Mercury’s Taurasi Shines, Helps Short-Handed Mercury Make Playoffs

Diana Taurasi spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury, and her journey began in 2004. The Mercury drafted her with the first pick of that year’s draft, and she ended up winning Rookie of the Year.

Taurasi continued to play well over the years, and during that time, the Mercury had their ups and downs. The 2022 season was one of those times, and while the Mercury made the playoffs, they fought to get there. They experienced setbacks, and by the end of the season, they finished with a record of 15-21.

Phoenix’s veteran guard averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds, and she was one of five players who averaged 10 or more points that year. Skylar Diggins was the team’s leading scorer, and she averaged 19.7 points. That was her best in her years with the Mercury.

Tina Charles was behind Diggins, and she averaged 17.3 points in her time with the Mercury. She signed with Phoenix before the start of the season, and she played 16 games with the team before receiving a buyout. She joined the Seattle Storm shortly after, and she averaged 12.6 points with them. Then, Diamond DeShields and Sophie Cunningham were behind Taurasi, and they averaged 13.1 points and 12.6 points, respectively.

Taurasi scored a total of 519 that season, and her best game was a 32-point performance against the Connecticut Sun. The Mercury lost that game, as the Sun beat them 92-88. The Mercury guard also had four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.

Diggins was the second-leading scorer, and she had 22 points. She also had six rebounds, six assists and four steals. DeShields had 15 points, and she also had three rebounds and an assist. Cunningham had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

Phoenix’s guard had a solid season, and the Mercury needed her during that difficult time. Taurasi played 31 games, and she started in all of them. Her play was one of the positives of that season, and while she was out during the team’s playoff run, her contributions during the regular season helped the Mercury get to that point.

Taurasi’s scoring played a big role in her team’s success, and that year was no exception.

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