The first day of the Phoenix Mercury's training camp concluded with bright smiles and a sense of camaraderie. For second-year Phoenix star Kahleah Copper, she is ready for life after Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

After the latter signed with the Atlanta Dream and Taurasi retired from the WNBA, there are more eyes on the former Rutgers basketball star.

Even her head coach, Nate Tibbetts, is expecting more from her. Luckily, that feeling is reciprocated, and it's one that Copper is ready to embrace.

“Just staying in constant communication with Nate (Tibbetts) is super important,” Copper said to reporters. “I think he's done a great job of telling me what it is that he'd like me to do, and then I just integrate that into my own leadership style.”

“But overall, I'm just trying to get everyone on board. Make everyone feel as comfortable as possible, and just lead us.”

As Copper said, the team is hoping to make players comfortable. While the Mercury's $100 million practice facility seems to do that, from a basketball perspective, there is a ton to learn.

Even with Mercury All-WNBA players Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas arriving in The Valley, a brand-new system is being implemented. Copper has embraced a leading-by-example approach early on in training camp.

It's only been one day, but everyone has already taken note of her meticulous approach. After all, Copper was named to the All-WNBA second team in 2024.

In addition, she won the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP with the Chicago Sky, which coincidentally came against Phoenix.

How does Nate Tibbetts see Kahleah Copper's leadership growing?

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts directs his players against the New York Liberty during the first quarter.
Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-Imagn Images

Last season, the Mercury's roster was filled with veterans from top to bottom. From Taurasi and Griner to Natasha Cloud, there was a plethora of championship experience.

This season, there's a healthy mix. There might even be a youth movement with some of the training camp signings. Players like Temira Poindexter have integrated nicely into the veteran and experienced core.

Either way, Tibbetts expects Copper to be a vocal player who leads by example.

“I think you're gonna see now that they've moved on, I think you'll see Kah step up for leadership,” Tibbetts said. “For AT (Alyssa Thomas), it's pretty natural for her. We've been super excited about Sami's (Whitcomb) voice.”

“Part of their job is to bring young players along. That's gonna be a challenge each and every day, and I think they're ready for it.”

The All-WNBA guard has two of the league's top players at her side. For Sabally, her jovial presence cuts through the intensity, and provides a nice balance.

However, she's as skilled as it gets. With her finesse, Sabally has been labeled as a “unicorn” for obvious reasons.

Furthermore, Thomas could be the one who truly unlocks Copper's leadership. Thomas was giving the second-year Phoenix guard some pointers on a Zoom action the team ran.

Little things like that can prove that Copper has the trust of her teammates. Simultaneously, it unlocks a layer of humility for her teammates to follow.

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If Copper is soaking up knowledge, despite how talented she is, everyone else will fall in line.

Kahleah Copper and Nate Tibbetts want Mercury's defense to be elite

Kahleah Copper made her first-ever All-WNBA team
© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

As talented as she is offensively, Copper's defensive shortcomings are present. They aren't overbearing, but it is an area of concern. Even with her athleticism, there's been a lack of focus on that side of the ball.

Despite Tibbetts mentioning that his guard had to do more work with the ball in her hands, being well-rounded is key. He explained in more detail what he hopes to see from Copper defensively.

“I hope when you ask her, she'll tell you she wants to get better. Number one, at the defensive end, AT is gonna hold her accountable at that end, which is awesome, and you saw today she was fantastic in every drill.”

As everyone unpacked their bags and prepared for training camp, the team went out to dinner. Although the conversation was filled with fun and curiosity, there was a major elephant in the room.

How will the team play?

For Copper, she revealed that everyone had the same answer; defense.

“We started with defense before we touched a ball,” Copper said. “We got right on the court, and we're committed to that. I think our coaches are invested. I think her first thing when she spoke (Alyssa Thomas) with the coaches was, ‘Are we gonna guard?'”

“Last night we had our team dinner and we straight up addressed it like we're gonna guard this year. Us setting the tone early and in training camp with our defensive stuff, whether it's zigzag or whether it's team show. We're gonna lock in defensively.”

Training camp will come and go, but one thing is for certain among the organization and its fanbase.

This is Kahleah Copper's team, and how she decides to play and lead the team will be the ultimate test to how they perform in the regular season.