2022_Phoenix_Mercury_season
2022 Phoenix Mercury season
US basketball season
The 2022 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season began on May 6, 2022, against the Las Vegas Aces[1] and ended in the 1st round of the WNBA Playoffs against the same team. The season was marred by a number of issues, including injuries and the absence of Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia on drug charges.
Quick Facts Phoenix Mercury season, Coach ...
| 2022 Phoenix Mercury season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Vanessa Nygaard |
| Arena | Footprint Center |
| Attendance | 7,974 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 15–21 (.417) |
| Place | 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | 8th seed; Lost in 1st Round to the Las Vegas Aces |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Skylar Diggins-Smith – 19.7 ppg |
| Rebounds | Brianna Turner – 6.8 rpg |
| Assists | Skylar Diggins-Smith – 5.5 apg |
Close
On December 6, 2021, the Mercury announced that they would not be renewing Sandy Brondello's contract and parted ways with her as Head coach.[2] On January 24, 2022, the Mercury announced that Vanessa Nygaard had been hired as Brondello's replacement.[3]
The Mercury got off to a quick start to the season, winning two of their first three games. However, that momentum did not last as they then went on a seven game losing streak. They ended May 2–7. They were able to end their losing streak in June and win four of their first six games that month. However, they lost three and won three of their final six to end the month 7–5. July was another up and down month as the team struggled to build momentum and couldn't build a streak. They finished the month 4–5. Diana Taurasi suffered a quad strain during their game against the Connecticut Sun on August 2. The Mercury announced that she would miss the rest of the regular season with the injury.[4] On August 11, 2022, the Mercury announced that Skylar Diggins-Smith would miss the final 3 games of the season due to personal reasons.[5] Despite injuries to two of their prominent players, the Mercury entered the final day of the season with a chance at qualifying for the playoffs. Despite a final day loss and a 2–4 August record, the Mercury finished in eighth place in the standings and qualified for the final playoff spot.
The Mercury faced first seed Las Vegas in First Round of the playoffs. The first two games of the series were in Las Vegas and the Mercury lost both games, preventing the series from returning to Phoenix. Neither game was close with the Mercury losing by sixteen points in Game One and thirty-seven points in Game Two.
WNBA draft
See also: 2022 WNBA draft
More information Round, Pick ...
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 26 | Maya Dodson |  United States |
Notre Dame |
| 3 | 32 | Macee Williams | United States |
IUPUI |
Close
Trades and Roster Changes
More information Date, Transaction ...
| Date | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|
| December 6, 2021 | Parted Ways with Head coach Sandy Brondello | |
| January 11, 2022 | Extended a Qualifying Offer to Shey Peddy[6] | |
| January 13, 2022 | Sign Shey Peddy to a Qualifying Offer [7] | |
| Waived Megan Walker[8] | ||
| Extended a Qualifying Offer to Kia Nurse[9] | ||
| January 24, 2022 | Hired Vanessa Nygaard as Head coach[10] | |
| January 31, 2022 | Traded Kia Vaughn to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for a 2023 Third Round Pick[11] | |
| February 1, 2022 | Re-Signed Sophie Cunningham to a One-Year Deal[12][13] | |
| February 3, 2022 | Traded Bria Hartley, the 20th Pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, and a 2nd Round Pick in 2023 to the Indiana Fever, as well as a 1st Round Pick in 2023 to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Diamond DeShields from Chicago[14] | |
| Signed Jennie Simms to a training-camp contract[15] | ||
| February 4, 2022 | Signed Tina Charles to a One-Year Deal[16] | |
| February 5, 2022 | Signed Kia Nurse to One-Year Deal[17] | |
| February 13, 2022 | Signed Leaonna Odom to a training-camp contract[18] | |
| March 1, 2022 | Signed Kiana Williams to a training-camp contract[19] | |
| March 2, 2022 | Hired Crystal Robinson as an assistant coach[20] | |
| March 10, 2022 | Signed Kristine Anigwe to a training-camp contract | |
| March 31, 2022 | Hired Nikki Blue and Cinnamon Lister as Assistant Coaches[21] | |
| April 12, 2022 | Signed Sam Thomas to a training-camp contract | |
| April 13, 2022 | Signed Maya Dodson and Macee Williams to rookie-scale contracts | |
| Signed Mael Gilles and Vivian Gray to training-camp contracts | ||
| April 16, 2022 | Signed Emma Cannon to a training-camp contract[22] | |
| April 21, 2022 | Waived Macee Williams | |
| April 30, 2022 | Waived Mael Gilles [23] | |
| May 3, 2022 | Waived Emma Cannon, Kiana Williams, Jennie Simms, and Vivian Gray | |
| May 4, 2022 | Signed Megan Gustafson to a training-camp contract | |
