Mercury face Golden State Valkyries with potential return to 8-player rotation

Before Sunday’s game against the Seattle Storm, Akoa Makani was listed as questionable with a left knee injury. She was ruled out 30 minutes before tipoff, with the team needing to adjust its usual eight-player rotation used throughout the second half of the season.

“I don’t know if there’s a level of concern,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said on her injury, according to the team’s pregame recording. “It’s day-to-day. I think it was just the wear and tear in the game the other night [against the Las Vegas Aces].”

Lexie Held and Kitija Laksa returned to the rotation against the Storm after missing the previous two games. Although their minutes were limited, their presence eased the pressure on the starters and gave them a chance to contribute.

“[Held and Laksa] came in and were productive and super competitive,” said Tibbetts after the game. “That’s part of being a professional… They’re a big part of what we do, even though they’re not playing. Just them keeping the right mindset and you never know when stuff like this is gonna happen. They both stepped up and played good minutes for us.”

As for the rotation moving forward on the road trip, Tibbetts has been vocal about sticking with an eight-player rotation in past games. Whether that continues against the Valkyries will depend on Akoa Makani’s availability.

“It’s hard, but it’s the reality of pro sports,” said Tibbetts. “We’re a really good team… We’ve got great leaders here and great examples. That’s just part of your job and we need them to continue to keep working.”

While the Phoenix head coach isn’t concerned about Akoa Makani being out for an extensive amount of time, there could be another rotation shakeup on Tuesday if she’s not cleared.

The Phoenix Mercury and the Golden State Valkyries face off on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.