PHOENIX — We’re at the FIBA World Cup break, as WNBA players and coaches swap out their team gear for their nation’s colors as they represent their countries on the international stage.
The Phoenix Mercury went into the break on a high note, earning arguably their biggest victory of the season in a 101-69 rout of the Toronto Tempo on Aug. 29 — without star players Kahleah Copper and Kelsey Plum, who were out with injury.
That win not only provided a much-needed morale boost for a team that has struggled all season to put together a consistent 40 minutes, but it also allowed for some important questions to be answered, as standout performances from the roster’s young and less experienced players helped reveal a new side of the team, giving Phoenix something to celebrate and, perhaps more importantly, something new to build toward.
“I think our young players have done a good job of coming in and bringing good energy,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said postgame. Later, he added that, “It’s been a frustrating and challenging year for everyone, so this definitely felt great. We all needed it, especially going on the break.”
With the WNBA entering the final stretch of the season, the Mercury needs to continue to flesh out those answers. But the win over Toronto offered a glimpse at what this group can look like when its younger players step into larger roles, the chemistry continues to develop and the team finds ways to stay connected through a difficult season. Here are some takeaways from the Mercury as the WNBA heads into the FIBA World Cup break.
Shay Ciezki headlines a group of new, young contributors
One goal of Tibbetts and the Mercury once the team was officially eliminated from playoff contention was to give the team’s younger players more opportunities to play. Although many of whom had been on the roster for nearly the entire season, none were given significant roles with the team — even during its many losing stretches.
Guard Shay Ciezki is one of those players, having made the opening roster out of training camp and then signing developmental contracts on two separate occasions after being waived for brief periods.
Before last Thursday, Ciezki had only logged 10 minutes in two games during her career. Then, on Aug. 27 against the Washington Mystics, she was thrown into the fire for the first time in two months and played 13 minutes in a close loss. She finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, but showed value as a quick, defensive spark plug who could pick up opposing guards for all 94 feet.
Teammate Lexi Held was in a similar position to Ciezki a year ago as an undrafted, undersized rookie guard trying to carve out a role as a do-it-all defensive pest with the Mercury. Whether they shared the floor or rotated in for one another, the duo of Ciezki and Held brought a new level of energy and relentless ball pressure on the defensive end, while serving as important connectors offensively with their shooting ability and knack for making the right passes.
“I thought it was probably one of our best ball pressure games of the year, and those two really set the tone,” Tibbetts said. “The one thing that I believe in Shay is that she can really shoot it … she looked helpful out there. She did a really good job, and I’m proud of her for staying ready.”
Held, who has experienced firsthand what it takes to earn opportunities in Phoenix, knows better than most the work that goes on behind the scenes. And while Ciezki’s performance may have caught the attention of those watching, it was hardly a surprise to her teammates.
“I mean Shay is such a hard worker,” Held said. “She’s in this gym practicing, getting extra shots up, getting extra reps in all the time. I’m really happy that she got the opportunity to go out there, and I think her work showed. She was ready. She had some big shots, had some great energy off the bench for us. So super excited for her. I think she deserves it all.”
Still, Ciezki’s breakout didn’t come without some crucial learning experiences. Certain little details like the pace and endurance of a real game can’t be replicated in practice, and of course, the jitters of finally receiving some playing time can make even the simplest things feel a little more difficult.
Cieski uncharacteristically missed her only two free throw attempts, and learned quickly how difficult it can be slowing down other teams’ top guards — evidence of why it’s so important to develop players in a real-game environment.
“Probably just the pace of the game,” Ciezki said postgame when asked what she learned that can’t be replicated in practice. “And obviously I was talking to Nate before the game too, just about pickup points and pressuring. I think I was maybe a little too high at moments today, and that’s just what you get like getting put in the game. You don’t really see that during practice too much.”
When asked about the specific challenges of picking up full court, she added, “I think just being able to pick up full and not having that space in between you and the ball handler. I think I caught myself a couple times just having too much space, and then they can get downhill pretty fast.”
