The Phoenix Mercury have been missing a big piece of their puzzle for two weeks. Natasha Mack is finally back.
Mack has been sidelined with a bone bruise in her left foot, and it showed. The Mercury dropped four straight games without her. Now she’s returning just in time to face one of the toughest frontcourts in the league, the Connecticut Sun.
Head coach Nate Tibbetts said before the game that they hoped to have her back for the last one, but she just wasn’t ready. Now she is. “She’s excited. Obviously, she’ll be on a minutes restriction,” Tibbetts said. “Mack played extremely well to start the year, and I think just having her presence around the rim will be really good for us.”
What Mack Brings Back
It’s not complicated. Mack is the engine of this team. She rebounds, protects the rim, and gives the Mercury a vertical threat that nobody else on the roster can replicate. When she’s off the floor, the size problem Phoenix has dealt with all season becomes a full-on crisis.
Losing Kathryn Westbeld before the season hurt. That was supposed to be part of the answer in the frontcourt. Without her and without Mack, the Mercury have been getting bullied inside by bigger teams. Connecticut is exactly that kind of team, stacked at forward and center. So getting Mack back now, even on limited minutes, feels like the right time.
Tibbetts specifically pointed to her offensive rebounding and the energy she brings chasing second-chance points. Against a big, physical Sun unit, that could be the difference between keeping it close or getting blown out.
Still on a Short Leash
The minutes restriction means they’re not going to run her into the ground right away. But even 15 or 20 minutes of Mack changes the geometry of the floor. Teams can’t just attack the paint freely. Her shot blocking alone changes what opponents are willing to try.
The Mercury are heading into the All-Star break, and getting Mack back now gives them a chance to build some momentum. A win against Connecticut would snap that losing streak and give them something to feel good about during the time off. Even if she’s not at full strength, having her out there is a massive upgrade over what they’ve been working with.
Phoenix just needs her on the floor. The rest figures itself out from there.
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