Aug 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) drives to the basket against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

How Phoenix's Shooting Helped Them Make The Playoffs

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 2:00 PM ET

The Phoenix Mercury's 2024 season was a good year, and they found themselves back in the playoffs after missing them in 2023. The Mercury finished the 2023 season with a record of 9-31, but after bringing in players like Kahleah Copper, and hiring Nate Tibbetts, they turned things around.

Phoenix finished the season with a record of 19-21, and the team faced the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. The Lynx beat them, and they went on to make the WNBA Finals. However, they were defeated by the New York Liberty.

The 2024 season showed that the Mercury were headed in the right direction, and the following season, the new-look Mercury kept that momentum going.

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Looking back at the 2024 season, Phoenix's leading scorer was Copper. She averaged a career-high 21.1 points, and she had 38 points against the Atlanta Dream. The Mercury had four players who averaged at least 10 points that season, as Griner averaged 17.8 points, Diana Taurasi averaged 14.9 and Natasha Cloud averaged 11.5.

Griner was the team's rebounding leader, and she averaged 6.6 rebounds. Natasha Mack was behind her, and she averaged five. Players flourished in different areas, and when it came to 3-point shooting, the player with the best percentage was their All-Star center.

Patrick Breen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mercury center knocks down shots from deep

Griner shot 50 percent from deep, and she attempted 18. Before the 2025 season, that was the most 3-pointers the star center attempted in her career. She shot 19 in her first season with the Dream, and her percentage was lower. She shot 26.3 percent from beyond the arc during that time.

Sophie Cunningham was behind Griner, and she shot nearly 38 percent from deep. She attempted 180 3-pointers, and she made 68. She was a reliable shooter, and she played a significant role in the team's success that season.

Outside of Griner and Cunningham, the Mercury had some other 3-point threats, as Rebecca Allen, Diana Taurasi and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan rounded out the top five. Copper was sixth in 3-point percentage, and she shot 31.4 percent.

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Copper shot 220 3-pointers that year, which is the most she has attempted in a season. Before that, her high was 171, and she did it in 2023. Her shooting percentage was better, as she shot 40.4 percent.

The Mercury were eighth in the league in that category, and while there were teams who shot better than them, they still held their own.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Mercury On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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