“There’s a lot of little details that come with reps and feel in an actual game,” Held said. “I told her, ‘Don’t even worry. We all get blown by once,’ I mean, that’s just the nature of how good players in this league are. You just kind of learn and adjust in there.”
Two days later, Ciezki showed she had adjusted after her initial opportunity by turning in an even better performance. This time in 26 minutes, she scored a career-high 15 points while adding five rebounds, five assists, a steal and two blocks in Phoenix’s blowout win over Toronto.
Ciezki was one of five rookie or second-year Mercury players to score in double figures, along with Noémie Brochant (15), Marta Suarez (13), Maddy Westbeld (12) and Held (11).
Undrafted rookie guard Kara Dunn was nearly a sixth, finishing with nine points on three 3-pointers in her WNBA debut. She’s an example of a player who had a strong training camp with Phoenix, didn’t make the team due to injury, but then finally was brought back on a developmental contract once it made sense for both sides.
With the Mercury now playing for development more so than wins and losses, those opportunities have become especially valuable this late in the season.
“Extremely important,” Tibbetts said of the young players getting game opportunities. “And Shay is a prime example of why I think it’s great that our league has player developmental players. T here’s there’s some players that maybe come in throughout the year that hang their head that they’re in that position, but she’s done an unbelievable job of trying to get better.
“I feel like nothing prepares you for game cardio. You can be prepared and you can try, but it’s just different when you’re playing in front of fans and when it really matters. I just think it’s really important for those young players to get these minutes.”
Team chemistry
Another area of concern for a team that’s fallen well short of expectations is team chemistry. Frustration and tension in the locker room is inevitable, but being able to get through that and still cultivate a positive environment is key to not having one bad year snowball into multiple.
Especially for Phoenix, an organization built off an emphasis on culture and identity, this part of the season is vital for maintaining that. So, how is the team chemistry now?
It’s impossible to know exactly what that looks like behind closed doors without being a fly on the wall in the locker room, but from what can be seen, the Mercury appear to be celebrating each other more and smiling more often, with their body language during frustrating stretches showing noticeable improvement.
With the weight of needing to win every game to keep their playoff hopes alive now gone, along with younger players finally getting opportunities to create some highlights of their own, there seems to be a greater sense of joy around the group — and that joy has translated into a noticeable uptick in energy on the court.
“I thought we had great joy,” Tibbetts said of Phoenix’s past two games. “I mean, we’ve talked about it — this has been a disappointing season. Typically, this time of year, the last couple years, you’re gearing up for the playoffs. That’s the carrot, right? That’s the motivator. So yeah, I mean, this is not a situation where we want to get comfortable in.
“You know, in years to come, we want to be playing in the playoffs and playing for championships,” he continued. “But with all that being said, I do think that we’ve got a really good mindset. We had a lot of players in our gym yesterday. We had a good shootaround today, and that’s what it’s about. You’re just continuing to try to build.”
Westbeld’s perspective is particularly valuable when assessing the state of Phoenix’s culture, given that she is one of the newest faces in the locker room after signing with the Mercury Aug. 18. With less time spent immersed in the frustrations and expectations that have defined the season, she offered a fresh perspective on the team’s day-to-day habits.
“I was telling them that if I didn’t know what the record was walking into this building, I would not know that it was not a winning season, just based on the habits and off the little details that this organization prides itself on,” Westbeld said. “Just being able to compete with them and understand that the hard work never goes unnoticed.”
With a long break before four final games to close the season, the natural reflex for players and coaches in the Mercury’s position can be to simply mail it in and begin shifting attention towards the offseason. Not in Phoenix. Individually, players and coaches are still competing for future job security. Collectively, the hope is that if the team remains together, the habits and chemistry built now will translate to a better season next year.
“I think it’s super important,” Held said. “Obviously, no one wants to be in this position. No one’s satisfied with where we’re at. But the way to keep getting better is to enjoy playing. And I think we have a group of people that genuinely like each other and have fun … There’s so much ‘getting better’ to do that we’re still going to be playing hard. We’re still going to be trying to grow, still trying to learn until the season’s over.”