| May 5, 2022 | Temporarily Suspend Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields due to Overseas Commitments | |
| Waived Maya Dodson and Leaonna Odom | ||
| May 6, 2022 | Signed Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms to Hardship Contracts[24] | |
| May 10, 2022 | Activated Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields from their Temporary Suspensions | |
| Released Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms from their Hardship Contracts | ||
| May 14, 2022 | Signed Brianna Turner to a Contract Extension | |
| May 25, 2022 | Signed Karlie Samuelson to a Hardship Contract[25] | |
| May 30, 2022 | Released Karlie Samuelson from her Hardship Contract | |
| June 9, 2022 | Signed Jennie Simms to a Hardship Contract[26] | |
| June 23, 2022 | Released Jennie Simms from her Hardship Contract | |
| June 24, 2022 | Waived Kristine Anigwe | |
| June 25, 2022 | Waived Tina Charles[27] | |
| June 28, 2022 | Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to 7-day contracts[28] | |
| July 4, 2022 | Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to their 2nd 7-day contracts | |
| July 11, 2022 | Signed Reshanda Gray and Jennie Simms to their 3rd 7-day contracts | |
| July 18, 2022 | Signed Reshanda Gray | |
| Signed Jennie Simms to a Hardship Contract | ||
| July 21, 2022 | Signed Kaela Davis to a 7-Day Hardship Contract[29] | |
| July 29, 2022 | Signed Kaela Davis to a 2nd 7-Day Hardship Contract | |
| August 8, 2022 | Signed Yvonne Turner to a Hardship Contract[30] | |
| August 10, 2022 | Temporarily Suspend Skylar Diggins-Smith | |
| August 11, 2022 | Signed Kaela Davis to a Hardship Contract | |
Close
More information Players, Coaches ...
| 2022 Phoenix Mercury roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Close
Depth
More information Pos., Starter ...
| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
|---|---|---|
| C | Brianna Turner | Reshanda Gray Brittney Griner (inactive) |
| PF | Sophie Cunningham | Megan Gustafson |
| SF | Diana Taurasi |
Diamond DeShields Sam Thomas |
| SG | Shey Peddy | Jennie Simms Kia Nurse |
| PG | Skylar Diggins-Smith (inactive) |
Close
Preseason
More information 2022 pre-season game log Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1), Game ...
| 2022 pre-season game log Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Close
Regular Season
More information 2022 game log Total: 15–21 (Home: 11–7; Road: 4–14), Game ...
Close
Playoffs
More information Game, Date ...
| 2022 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Las Vegas Aces Lost Series: 0–2
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Close
More information #, W ...
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
| 8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
Close
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
See also: 2022 WNBA Playoffs
| Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 1 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
More information Legend ...
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Close
Regular Season
More information Player, GP ...
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | 30 | 30 | 34.0 | .429 | .296 | .844 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 19.7 |
| Tina Charles‡ | 16 | 16 | 33.1 | .441 | .364 | .800 | 7.3 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 17.3 |
| Diana Taurasi | 31 | 31 | 31.0 | .373 | .337 | .894 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 16.7 |
| Diamond DeShields | 30 | 19 | 25.3 | .388 | .236 | .765 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 13.1 |
| Sophie Cunningham | 28 | 20 | 29.5 | .449 | .400 | .875 | 4.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 12.6 |
| Shey Peddy | 34 | 24 | 28.6 | .418 | .329 | .889 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 9.9 |
| Kaela Davis≠ | 5 | 0 | 5.4 | .692 | .667 | .750 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| Brianna Turner | 35 | 35 | 33.4 | .607 | .000 | .500 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 4.3 |
| Megan Gustafson | 33 | 0 | 9.6 | .549 | .462 | .765 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| Jennie Simms≠ | 23 | 4 | 13.2 | .476 | .211 | .789 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| Yvonne Turner≠ | 3 | 0 | 11.7 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| Karlie Samuelson‡ | 1 | 0 | 10.0 | .333 | .333 | .000 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Emma Cannon‡ | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Reshanda Gray≠ | 16 | 0 | 9.5 | .405 | .091 | .333 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 |
| Kristine Anigwe‡ | 10 | 1 | 6.5 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Sam Thomas | 24 | 0 | 4.9 | .211 | .067 | 1.000 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Close
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
More information Player, GP ...
