Why Mercury's Taurasi Flourished In The 2023 Season

The 2023 season was a bad year for the Phoenix Mercury, and it snapped their postseason streak. The Mercury made the playoffs every year since 2013, and after finishing 9-31, that streak was over. The 2013 season was the year they brought in Brittney Griner, and she had a successful rookie season. Griner helped get the Mercury back in the playoffs, and in her second season, they won a championship. When it comes to 2023, Griner was the team's leading scorer. She averaged 17.5 points that year, and outside of her, the Mercury had three other players who averaged double figures. Diana Taurasi was one of them, and she averaged 16.0 points. Then, Sophie Cunningham averaged 11.3 points and Moriah Jefferson averaged 10.5. Taurasi had a solid year, and she made history in the process. She scored 415 points that season, and her best performance was a 42-point game against the Atlanta Dream. The Mercury beat the Dream 91-71, and with her game, she reached 10,000 points. By the end of her career, she had 10,646 points