Mercury star Kahleah Copper questionable vs. Sun, possibly missing 1st game of 2024 season

For the first time since being traded by the Chicago Sky to the Phoenix Mercury, Kahleah Copper has popped up on an injury report and could miss her first game of the 2024 season.

Copper is dealing with a back injury and was not at shootaround ahead of the Mercury’s Friday night clash against the No. 3 seed in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun. The Sun are 3-0 vs. the Mercury this season and will look to complete the regular-season sweep in Phoenix.

If Copper were to miss the matchup, it would be a huge blow for the Mercury who have been struggling as of late. Phoenix is 1-5 in its last six games, 2-6 in the last eight and are on a three-game losing streak.

The three-time WNBA All-Star, 2024 Olympic gold medalist and 2021 WNBA champion Copper has been a revelation for the Mercury as she has been one of the main reasons why the team clinched a playoff spot after going 9-31 a year ago. The Rutgers product has started in all 36 games this season, averaging a career-high in scoring with 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Only Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson (27.3) and Dallas Wings phenom Arike Ogunbowale (22.3) are scoring more.

Copper missed just two games last year, so she has been relatively healthy to play for the majority of the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see if she is indeed ruled out vs. the Sun, but the Mercury could elect to go to Monique Billings with Sophie Cunningham at forward if needed. Rebecca Allen remains sidelined as she is still recovering from a right hamstring injury she suffered before the 2024 Paris Olympics.

While Billings may not have the same scoring ability as Copper does, she has been effective on both ends of the floor since joining Phoenix on Aug. 18. Earning a rest-of-season contract after a seven-day deal expired, she has averaged 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.7 assists per game across nine games (two starts) with the Mercury.

Allen and Charisma Osborne (Left Lower Leg) will not suit up for Phoenix on Friday but are nearing returns. Both of them have been practicing lately and could come back right before the playoffs or at some point in the postseason. Osborne has not appeared in a game since June 22.

For the Sun, Tiffany Mitchell (Illness) is the only player who will not be available for selection. The nine-year WNBA veteran has played 24 games and tallied 4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game all from the bench. After her lone season with the Minnesota Lynx last year, Mitchell and the No. 19 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft were traded to Connecticut in exchange for Natisha Hiedeman. Mitchell spent her first seven years (2016-22) in the league with the Indiana Fever after becoming the ninth-overall pick in the 2016 draft.

The Mercury takes on the Sun on Friday at 7 p.m. PT inside Footprint Center