When Phoenix Mercury training camp began back in April, Sug Sutton knew that nothing was promised.
On a non-guaranteed camp contract, Sutton had to make the team, beating out several other roster hopefuls. With only 144 roster spots in the WNBA, the league has become the toughest professional sports league to break into. Every moment counts. Every possession in camp is magnified. It becomes even tougher when not every team carries 12 players due to salary cap restraints. 144 becomes more like 135.
But Sug Sutton was able to beat the odds and make the Mercury's final roster as the regular season began. Despite the uncertainty, Sutton never wavered in her belief that she would solidify her spot on the team. She was confident in the work she'd put in and confident that the odds would be in her favor.
“I just trusted the work that I put in and the offseason and everything I've been through just to get to this point,” Sutton said. “It was just me trusting that and buying into everything that I did in training camp and just staying confident. I think that took me a long way. And my teammates made it good for me, they had confidence in me from the jump. So it just made it easier for me to adjust.”
This is only Sug Sutton's second season in the league even though she was drafted in the 2020 WNBA Draft. It's been a long journey in her professional basketball career. Sutton was originally drafted by the Washington Mystics in with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
The 2020 season was the COVID-impacted season in the bubble in Bradenton, Florida. That year the WNBA did not have a training camp or preseason and as a result, incoming rookies did not have a real opportunity to showcase themselves to earn a roster spot. Sure enough, Sutton was a roster casualty by the Mystics.
But as fate would have it, the Mystics brought Sutton back during the middle of the season. She ended up playing 12 games that season averaging 9.4 minutes per game and 2.8 points and 1.0 assists. She shot 36.4 percent from the field. While it was not an ordinary season by any stretch, Sug Sutton is still grateful for that first opportunity and what she was able to pull away from that year.
“I kind of just learned the adversity that comes with being on WNBA team, it's not easy. We didn't really have a good season and it kind of prepared me from a mental standpoint for where we're at this season with the Phoenix Mercury,” Sutton said. “It kind of prepared me where you can have another game in three days. You got to be able to bounce back and get ready for that and I think that's what it kind of prepared me for. I'm really thankful to Washington for giving me the opportunity to play with them. I think that is preparing me for these moments now.”
This season, Sug Sutton has solidified herself as a WNBA player. She's been a bright spot in a disappointing season for the Mercury. But it hasn't always been easy. After her rookie season with the Mystics, Sutton was cut ahead of the 2021 season. During the seasons in between, she's played overseas in Poland and Australia and has even played stateside in the Global Women's Basketball Association (GWBA) based in the Midwest.
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Throughout her journey though, Sutton has always held the belief that she is a WNBA player. Even so, those experiences helped her get to where she is now. From a physicality standpoint, those leagues helped toughen her up for the physicality of the WNBA. Sutton played well in those leagues and her objective each time was get her game WNBA ready.
“I think physically, it kind of prepared me just knowing that coming into the W, there's a lot of big guards and grown women. I had to get prepared for that,” Sutton said. “And then mentally, when I played in those leagues I was just getting my confidence of playing my game and trying to translate that when I came to camp. I was pretty successful with that and I'm just trying to maintain that. I think everything I did in previous times prepared me for this moment and I'm really grateful for that.”
And now this moment is here for Sug Sutton. She's finally gotten another chance to prove that she belongs in the WNBA. With the Mercury short on guards at the beginning of the season, Sug Sutton had a shot to come in and make an impact right away.
She came out of the gates blazing. Sutton scored in double figures in nine of her first 11 games. She started the year coming off the bench but she joined the starting lineup for a seven-game stretch in mid-June. That stretch included a career-high 21 points on June 21 against the league-leading Las Vegas Aces.
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But it's not just her scoring ability that's made Sug Sutton so valuable to the Mercury this season. She's brought a strong all-around game and has been the backup point guard to steady the second unit. She dished out a career-high ten assists against the Minnesota Lynx on July 7 and she had four or more assists in 12 of her first 20 games.
She's been averaging 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 24.6 minutes per game. Her role has changed this season especially when the team replaced head coach Vanessa Nygaard with Nikki Blue. She's still adjusting to that, but for the most part she's done exactly what the Mercury have asked of her.
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“They saw that I could score, that I could facilitate and be a really good point guard. . .it's kind of changed as we got the coaching changes and I kind of bought into my role,” Sutton said. “My role now is just coming off the bench and giving energy and being a good defensive player for our team. Whatever comes after that, I just try to do that and just be the best point guard I can be for my team. . .I'm still learning, I'm still young, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on out there. But things change throughout the season and I'm still thankful for the opportunity that I've been given here.”
With the regular season winding down, it's become clear that the Mercury are going to miss the playoffs. At 9-24, they currently have the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Even so, Sutton believes this group is a tight-knit group. Despite the adversity, they've stuck together and they want to close out this season strong.
“We've got to finish out strong and just carry what we've been through this season and just try to grow from it and just be the best players and people we can be. We have a tight circle on this team,” Sutton said. “There's no issues in the locker room, I think we're really good with each other and just trying to get used to playing with each other. I think it's all about growth, coming from this season and just learning from each game what we can do for the next.”
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