The Phoenix Mercury once again have a healthy roster, with none of their 11 players appearing on the injury report going into Sunday’s home loss against the Atlanta Dream. But, as a quick look at the box score shows, three of the team’s regulars did not appear in the game, with Kalani Brown, Lexi Held, and Kitija Laksa all receiving a “did not play – coach’s decision.”
All three have been a part of the Phoenix rotation for long stretches of the season, with Held having appeared in 22 games (she missed several due to a partially collapsed lung), Laksa playing in 28, and Brown playing in 25, including one recent start after being temporarily removed from the rotation.
Held and Laksa were a bit part of Phoenix’s success defending the perimeter in the early part of the season, and they stepped up as the team dealt with injuries to its stars. Brown is the biggest player on the team, at 6’7″, and offers a towering presence in the paint that is otherwise absent on the roster. She also leads the team in field goal percentage.
Head coach Nate Tibbetts has expressed that he wants to cut down to an eight-player rotation, a common practice in playoff basketball, but he’s doing so well in advance of the postseason, with 13 games remaining in the regular season. “If you look across the league, there’s a lot of teams that play eight. We’ve played more, early in the season, I think more because our hand was a little bit forced,” said Tibbetts. “I do like the eight-player rotation. We’re going to have to continue to look at different lineups throughout the year and from game to game, but yeah, I like it.”
Aug 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) defends against Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (1) during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
He wants the team to get into a rhythm with a shorter rotation that could feature in the playoffs, but there are the additional complications of preparing for injuries and keeping depth players in rhythm should they be needed for strategic adjustments or specific matchups within a playoff series.
When asked about keeping those other players prepared, he responded, “this is the hardest league in women’s basketball. There’s not a lot of spots…We’ve got good players. It’s their job to stay ready.”
While it’s unclear if this will be the final eight-player rotation, for now Tibbetts seems to have settled on a starting five of Monique Akoa Makani, Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, and Natasha Mack, and a bench unit of DeWanna Bonner, Kathryn Westbeld, and Sami Whitcomb.
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