

“I just feel like the whole organization has been taking care of us,” said Akoa Makani. “That’s just the way we do it with each other, too. It just works pretty well, so we’ll keep doing that.”

While Westbeld, Held and Laksa haven’t seen as much playing time in the second half of the season, Tibbetts acknowledged their importance in helping the team reach its current position in the standings.

“[Westbeld is] still making an impact, with not playing as many minutes,” he said. “She just does such a great job of competing in the post and helping us space the floor offensively… And then, obviously, we’ve had other rookies, [Laksa and Held], that have had an impact early in the year and helped us have this record that we’ve had.”

With playoffs around the corner, the focus now shifts to closing out the regular season strong and preparing for playoff basketball. For the rookies, their journey is only beginning in this league.

But their impact is already being felt.