Here’s a sight the Mercury’s WNBA playoff opponents have come to dread: Alyssa Thomas operating at the top of the key, ready to initiate an inverted pick-and-roll. Give up too much space, and Thomas bulldozes her way to the rim. (She put the Lynx’ Alanna Smith in the spin cycle in Game 4 of the semifinals.) Attempt to stop her drive, and Thomas dishes to an open sharpshooter. (Hello, Sami Whitcomb and DeWanna Bonner.)
With her all-around game, Thomas engendered some MVP consideration and has keyed Phoenix’s first trip to the WNBA finals since 2021. For as good as she is, though, Thomas isn’t always talked about to the same degree as the league’s other generational superstars, like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
