PHOENIX — We knew the Phoenix Mercury were looking for diamonds in the rough this offseason. What wasn’t clear was how soon one might start to shine. Through Jovana Nogić‘s first three career games, but especially the first two, the Serbian guard has emerged as one of Phoenix’s most productive and exciting players.
The sharpshooter has already broken records despite the fact that she had never stepped on a WNBA court before last Saturday, and a visa issue that severely limited her practice time with the team. Still, within Phoenix’s walls, the belief in Nogić had already taken shape. A meticulous system implemented by general manager Nick U’Ren and head coach Nate Tibbetts has been proven to identify overlooked talent and put them in positions to thrive.
“[Nogić] is the ultimate pro,” Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said after Nogić’s first game. “She’s been playing for the Serbian national team and overseas for a long time, so I’m very familiar with her game. I know we were all excited to have her on this team, and as you can see, she had the utmost confidence coming out. She’s a pro.”
Outside of the locker room, though, Nogić was largely unknown. Few WNBA fans had probably ever heard of her name before, but a nationally televised season opener against the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces gave her the perfect stage to make sure that didn’t last long.
Dealing with Aces
It was a surprise to see Nogić’s name when starting lineups were announced 30 minutes before tip-off of the 2026 season. Sure, the Mercury were without guards Monique Akoa Makani, Sami Whitcomb and Valériane Ayayi due to either injury or international contract issues, but even then, the roster felt deep enough to where it was unexpected that Nogić’s first look would be alongside the starters.
An even bigger surprise came moments later, when Nogić was used as a primary ball handler immediately after Phoenix won the jump ball, as it was thought to be more likely that her role on the team would be as an off-ball 3-point specialist. Instantly, it became clear that Tibbetts was not going to make her stand in the corner all game.
But the biggest surprise was how well she performed. Right away, Nogić exuded confidence as if she had been playing with the team much longer than one or two practices. She never wavered when handling the ball in the face of Las Vegas pressure, made smart passes with conviction and shot the ball without hesitation.
“She caught my attention too,” Tibbetts told reporters after the season opener. “I think this is a player that hasn’t come over because maybe it wasn’t worth it, right? Money-wise, for a lot of these European players, the bump in salary hopefully is a reason for some of these players to start coming over here. She’s been someone that our front office has talked about the last couple years … She had an awesome start. I’m really happy for her.”
The two-player game Nogić worked with Thomas looked exceptionally natural. The two assisted each other four times, with Nogić’s use as a screener in Phoenix’s favored inverted pick-and-roll action proving to be particularly effective. Defensively, Nogić fit in seamlessly as well, always seeming to be in the right place at the right time.
“Playing with someone like Alyssa is just, ‘Wow,’ that’s all I’m going to say,” Nogić said. “She just makes everybody’s job, both offensively and defensively, so much easier. So, yeah, it’s just great to have her on my team.”
The result was a stat line of 19 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting, four assists, two steals and only one turnover in 21 minutes. That success carried over to the rest of the Mercury, who dominated the Aces from start to finish in a 99-66 statement win — avenging their 2025 WNBA Finals loss.
Nogić’s debut wasn’t just impressive; it was historic. All 19 of Nogić’s points came in the first half, which, per Mercury PR, marks the most points ever scored in the first half of a WNBA debut. It’s also the second-most in any half of a debut, trailing only Candace Parker’s 21-point second half in 2008.
With four made 3-pointers, Nogić also tied the WNBA mark for most in a player’s debut. Within the Mercury’s franchise record books, her point total left her just three shy of the record of 22 points in a debut, shared by Edna Campbell in 1999 and Diana Taurasi in 2004.
“I was just happy and grateful to be here,” Nogić said after her breakout debut. “And I mean, they’re such great teammates and take the pressure off of you … They just said, ‘Go out there, have fun, enjoy the moment,’ and that’s what I tried to do.
“It wasn’t easy because I had to deal with the visa issue,” she added. “So I really just had one or two practices with the team. But, as I said before, they just make it so easy for you. We have another game tomorrow, but then we have a couple days to reset and then get into details and stuff like that.”
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Golden State of mind
The next challenge for Nogić was to prove that her performance against Las Vegas wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Against an improved Golden State Valkyries squad and on the second half of a road back-to-back, Nogić wasted little time showing that her breakout was no fluke.
