History to Watch For: 2024 Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury
So far we've gone through eight WNBA teams and some history to anticipate for each this season:
- Atlanta Dream
- Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, and Washington Mystics
- Connecticut Sun
- Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever
- Las Vegas Aces
Now, let’s move on to the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury.
Minnesota Lynx
Courtney Williams
What a career path Courtney Williams has had. Drafted by Phoenix and traded to Connecticut early in her rookie season, she became a fixture of the Sun’s resurgence back to the 2019 Finals. She was traded to Atlanta, signed back in Connecticut, and last season signed with Chicago where she showed off more of her passing game, recording a career-high 6.3 assists per game and two triple-doubles.
She’s now in Minnesota, and she’s on track for a major career milestone in 2024. Williams enters the season with 873 assists, just 127 from 1,000 in her WNBA regular season career. She’s also 155 rebounds from 1,500.
Both are well within reach this season, and if she gets both she’d be just the 13th player in league history with 3,000+ points, 1,500+ rebounds, and 1,000+ assists. As long as she gets there over the course of this season (or just her next 40 games), she’ll easily be the fourth-fastest player to that mark all-time.
| Player | Num Games to 3K Points, 1.5K Rebounds, 1K Assists |
|---|---|
| Candace Parker | 261 |
| Alyssa Thomas | 261 |
| Tamika Catchings | 272 |
| Courtney Williams (Projected) | ~277 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 312 |
Pretty incredible company.
Cheryl Reeve
Longevity as a coach in professional sports is tough to come by, and no one in the WNBA has put together a run with one franchise like Cheryl Reeve.
The Lynx’s last win of the 2023 regular season was also Reeve’s 300th regular season win as head coach in the WNBA, and each one has been with the Lynx. She is the only coach in league history to get to 300 wins with one franchise.
| Coach | Franchise | Num Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Reeve | Minnesota Lynx | 300 |
| Van Chancellor | Houston Comets | 211 |
| Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 206 |
| Mike Thibault | Washington Mystics | 173 |
| Michael Cooper | Los Angeles Sparks | 167 |
Reeve enters the 2024 season with 470 regular season games coached in the WNBA, well on her way to becoming the fifth coach in league history to reach the 500-game mark, joining Mike Thibault, Dan Hughes, Brian Agler, and Bill Laimbeer. She’s already the only coach with 400 games coached with one franchise and so would be the first to 500 as well.
Phoenix Mercury
Losing
There’s no denying the last two seasons have been dismal for the Phoenix Mercury, both on the court and off. The return of Brittney Griner and an overhaul of the front office, coaching staff, and roster has the Mercury looking to turn things back around in 2024.
Specifically, the Mercury ended the 2023 season on an 11-game losing streak, the longest winning drought in franchise history. Phoenix had only lost 10 consecutive games in a season one time before, in 2012 when their timely losing led to winning the No. 1 pick in the 2013 Draft (Griner).
Last season was also the first time since 2012 the Mercury failed to make the WNBA Playoffs, but they were pretty intentional about how they added winning back in to the franchise; they hired Kristi Toliver (champion in 2016 and 2019) as assistant coach and brought in Natasha Cloud (2019 champion) and Kahleah Copper (2021 champion) in free agency. Combine that with 2014 champion Griner and three-time champion Diana Taurasi (2007, 2009, 2014) and the organization must feel the pressure to win again.
Brittney Griner
After a much-anticipated and celebrated return to the WNBA in 2023, Brittney Griner returns to the Phoenix Mercury with a retooled team and coaching staff around her.
As has been the case her entire career, one statistic to keep an eye on all season long is her blocked shots. Griner enters the season with 766 regular season blocks, good for third all-time after passing Sylvia Fowles (721) last year.
| Player | Regular Season Blocks |
|---|---|
| Margo Dydek | 877 |
| Lisa Leslie | 822 |
| Brittney Griner | 766 |
| Sylvia Fowles | 721 |
Griner averaged a career low 1.6 blocks per game last year, but there are far too many factors at play to have any idea if it’s a marker of a real long-term downturn. Even if she averages just one block per game over a full 40-game season, she’s on track to reach 800 career blocks this year.
Maintaining last year’s average over a full 40-game season would also move her past Leslie up to second all-time, leaving her poised to potentially become the league’s all-time blocks leader in 2025.
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