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PHOENIX– Days after ESPN released their favorites for the Coach of the Year, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts had no time for the chatter.
“A lot of people weren’t happy when I came to the league last year… We haven’t done s**t. I haven’t done anything… It is what it is.”
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts on being the favorite to win Coach of the Year 👀
(via @HaydenCilley) pic.twitter.com/JwkJ4EkI2q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 10, 2025
“A lot of people weren't happy when I came here last year to this league. A lot of doubters,” Tibbetts said after Tuesday's practice.
“We haven't done s**t. I haven't done anything. It's an early-season ballot; I don't even know what it is… we got a lot of work to do.”
When the Mercury hired Tibbetts in 2023, there were plenty of skeptics. Although he had legitimate NBA coaching experience, many thought that his lack of involvement in women's basketball was a problem.
They saw the lack of diversity and credentials as a major issue. In his second season, though, Phoenix has found its identity rooted in toughness, defense, and shooting.
The 6-4 record might not throw shades of a Coach of the Year award. However, the Mercury have been dealing with key injuries. For the past five games, the team has missed three of its starters.
Not to mention, Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack have been out since the beginning of the season. Still, they have been a Top 5 defensive team (in terms of points per game and defensive rating).
Multiple rookies have stepped up and inserted themselves as legitimate and formidable options. Although the players have been excellent, and spearheaded by Satou Sabally.
She's been healthy for all ten games thus far, and has been excellent. The shooting percentages have been down, but her playmaking and defense are leaps and bounds from where they were.
The mix of star players, rookies, and established role players have propelled the Mercury into legitimate success.
Mercury's Nate Tibbetts feels it's too early for Coach of the Year talks
Tibbetts makes a crucial point about being in that conversation. The team has only played ten games, and hasn't even completed a quarter of the season.
Meanwhile, they've been without a flurry of starters, and have had to sign two hardship contracts already. Both Haley Jones and Megan McConnell joined the team, with the latter sustaining a knee injury.
His competition, though, are the league's two best teams.
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Both Cheryl Reeve and Sandy Brondello have recency bias, and for obvious reasons. Reeve has been at the top of the coaching mountain ever since she came into the league.
She's coached winning teams, and has another potential championship-winning team with the Minnesota Lynx in 2025.
Meanwhile, Brondello is hoping to lead her team back to the WNBA Finals and win the New York Liberty's second consecutive title.
Still, both teams were expected to do well. Not to mention, there haven't been sustained injuries on both sides. While Napheesa Collier missed one game, that was more of a precaution.
Going back to Phoenix, they've faced major adversity, yet have stuck through. Players have risen to the occasion, and the defensive coaching prowess has been on full display.
With that being said, Tibbetts doesn't care about individual accolades.
What does Mercury HC Nate Tibbetts want instead of Coach of the Year?
His expectation is simple: A championship. It's certainly possible with the trio of Alyssa Thomas, Copper, and Sabally. As mentioned earlier, though, the depth pieces have been some of the best.
For instance, according to Stephen Pridgeon-Garner on X, formerly Twitter, he mentioned this statistic about three of the Mercury's rookies.
Kitija Laksa – 43.6% (2nd), Monique Akoa Makani – 42.9% (4th), and Kathryn Westbeld – 35.7% (11th) have attempted 35 threes and have been Top-11 in percentage.
That's only a glimpse of how well-rounded and the niche style has fit into Tibbetts's system.
Either way, whether a Coach of the Year award comes or not, the second-year coach has his sights on something much bigger than an individual accolade: A fourth title for a Mercury franchise that hasn't tasted the gold in 11 seasons.