Once again, the 28-year-old guard shot the ball with the same confidence and freedom that made her debut so memorable, finishing with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Whether working off the ball, relocating into open space, or pulling up off the dribble, Nogić looked every bit as comfortable as she had less than 24 hours earlier.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Nogić said after the Golden State game when asked whether her early success has been confidence-driven or simply a reflection of who she is as a player. “Also, having [Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper] on my team just makes my job so much easier. I just gotta do me and let it fly if I’m open.”
Like in her first game, Nogić’s second straight shooting display placed her in rare company. She joined Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi as the only players in franchise history to open their careers with consecutive 15-point games.
She also joined Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard as just the second player in WNBA history to begin a career with back-to-back games of four or more made 3-pointers, becoming the only player in league history to shoot at least 80% from three while making eight or more triples through her first two career games.
As a team, though, Phoenix never fully found the same rhythm it had the night before. Fatigue from the back-to-back, limited practice time together and a string of costly turnovers all surfaced during a second quarter in which the Mercury were outscored by 20 points — a deficit too large to completely erase. Nogić still showcased a strong feel for the game by using her instincts to open up the floor even when there was a lack of structure, but she also quickly learned another reality of the WNBA in the process.
“Definitely the physicality of it,” Nogić said when asked what she had learned through her first two games. “It’s an incredibly physical league, so obviously a learning curve for me right there. Trying to adjust quick, and also just trying to figure out the foul calls defensively and being aggressive, what’s the limit there.”
Despite trailing big, the Mercury showed signs of life after halftime, cutting into the deficit with a far more connected second-half effort before eventually falling 95-79. Nogić specifically helped lead a third-quarter rally when she made both of her attempted 3-pointers, playing for nine of the 10 minutes in the period and recording a +15 in the box score.
“Even though I’ve been here for a short amount of time, they have shown me who they are in the locker room and in practices,” Nogić said. “So just being aware that the first half, it wasn’t us, it wasn’t who we wanted to be.”
Ups and downs
Nogić’s third game was when she finally faced the reality that not every outing will produce record-breaking results. However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any positives to take away from the first time playing in front of the Mercury’s “X-Factor” home crowd.
Her first taste of one of the league’s most significant home-court advantages came before the game even started, as player introductions drew a noticeably louder reaction when Nogić’s name was announced — a validating sign of appreciation for what she had already accomplished in just two games.
When the game ultimately started, that same reception was given to Nogić when she checked in for the first time. Again, she showed flashes of dynamic play early on, recording three steals that led to transition scoring opportunities on the fast break, including one that led to a Copper and-1 layup.
But by the end of the final buzzer, Nogić finished with just two points on 0-of-6 shooting and the Mercury lost to the Minnesota Lynx 88-84.
However, at least the off night offered some clear explanations. First, Nogić was relegated to the bench for the first time, with fellow European newcomer Ayayi instead making the start in her Mercury home debut. She also battled foul trouble in a game where every bit of marginal contact produced a whistle, which further disrupted her rhythm.
Finally, and perhaps most significantly, opposing teams now have film and a scouting report on her. No longer will defenders go under the screen when she’s handling the ball in the pick-and-roll, and she will feel much more pressure on closeouts in general.
“Teams are going to try to take away her shooting, but when they do that, there’s just more room in the paint — so there’s a balance there,” Tibbetts said before the Minnesota game. “I think as players come into our league as rookies or free agents, there is film, but once they actually are out on the floor, now there’s a scouting report. Minnesota knows the weekend she had with the shooting, so they’re going to get to her a little bit quicker than what she saw in the first two games.”
Even with the quiet scoring night, Nogić’s opening stretch still stands out statistically. Through her first three games, she is averaging 12.3 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 66.7% from 3-point range — a sign that the production can still be there even as more pedestrian performances begin to even out the numbers.
Looking forward, as the early-season schedule continues and guards like Akoa Makani work their way back into the rotation, Nogić’s role is expected to continue evolving. With Whitcomb out for another three to five more weeks, it is vital that Nogić can find comfort in the role as an off-ball shooter who can provide poise with the ball and on defense as needed. A consistent minutes rotation and more time in practice and in the film room should help.
“The first day or two that she didn’t practice when she got here, she got an opportunity to sit next to [Whitcomb] and talk through some situations,” Tibbetts said of Nogić. “We’ve definitely shown her some [Whitcomb] clips from last year playing next to [Thomas].
“That was the one thing that we knew that she could do in this league is shoot it, and she’s done that,” he added. “We’ve got an unselfish team that wants to put space around [Thomas], and she’s going to provide a lot of that.”
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