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond DeShields | 2 | 2 | 27.0 | .432 | .333 | .714 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 19.5 |
| Kaela Davis | 2 | 0 | 23.5 | .483 | .000 | .800 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 16.0 |
| Megan Gustafson | 2 | 0 | 23.5 | .316 | .000 | 1.000 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 9.0 |
| Shey Peddy | 1 | 1 | 26.0 | .231 | .286 | .000 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| Sophie Cunningham | 2 | 2 | 31.0 | .455 | .375 | .333 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Jennie Simms | 2 | 2 | 24.5 | .267 | .200 | .200 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| Brianna Turner | 2 | 2 | 30.0 | .444 | .000 | .000 | 11.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.0 |
| Reshanda Gray | 2 | 0 | 8.0 | .400 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Yvonne Turner | 2 | 1 | 12.0 | .286 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Sam Thomas | 2 | 0 | 7.0 | .500 | .500 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Close
More information Recipient, Award/Milestone ...
| Recipient | Award/Milestone | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 28 | [31] |
| Western Conference Player of the Week | July 18 | [32] | |
| All-WNBA First Team | September 15 | [33] |
Close
- "2022 Phoenix Mercury Schedule". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- "MERCURY COACHING ANNOUNCEMENT". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- "MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH". Phoenix Mercury. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- Maloney, Jack. "Diana Taurasi injury update: Mercury star to miss remainder of WNBA season with quad injury". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- Gonzalez, Isabel. "Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith out for the remainder of the season for 'personal reasons'". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- "WNBA Transactions". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- Ortiz, Jenna. "Phoenix Mercury sign Shey Peddy, waive Megan Walker in offseason moves". azcentral.com. Arizona Central. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- "WNBA Transactions". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- "MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- "Atlanta Acquires Kia Vaughn in Trade". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- "MERCURY RE-SIGNS SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- "Richard Cohen Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- "MERCURY ACQUIRES ALL-STAR DIAMOND DESHIELDS". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- "MERCURY SIGNS 2021 WNBA LEADING SCORER TINA CHARLES". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- "MERCURY RE-SIGNS ALL-STAR WING KIA NURSE". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- "Khristina Williams Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- "Khristina Williams Tweet 2". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- "MERCURY ADDS CRYSTAL ROBINSON TO COACHING STAFF". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- "PHOENIX MERCURY ADD NIKKI BLUE AND CINNAMON LISTER TO 2022 COACHING STAFF". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- "MERCURY ADD EMMA CANNON TO TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- "The Phoenix Mercury has waived Maël Gilles". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms to replacement contracts". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Karlie Samuelson to a hardship contract. She will be available for tonight's game". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Jennie Simms to a hardship contract. She will be available for tomorrow night's game". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (June 25, 2022). "Thank you, Tina! (thread)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Phoenix Mercury sign forward Reshanda Gray, guard Jennie Simms". Arizona Sports. June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (July 21, 2022). "The Phoenix Mercury has signed forward Kaela Davis to a hardship contract. She will be available for tomorrow night's game against the Seattle Storm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Phoenix Mercury [@PhoenixMercury] (August 8, 2022). "The Phoenix Mercury has signed Yvonne "Vonnie" Turner to a hardship contract due to an injury suffered by Diana Taurasi" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Chicago Sky Trio of Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman, Courtney Vandersloot Highlight Reserves for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- @WNBA (July 18, 2022). "These two have been BALLING 👏 @SkyDigg4 & @De11eDonne are your #WNBA Players of the Week 🌟" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Kia WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson Leads 2022 All-WNBA First Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.