Sami Whitcomb Praises Phoenix Mercury Rookies For “Staying Ready” As Team Makes Playoff Push

The Phoenix Mercury are in good position to secure a playoff spot this year, perhaps even clinch homecourt advantage in the first round. As far as Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb is concerned, her teammates are ready for the challenge of the postseason. Apparently, that includes even the youngest of the bunch.

In a media availability earlier this week, Whitcomb offered praise for the Mercury's set of rookies, which include guards Monique Akoa Makani, Alexa Held, and Kitija Laksa, as well as forward Kathryn Westbeld.

"The 'staying ready' part is key. They've done a great job of that," Whitcomb told reporters. "They're in the gym all the time, they're doing the extra reps, and they're really engaged on the bench."

The nine-year veteran, who is in her first year with the Mercury, acknowledged the numbers and intangibles chipped in by the team's rookies when they get playing time.

"When they do get there for one minute, two minutes, whatever it is, they're contributing," Whitcomb pointed out. "They're locked in, which is great."

Though the quartet of Akoa Makani, Held, Laksa, and Westbeld aren't dominating the Mercury's stat sheets, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has expressed his trust in the rookies by giving them significant minutes in his rotation.

Akoa Makani has especially stood out, starting all but one of her 37 games thus far and establishing herself as one of the more efficient three-point shooters on the team. Meanwhile, Westbeld has made her presence felt on the defensive end; and Held and Laksa have shown plenty of upside as spark plugs in the backcourt.

The collective effort of the Mercury players has resulted in a 26-14 record. With four games to go, Phoenix is in fourth place, though they hold an identical record with the Las Vegas Aces. Staying just a half-game ahead of them is the Atlanta Dream, which stands at 27-14.

Phoenix, then, is still in the running to finish as high as second place at the end of the regular season. To achieve this, the team will need next-level contributions from all of its players, veterans, and rookies alike.