Natasha Mack Key to Mercury's Defensive Resurgence

Phoenix has bounced back on the defensive end since inserting Natasha Mack into the starting lineup. Can she lock down the starting role for good?

Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4) against the Indiana Fever during WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After a brief midseason lull, the Phoenix Mercury are back to playing their usual brand of strong defense. They've had the WNBA's best defense over their last five games, and all five of those games have come with Natasha Mack starting at center. Mack has predominantly come off the bench this season, with just 10 starts in her 21 appearances, but has looked right at home in the starting lineup and may lock down the starting center role that had appeared in flux previously.

Each of the three most-used center on the Phoenix roster offer something different, and Mack is the best defender of the group. At 6'4", she's shorter than some of the league's true giants, but she has enough length and athleticism to contest the shot of players like Kamilla Cardoso and she averages 1.5 blocks per game despite playing just 17.5 minutes a night for the season.

Natasha Mack's Value

Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard (6) against Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4) during an WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

She's also quick for her size, allowing her to switch on to guards and deter drives as necessary. That same footspeed allows her to corral opposing point guards when they look to get downhill in the pick-and-roll and still recover back to the roller to contest their shot at the rim.

The Mercury give up a middling 101.8 point per 100 possessions when she's on the bench and an elite 96.3 when she's on the floor. She says she learned a lot about playing good defense from Alyssa Thomas and former teammate Brittney Griner. "Dictate [to] them. Don't let them dictate [to] you," she told Desert Wave Media. "It took a lot to get there. A lot of yelling at me, getting me right, telling me to lock in.”

Mack is also featured in both of the Mercury's two best five-player lineups. Their two-big pairing of Mack and Kathryn Westbeld, plus Sami Whitcomb, Thomas, and Monique Akoa Makani has absolutely blitzed opponents in the limited time they've played together this year, and their new-look starting lineup, with Akoa Makani, their big three, and Mack, has been dominant in their 80-plus minutes they've played together so far.

Her offensive impact has been positive as well. For a team built around the idea of putting as many shooters around the floor as possible, it's easy to wonder how putting a second player who doesn't shoot threes next to Alyssa Thomas would affect the offense, but Phoenix's effective field goal percentage is actually four percentage points better with Mack on the floor than off.

She may not provide spacing by stretching the floor with outside shooting, but she rolls hard to the basket on pick-and-rolls and she has deft touch around the rim, shooting 58.5% from the field for the year.

If Mack maintains her current level of play and the Mercury string together a few wins, the starting job may be hers for good.

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