The WNBA Finals are officially set, with the Phoenix Mercury taking on the Las Vegas Aces. Coming off an electric Game 5 victory over the Indiana Fever, the Aces are looking to win their third finals in just four years. The Mercury are playing in their first finals since 2021 and looking to bring home the championship for the first time in over a decade.
A’ja Wilson, who had one of the best regular seasons in WNBA history, is the engine that makes Las Vegas run. The MVP and co-DPOTY leads the playoffs in points-per-game and blocks-per-game, providing a dominant interior force on both offense and defense.
Similar to Wilson for the Aces, Alyssa Thomas is the offensive hub for the Mercury. In her first season in Phoenix, the twelfth-year forward had one of the best years of her career, leading the WNBA in assists per game and posing a threat to have a triple-double every night. Wilson and Thomas will be a battle every night, with two of the best players in the league guarding each other nearly every possession. While their performances will be extremely important for their respective squads to win the championship, their supporting casts are just as, if not more important.
Aces guards have to be on their a-game. Head coach Becky Hammon throughout the playoffs has consistently returned to the closing lineup of Wilson and four perimeter players around her. The Mercury have a size advantage, so the consistency of the guards needs to be strong to counteract that.
Jackie Young has been one of the best players all playoffs. She made history in the previous series, becoming the first player in WNBA history to have 30 points and 10 assists without a turnover. When the ball isn’t in Wilson’s hands, she will be the one looking to create a shot for herself or her teammates. Low turnover numbers could swing the series.
Chelsea Gray, Jewel Loyd, Dana Evans are the other three players that have closed the games this postseason. Evans has emerged as a key role player for Las Vegas as the season progressed, but more pressure is on the two former allstar veterans in Gray and Loyd. Someone needs to be able to take some of the weight off the shoulders of Wilson and Young, and as guards who will have the ball a decent amount, they will have the perfect opportunity to become a hero for their team.
The Mercury have two other All-Stars other than Thomas in Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally. Copper will be a target of Hammon’s defense scheme as the best three-point shooter on Phoenix’s roster. Copper has the ability to make unbelievable shots when she is on fire, but can also find herself with some pretty quiet nights. The Mercury hope that she will return to the 20-point-per-game scorer that they had last season.
Sabaly is set up perfectly to dominate in these finals. As previously mentioned, the Aces finish most games with a smaller lineup and do not have solid frontcourt depth. Sabaly, with Wilson most likely guarding Thomas, has a chance to attack mismatches against smaller defenders. One of the biggest concerns in her game however is that she doesn’t take advantage of her 6’4. Sabaly majority on the perimeter, often settling for contested jump shots instead of looking to score inside. She only shoots 40% from the field, which is pretty low for a forward. The aggressiveness from Sabaly will be something to keep an eye on for this finals.
