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The Phoenix Mercury have had some great defenders in their time, and one of them was there from the beginning. The Mercury were involved in the WNBA’s first season, and they built their roster through allocation, the elite draft and the 1997 WNBA Draft.
One of the players they received through allocation was Michele Timms, and she played a big role in the team’s early success.
In her first season with the team, Timms averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals. The future All-Star’s defense stood out, and outside of Teresa Weatherspoon, no one else averaged more steals that season.
Weatherspoon averaged three steals, and Timms was in second with her average. As far as total, Weatherspoon had 85, and Phoenix’s guard had 71.
Timms gave teams trouble on the defensive end, and when it comes to steals, the best game of her career happened that year. The Mercury had a game against the Utah Starzz, and they beat them 77-55. It was early in the season, and Phoenix picked up a third win.
Jennifer Gillom was the team’s leading scorer, as she had 21 points. The Mercury star also had six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block. Phoenix had two other players who scored in double digits, as Bridget Pettis had 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. Then, Toni Foster had 10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist.
Timms did not score much in his game, as she had six points. However, her defense and her facilitating stood out the most, as she had nine assists and a career-high eight steals. She also had two rebounds in the process.
The Mercury guard locked down her opponents, and it helped the team get the blowout win. They were trying to find themselves and prove they were one of the league’s best teams, and Timms’ defense helped them prove that.
Phoenix reached the playoffs that year, and Timms had another great showing on the defensive end. She had four steals in a game where the Liberty beat the Mercury 59-41. That was another game where Timms was quiet offensively, but she was incredible on the defensive side of things.
Timms is a Mercury legend, and in her time with the team, she showed that she was an elite defender.
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