What Makes Mercury's Alyssa Thomas an Elite Defender

The Phoenix Mercury had a big offseason this year. They brought in two stars who helped them avoid a rebuild. The Mercury lost two big players in Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, but Phoenix's new stars helped them succeed. The Mercury brought in Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas, and both of them contributed right away. Both of them had big games, and they made an impact in multiple areas. Thomas had an incredible year, and she was one of the finalists for Most Valuable Player (MVP). Phoenix's MVP candidate averaged 15.4 points, 9.2 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. She helped the team succeed all year, and she did it on both ends of the floor. She had games like her performance against the Indiana Fever, where she showed off her scoring. Thomas had a career-high 32 points in that game, but the Fever beat the Mercury 107-101. In the past, Thomas' best games were examined. Her best facilitating game was against the Golden State Valkyries. She had 16 assists in that game, and it was one of her eight tripl