WNBA Power Rankings: Brittney Griner's return has Mercury's offense humming, Liberty stick at No. 1

The Mercury are 3-1 since Griner's return and their offense looks unstoppable with her on the floor

By Jack Maloney Jun 17, 2024 at 11:03 am ET• 5 min read

It was incredible that Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner played at all last season upon her return from a harrowing experience in Russia. That she was largely her usual self and made the All-Star Game despite spending the previous 10 months in Russian custody only made the feat that much more impressive. 

Griner's successful return raised excitement about what she could do this summer after a normal and healthy offseason, coupled with the Mercury's major personnel changes. And then, with just days remaining in training camp, she fractured her toe and was ruled out indefinitely. In the end, she missed nearly a month of action and the team's first 10 games. 

While the new-look Mercury showed some flashes of brilliance early on, they were inconsistent and went 4-6 in those contests. Since Griner returned on June 7, they are 3-1 with wins over the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm, and their offense looks borderline unstoppable. Even in their lone defeat they put up 99 points.