Mercury add former UCLA star amid latest roster moves

The Phoenix Mercury entered the 2024 WNBA season with a refreshed team and a new head coach, Nate Tibbetts. Their performance has been up and down so far, starting the season with a 6-6 record. A significant concern surrounding the Mercury has been their depth, and they addressed this by bringing in Charisma Osborne, as reported by Tia Reid of The Next.

Recently, the team cleared a roster spot by releasing Morgan Bertsch, who was part of the trade that landed Kahleah Copper from the Chicago Sky. With the addition of Osborne, the Mercury now have strengthened their backcourt depth and bolstered their defense.

The Phoenix Mercury initially selected Charisma Osborne as the No. 25 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Osborne participated in the Mercury’s training camp but unfortunately was one of the players released from the roster just before the season began.

Osborne had an impressive college basketball tenure at UCLA, leaving as the second-highest scorer in the program’s history. Following her standout senior season in 2022-23, she was anticipated to be a first-round pick in the WNBA Draft but chose to return to UCLA for another year due to the additional Covid eligibility granted to athletes.

Mercury looking to turn the corner this season

After enduring a four-game losing streak, the Mercury have turned things around by winning three of their last four matchups, including a victory over the Western Conference leaders, the Minnesota Lynx. At the beginning of the season, they were missing Brittney Griner due to a toe injury, but she has since made a successful comeback to the team.

In her first game of the 2024 season, Griner contributed 11 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block in 21 minutes during the triumph against the Lynx. She followed up this performance with an impressive showing of 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in a game against the Dallas Wings.

Recently, both Griner and her teammate Diana Taurasi were selected for Team USA’s roster for the upcoming Olympics in Paris. While this marks Griner’s third Olympics appearance, it will be Taurasi’s sixth time representing Team USA on the international stage.

The Mercury’s acquisitions in the offseason, Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud, bolstered the team’s starting lineup but thinned out their bench depth. The departure of key players Brianna Turner and Michaela Onyenwere to the Sky in exchange for Copper exacerbated this depth issue.

Furthermore, the team is adapting to a rookie head coach in Nate Tibbetts. Although Tibbetts brings prior coaching experience, primarily in the NBA under Jamahl Mosley with the Orlando Magic, this season marks his debut coaching in the WNBA.