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The Phoenix Mercury have had some special rookies in their time. They drafted stars like Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Brittney Griner, and all of them had successful years with the Mercury.
Taurasi was the first pick of the 2004 WNBA Draft, and she went on to win Rookie of the Year, which made her the first Mercury player to do so. She averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals that year, and as time would reveal, the Mercury guard was just scratching the surface.
Pondexter was the second pick of her draft, and Griner was the first pick of her draft. Both players had excellent rookie seasons, and they both made the All-Rookie Team. Phoenix’s guard joined players like Seimone Augustus and Candice Dupree, while the Mercury center joined players like Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins.
There have been other Mercury players who have made the All-Rookie Team, as DeWanna Bonner made it in between Pondexter and Griner. Bonner was drafted in 2009, and she had a successful rookie season that helped Phoenix win another championship. Samantha Prahalis also made the All-Rookie Team a year before Griner did.
As far as the most recent player to make it, Brianna Turner made it in 2019, and she joined Napheesa Collier, Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young. It has been a few years since the Mercury had a player on the All-Rookie Team, although they had some talented rookies this year. Monique Akoa Makani was one of them, and she was a starter for the team throughout the season. Then, the Mercury had Kathryn Westbeld, Lexi Held and Kitija Laksa.
While none of those rookies made the All-Rookie Team, one can argue that Akoa Makani should have received consideration. However, this year’s team was Paige Bueckers, who won Rookie of the Year, Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, Dominique Malonga and Janelle Salaun.
With no first-round picks and with the Mercury being a contender, it will be some time before they receive a top pick. However, they can find some hidden gems like they did with Akoa Makani and the others. Phoenix can find some talented players, and eventually, another player will join the likes of Taurasi, Griner and so on. So, it may be a while before another Mercury player makes the All-Rookie Team, but it will happen in due time.
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