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PHOENIX– The Minnesota Lynx were nearly tamed by the Phoenix Mercury on Friday in a hectic finish. Thanks to Kalani Brown and Sami Whitcomb, Phoenix was in the game for a full 40 minutes against the league's only undefeated team.
The 74-71 loss was indicative of how close the game was and how valuable the two were.
While the two had high expectations heading into the season, their play has been overshadowed by the duo of Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. Still, the squad is comprised of more than those two stars.
When Thomas was ruled out with a left calf injury for Friday's game, it forced players like Brown and Whitcomb to do more. Luckily, the duo knows all about stepping up.
After all, Whitcomb brings championship experience to the Mercury and understands what is needed. Even on a team with five rookies, a tough loss can sting.
Following the game, she had a clear message for her team.
“We've been really stingy with ourselves in terms of the areas that we want to get better,” Whitcomb said. “It might be small little things… that play obviously it sucks to lose that way. It came down to other things before that put us in that position.
“I think it's cleaning up some of those things, and understanding that it's a long season. This is a great opportunity for us to be in a sort of playoff-type position early on, where you play a team and you get to back up and make adjustments and play them again and see if you can make those adjustments. I think we're really excited.”
Sami Whitcomb and Kalani Brown bring the Mercury some toughness
Brown has experience, but not to Whitcomb's. Still, the former Dallas Wings center understands what a successful team looks like. When she's had the opportunity, she's contributed greatly.
On Friday, Brown posted 15 points, five rebounds, on 88% from the field. Following the loss, Brown detailed how she was ready for the chance to dominate.
“I think I take a lot of attention in the paint, and I had to be aggressive. That was nice,” Brown said, smiling. “(It was) the most comfortable I've felt since I've been here.
“I'm feeling more confident. Coach (Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts) just told me, ‘Just be you, be dominant.' It's been an adjustment for me, so to feel some normalcy felt good… I'm happy.”
On the flip side, Whitcomb has started every game this season for the Mercury. Again, both Sabally and Thomas have performed like superstars, so contributions from others haven't been necessary.
Still, defenses respect Whitcomb's shooting prowess and her savviness. However, her aggressiveness jolted to another level. She attacked the rim with ease, drug the defense out to the perimeter, and was leading the fast break.
The Australian guard finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists, on 5-for-11 from the field. Whitcomb felt a performance like this was long overdue.
“I really enjoyed that. I felt like I could just impact instead of just coming off screen, especially while I'm not shooting well,” Whitcomb explained.
“It was good. I felt good doing that and being able to use screens, find people, even just get downhill a little bit more and get some shots closer to.”
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Both Brown and Whitcomb found their respective strides and put a sense of hope into the Mercury head coach.
How does Mercury's HC value Sami Whitcomb and Kalani Brown?
Whitcomb was Phoenix's prized possession and one of the more under-the-radar moves of the offseason. The 3-point specialist has made a career living from beyond the arc.
In a pace and space system, combining with the Big 3 of Sabally, Thomas, and Kahleah Copper, everything fell into place. However, before Friday's game, Whitcomb was averaging career lows in shooting percentage.
Even though Whitcomb was finding her orbit in the Mercury's championship quest, she might've carved out another niche on Friday.
Despite the shooting metric, the head coach felt optimistic about the Australians' ability to create and make plays with the ball, instead of playing off it.
“One of the things that we told Sammy (when we were) trying to get her to decide to come here is that we didn't want her to just be a shooter,” Tibbetts said.
“She did more; she played on pick and roll a little bit. She got downhill, she used her quickness, and she made some really good plays for herself and others.”
On the contrary, Brown lives and feasts in the paint. Her soft touch, footwork, and sheer physicality had defenders like Jessica Shepard having trouble.
The deep post position opened avenues for Whitcomb and Sabally to create plays on the perimeter.
While her game contradicts Tibbetts's fast-paced offensive system, it doesn't negate the big's impact in crucial minutes.
“I thought we did a really good job of finding her. This is a new system and a new team for her, and she's doing a really good job. She made some big plays for us.”
The Mercury will take on the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, in the first game of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. The short turnaround could be beneficial and allow Brown and Whitcomb to give some insight and move on from the tough loss.
