The Phoenix Mercury are off to one of their best starts in franchise history. They’re 12-4 so far, marking the second best record in the WNBA, and are only 1.5 games back of first place in the league. It’s their second best record through 16 games in franchise history and their best start since the 2014 season when they went on to win the championship.

Behind the big three of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper, the Mercury have looked largely unstoppable when all three are on the court. Even when they haven’t shared the court due to injuries, the Mercury have been able to rely on their multitude of undrafted rookies and wily veterans to keep the team afloat.

From Downtown

The Phoenix Mercury shoot a rather pedestrian 34.4 percent from three (7th of 13 in the WNBA), but they don’t let it deter them from launching away. They take the highest amount of 3s per game and make the most at 30.3 attempts and 10.4 makes. The proliferation of bombs from downtown always ensure the Mercury are in games. The made 3s represent an uptick from last year when they finished middle of the pack with 8.5 per game.

The 3-point attack is led in part by the 29-year-old rookie Kitija Laksa who has hit 30 from deep at a 40 percent clip which is the third best mark in the WNBA. In June she’s been one of the best 3-point shooters. This month Laksa has ranked fourth in made 3s which includes a stretch where she’s hit at least two or more from deep in eight of nine games. The threat of the long ball has allowed her to get open looks when the other team attacks hard on closeouts as well for open shots in the midrange or drives to the hoop.

Veteran Sami Whitcomb has also been pivotal in Phoenix’s 3-point attack. The Australian-American guard has hit 31 total from deep on the season and is only just starting to hit her stride after a rough start from behind the arc. With her five 3s on Friday night, Whitcomb has four straight games with four or more 3s made tying her for the second longest such streak in WNBA history.

“Obviously, I knew the tide was going to turn, just mathematically,” Whitcomb said. “I think, like, you make shots, you miss shots, you can’t always control it. But I’m gonna prepare the same way and get in the gym and do the same things and take the same open shots.”

In a road game against the Chicago Sky, the Mercury set a franchise record with 17 3s made in a single game en route to a 107-86 victory. Not wanting to give that record any time to breathe, their next game against the Liberty they splashed home 11 in the first half and 18 on the game. Sabally tied a career-high with seven from beyond the arc while Whitcomb had five. The 3-point outburst represented the first time a team has hit 17+ from deep in back-to-back games. A blistering pace from deep has been a hallmark of the Mercury offense this year.

“It’s a big part of I think what fuels our offense in general,” Whitcomb said about the team’s 3-point philosophy. “We know we’re going to generate really good 3s. Obviously, it’s great when they’re going in, but for us, like AT (Alyssa Thomas) said, it’s about getting really good open looks the best shot.”

Kah Copper Returns

At the start of the season it was announced Kahleah Copper would miss multiple weeks after undergoing a left knee arthroscopy. On the Mercury’s recent roadtrip, Copper made her return albeit in limited minutes so far as her conditioning acclimates back to a full schedule of minutes.

“I thought she had good moments and moments that she looked a little bit rusty,” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “This was a really good two or three days of practice for her. I thought she battled through the first quarter. Her minutes obviously went up, which was great, but the second quarter, she looked like herself. We’ve been playing well, and she’s going to do great things for us, and we’re super excited to have her back.”

Against the Liberty she played a season-high 25 minutes and scored 12 points while contributing two of the 18 3-pointers in the record-breaking performance. It may not be close to the 21.1 points she averaged last year placing her third in the WNBA in scoring, but it’s a start in the right direction as the Mercury look to somehow get even better.

“It makes a huge difference to have her on the court,” Sabally said. “She draws three people every time she drives it to the basket, and she’s just so fast and finesse with it and spreads the floor. So I’m just happy that we’re all back together.”

Kleptomaniacs

One part of defense the Mercury have been particularly adept at is taking the ball out of the hands of the opponent. Entering their game against the New York Liberty on June 27, the Mercury ranked first in the WNBA with 9.2 steals per game. This put them just ahead of the Liberty who can boast the second best defense in the league behind the Lynx. Among the best on the team at pilfering possessions from the other team are rookies Lexi Held and Monique Akoa Makani.

Unheralded and undrafted, the two rookies have been pivotal to what has been an excellent defense. Akoa Makani ranks sixth amongst rookies in steals. It’s her offense which has garnered much of the attention (she ranks second among rookies in 3-point percentage) but it’s the defensive side of the ball where it’s seen the trust coach Tibbetts has in her, placing her in the starting lineup. This was apparent during a home game against the Storm where she picked up her fifth foul but was trusted to stay in a tight game.

“I think in those situations you’re worried about winning the game and you want your players to keep competing,” Tibbetts said. “If she fouled out we had others that could step up, so I wanted to give her a chance to make some plays down the stretch. I think there is a trust factor when people do get five fouls.

Held recently suffered a collapsed lung against the Liberty, but before the injury, she ranked third amongst all rookies in steals per game and tied for 14th most in the WNBA per game. Kathryn Westbeld, another undrafted rookie, ranks fourth in rookie steals per game, and star Kahleah Copper tied her career-high with five steals in a game against the Chicago Sky while playing just 23 minutes that afternoon. In Natasha Mack’s five games since returning from a back injury, the defensive stalwart has averaged nearly three stocks a night in just 15 minutes per game.