After an offseason overhaul that saw longtime stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner depart, few would have expected the Phoenix Mercury to have the second-best record in the WNBA at the season’s midpoint.

Despite the revolving door of additions and departures in the offseason, the Mercury have looked like the real deal this season. They’ve leaned heavily on their new Big 3 of Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper, whose performances this season have led them to a 15-7 record at the All-Star break.

Their strong start earned them an ‘A’ in ESPN’s midseason WNBA grades. Alexa Philippou writes:

Phoenix received a strong grade in our first report card, and has only continued to impress in the first half, sitting at second in the rankings ahead of Wednesday’s marquee matchup against the Lynx. That’s all despite completely overhauling the roster in the offseason, having to lean on a batch of WNBA rookies and dealing with a slew of injuries that could have easily derailed this summer. Each of the Mercury’s big three has missed time this season — chiefly, Kahleah Copper has been limited to six games — and yet they have not been deterred. So far, midseason addition DeWanna Bonner has been a strong fit, and the team could be even scarier if it lands Emma Meesseman after the break.

Sabally and Thomas, recent All-Star selections, have taken the Mercury to new heights.

“All of our strengths are really being highlighted by other players around you,” Sabally told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “So just having Kah, having AT (Alyssa Thomas) and now even DeWanna Bonner, who’s really up there on the all-time scoring list — whenever you have great people around you, you will be great, too.

“I think that your grit and determination, just bringing that into practice every day and showing that in games really pulls you even closer, and I really have to credit our coach, Coach Nate (Tibbetts), he’s been doing such a great job of highlighting and uplifting our strengths.”

Sabally and Thomas were acquired in a massive four-team trade in February in which Phoenix gave up Sophie Cunningham (Indiana Fever), Rebecca Allen (Chicago Sky), Natasha Cloud (Atlanta Dream) and all of their 2025 draft picks for Sabally and Thomas, as well as veteran center Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun.

Sabally has played in 18 of the Mercury’s 22 games and is averaging a career-high 19.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Thomas, on the other hand, is averaging 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and a career-high and league-leading 9.6 assists. Philippou named Thomas as the Mercury’s first-half MVP.

Once the so-called Engine in Connecticut, Alyssa Thomas has been sensational in her first season in the Valley, leading the league in assists per game (9.6), having one of her best scoring seasons (15.4 PPG, 53.5% FG) and continuing to cement herself as one of the premier defenders in the world. Not only is she the MVP of the Mercury so far, Thomas is firmly in the league’s MVP race, too.

Although the Mercury’s new Big 3 have all missed some time, the influx of rookies and bench options has helped anchor them all season.

Veterans Sami Whitcomb and recently acquired Bonner have stepped up. Rookies Lexi Held, Monique Akoa Makani and Kathryn Westbeld have been fresh additions to the roster, averaging 8.7, 8.6 and 7.1 points, respectively.

While the Mercury’s quick rebuild and rise to the top may have been unexpected to some, Sabally isn’t shocked by the current result.

“I’m not surprised at all but I’m happy about the result,” Sabally said. “I think that we also would’ve been OK if we’re on fifth or sixth (place) and would have been like, ‘OK, hey we’re getting used to each other, we’re practicing.’ But the fact that we are in second place really shows that we are really high IQ players, selfless players that play for one another and that really make it work.

“There’s no personal agenda going on this season and you can really tell. You can tell that on the court we’re just passing it around, and I think that’s why I’m also having this feeling of not really being surprised but just knowing and appreciating really good basketball.”