{"id":662513,"date":"2026-05-24T15:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/662513\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:51:10","slug":"mercurys-sluggish-start-to-season-comes-with-1-shining-silver-lining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/662513\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercury’s sluggish start to season comes with 1 shining silver lining"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX\u2013 No one has made a grander impact on the Phoenix Mercury<\/a> than starting center Natasha Mack. She\u2019s been the team\u2019s defensive engine, the energizer bunny, and the rim presence they\u2019ve desperately needed.<\/p>\n

She finished Tuesday\u2019s game with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. Although Mack left that game <\/a>injured, perhaps the recurring theme is her dominance. She is seeking mismatches and always looking for ways to exploit her opposition. The majority of her work the season prior came from hustle, but now it\u2019s a mix of skill and hustle.<\/p>\n

When Phoenix re-signed Kathryn Westbeld and brought in center Kyara Linksens from Belgium, it caused a conversation regarding depth at the position. After all, Westbeld was closing out playoff games for the Mercury due to her spacing.<\/p>\n

During training camp, Mack emphasized how much muscle<\/a> she put on (around 10-15 pounds, in her own words). Most importantly, her confidence oozes when speaking to reporters, and it overflows in each start.<\/p>\n

Fast forward weeks later to media day, and she dropped this phrase: \u201cYou can\u2019t contain this personality.\u201d It\u2019s such a Mack-ism, but that goofy, jovial side plays a role in how effective she\u2019s become on the court.<\/p>\n

Natasha Mack\u2019s improved play doesn\u2019t surprise Mercury\u00a0\"PhoenixMandatory Credit: Joe Rondone\/The Republic \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Before Tuesday\u2019s game, she ranked Top 3 in total rebounds<\/a> and Top 6 in offensive rebounds per game. Her knack for extra possessions fits perfectly into head coach Nate Tibbetts\u2019s philosophy. More possessions mean more opportunities to score on a team full of them.<\/p>\n

But now, Mack is cementing herself as a legitimate paint scorer. A little dream-like fadeaway from inside five to ten feet, hook shots with both hands, or simply barrelling to the basket. She has weapons and feels good about them.<\/p>\n

The general public might be surprised. The media might even be shocked, and even Mercury fans might be stunned, but her teammates? Not at all. Her head coach? Neither is he.<\/p>\n

Actually, this was the expectation.<\/p>\n

She spent all of the previous offseason with Spar Girona and helped them win the Spanish League Regular Season title in 2025. The following WNBA season, there were obvious improvements. Mack joked about thinking she was gonna die on the court<\/a> and that the Mercury would cut her during training camp.<\/p>\n

Instead, she wound up being essential to their defensive identity. Being that rim protector with her near 7-foot wingspan is only a small part of it. Much of it comes from who she\u2019s playing with.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Thomas\u2019s influence is all over Natasha Mack\"Phoenix\u00a9 Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

When Thomas landed in the Valley of the Sun, she brought a defensive standard the moment she stepped into the Player 15 headquarters, home of the Mercury practice facility. <\/p>\n

At the beginning of 2025, there were obvious growing pains. That, combined with an injury that sidelined Mack for the beginning of the Mercury season, made it that much more difficult.<\/p>\n

Her season debut showed steady progression, but there was untapped potential that everyone recognized. It led to Kahleah Copper being extra vocal towards the starting center that season. Little did anyone know that was what she would need.<\/p>\n

During the playoffs, Mack’s confidence peaked for the Mercury<\/a> at the right time.<\/p>\n

After being swept in the WNBA Finals, some players went to play for Unrivaled. Some went overseas, but Mack went to Athletes Unlimited. <\/p>\n

She played against players like Tina Charles, where she joked and bragged about blocking her shot following the latter\u2019s retirement from basketball during media day.<\/p>\n

Roughly a week after, Thomas shared that she had dinner with Mack and told her the impact she has on Phoenix, and what she can be. <\/p>\n

Hearing that from an elite defensive player is certainly enough to put some pep in her step (even though she already has plenty of that).<\/p>\n

Five games into 2026, and that mix of skill, confidence, and not losing who she is throughout the chaotic 40 minutes of basketball is something Phoenix needs to hold tightly. <\/p>\n

One of the biggest surprises in the WNBA isn\u2019t a surprise for those who have witnessed the progression. It seemed to only be a matter of time before Mack\u2019s evolution blossomed.<\/p>\n

PHOENIX\u2013 No one has made a grander impact on the Phoenix Mercury than starting center Natasha Mack. She\u2019s been the team\u2019s defensive engine, the energizer bunny, and the rim presence they\u2019ve desperately needed. She finished Tuesday\u2019s game with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. Although Mack left that game injured, perhaps the recurring theme is her dominance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX\u2013 No one has made a grander impact on the Phoenix Mercury than starting center Natasha Mack. She\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[76640,5551,581,99,434],"class_list":["post-662513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-mini-editorials","tag-phoenix-mercury","tag-reporting","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}