At the start of the fourth quarter in the Aces’ home opener, the Phoenix Mercury had possession of the ball. Up 83-45, the Aces needed to put pressure on the aggressive, strategic Mercury offense.
Against Kyara Linskens, Brianna Turner turned up the pressure. Linskens missed her shot and it became the Aces’ ball. Fans in T-Mobile erupted as the Aces secured the ball and launched themselves into the offensive zone.
This season, the Aces are putting emphasis on one critical aspect: defense. Defense, defense, defense. As head coach Becky Hammon and multiple players have said, the offense will come after the defense.
In the offseason, Hammon, GM and President Nikki Fargas worked to fill the spot of former Ace Kiah Stokes. Stokes was dubbed “the paint protector and ring collector” by Aces public address announcer Chet Buchannan for her critical defensive play.
During the offseason, Stokes signed with the Golden State Valkyries, reuniting with head coach Natalie Nakase.
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To fill her role, the Aces signed former Indiana Fever forward-center Brianna Turner.
“She’s a consummate pro,” Hammon told The IX, “she comes in, she’s ready to go. She knows her role. She knows what she’d got to do to get minutes on this team, and she does that at a really, really high, elite level.”
Turner is a seasoned veteran, having played in the league for seven years. She was drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Fever in 2019 before being traded to the Phoenix Mercury after the pick. She played five seasons with the Mercury before going to the Chicago Sky, then the Fever.
In her time with the Mercury, Turner’s made it to the WNBA playoffs in her first four seasons. In 2020 and 2021, she earned a spot on the WNBA All-Defensive Teams.
Turner made an impact during her time with the Indiana Fever. While players like Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald were out for a chunk of the 2025 season, other players had to step up, including Turner.
In the 2025 playoffs, Turner played a critical role in defending, allowing the Fever to advance to the second round. They defeated the Atlanta Dream, claiming the series 2-1.
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In the semifinals, the Fever forced a game five against the Aces. The Fever forced a game five, in which the Aces won. The Aces went on to win the 2025 championship.
Forward NaLyssa Smith told The IX how Turner made it difficult on the offensive end as an opponent.
“You always know when you see Bri she’s gonna give you high energy on the defensive end,” Smith told The IX. “She’s gonna roll hard, block shots. I think she’s just a high energy player. I’m glad to be on the other side of things now.”
”She’s just finding the ball a lot more, you know, in the pick and roll situations. We’ve been shooting a lot together, so I think her three ball is improving a lot more too, and I think that’s gonna help us a lot, because we’ll be able to stretch the floor out.”
When signing with the Aces, Turner told The IX Sports that her decision came down to what the Aces represent and how they set the standard.
“They’re the standard,” Turner told The IX. “They are the standard across the league. They have a formula, right? They’re either winning a championship or they’re right there.”
While it is the beginning of the season, Turner is doing what she can to adjust to the Aces system. The seasoned veteran understands what it takes, especially with a group that has lots of chemistry.
“Obviously a few of them are playing together,” Turner told The IX, “and they added Jewell [Loyd] in, who’s a great player, and obviously Lyss (NaLyssa Smith) halfway through the season, but they just have a great chemistry overall on court.”
In their first game, Turner played 14 minutes, putting defensive pressure on the Mercury. She nabbed three rebounds in her regular season debut. Despite the loss, A’ja Wilson praised Turner for the hard work she put in.
“Breezy has been incredible for us,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “The way that she can guard one through five is something that I am always in awe of, because her length, her speed, her agility, the versatility that we can put her in any defensive schemes, and she’s on time, and that is a lot, and I think that is one reason why Breezy is so great at what she does.”
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”She’s gonna set that screen, she’s gonna rebound for you, she’s just gonna make the right play at the right time.”
During training camp, Turner put in the work to learn the Aces’ system and made the adjustments she needed to in order to earn a spot on the roster.
”I’ve been really pleased with the work that she’s put in in training camp,” Hammon told The IX, “and now she’s learning our system, which she learns quick. She’s a nice addition for us, and she’s a luxury defensively, because it allows us a lot of versatility.”
In their matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks, Turner found her footing and helped the Aces secure a 105-78 victory.
Coming off the bench, Turner had four points, six rebounds, an assist, two steals, and two blocks. All of this happened within 16 minutes.
As Turner continues to settle into the Aces’ system, the team is gearing up to take on Brittney Griner and the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, May 13. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. PST, live on USA Network.