Mercury at the FIBA World Cup
Although the Mercury won’t play again as a team again until Sept. 17, the team will be well represented in Berlin at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup from Sept. 4 to Sept. 13.
Forward Valériane Ayayi will captain France, while center Kyara Linskens will look to play a more significant role for Belgium than she has for Phoenix so far this season. It will be intriguing to see how each of the two Mercury role players perform in a different form of competition with different team compositions.
“We cannot wait,” Ayayi said of her and the rest of Team France. “We’ve been playing against each other, most of us, and every time we were meeting each other, we were like, ‘Oh, I cannot wait to be back.’ … I think there can be something good for us. But this is also the first time that we will go to the competition without any training camp. I know Team USA is used to this, like just to show up and play. We are not, so that will be a good challenge.”
Of course, all eyes will be on Team USA, and the Mercury will have some familiar faces there, too. Veteran guard Copper will once again wear the red, white and blue as she continues her international career that has already yielded two gold medals — at the 2024 Olympics and the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
Head coach Tibbetts will return to his roots as an assistant for USA, as he’s been a member of Kara Lawson’s staff since December 2025’s National Team Training Camp. Most of Tibbetts’ coaching career came as an assistant in the NBA, having spent 10 years between the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. It’s a role he’s comfortable in.
“With USA, he gets to go be that cool-ass assistant again,” Copper said. “I mean, he’s already on the court with us a lot. He does all of those things because that’s what he’s used to doing, which makes him such a great head coach. He gets to do the old stuff, the fun stuff — interact with the players more, get to know other players on other teams. But he still just gets to be himself, and that’s the best part about it.”
One player that notably won’t be at the World Cup is Plum, Phoenix’s big trade deadline acquisition. Originally slated to be heading to Berlin alongside Tibbetts, Copper and the rest of Team USA, Phoenix announced Monday that Plum will be held out for the rest of the season as she continues to recover from a nagging lower calf injury.
“Kelsey is a competitor, and she wants nothing more than to be on the court with her teammates and competing for the Mercury,” general manager Nick U’Ren said in a statement. “We know how much it means to her to play, and how much she means to our fans. Ultimately, this was about doing what is best for Kelsey’s long-term health and making sure she has the time and support she needs to return to the court at full strength.”
On her Instagram story, Plum wrote, “I did everything I could to be back on the court, but just ran out of time … The decision has been made to shut it down through the remainder of the season and focus on getting my body back to 100%.”
Thus, Plum’s 2026 tenure with the Mercury is over as she heads into free agency, where retaining her will be an absolute must for the team. She played just five games for the Mercury, averaging 21.0 minutes and 15.8 points per game. Phoenix went 1-4 in those contests.
Additionally, veteran guard Sami Whitcomb will miss the FIBA World Cup after it was originally announced she would be a captain for Australia. Like Plum, Whitcomb has been managing injury all season long, which was the reason given for her opt-out.
Still, there’s plenty for Mercury fans — and women’s basketball fans in general — to look forward to over the next two weeks. The World Cup should provide a hard-fought competition, with the possibility of Mercury teammates finding themselves on opposite sides of the court.
Team USA is no longer the overwhelming force it once was in international hoops, with no better evidence of that than the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game, when France pushed the Americans to the brink before falling 67-66 in a thrilling finish. That competitive spirit has found its way into the everyday interactions between Mercury teammates.
“It’s just like daily things, you know, like when you are working in the lifting room and then we’re like, ‘Oh, I’m just getting stronger to beat Team USA,’” Ayayi said. “I remember during practice, [Copper] was trying to post me up, and I was like, ‘you can try this only with Team USA.’ We’re having fun about this. I think we are all excited to compete, and the fact that it was super tight in the Olympics, I think even for them, it’s exciting, you know, like not to just go and beat everybody by 30.”
For the Mercury, the next two weeks will offer a chance to step away from the frustrations of a disappointing season while still finding ways to grow. Whether it’s Ayayi, Copper, Linskens and Tibbetts competing for their countries on the international stage, or the rest of the team getting well-deserved rest at home, there is still plenty left to learn before the 2026 season comes to an end.
