Mercury's Taurasi And Taylor Facilitate In 2005

The Phoenix Mercury's new stars were off to a good start, and in 2005, they dished the ball to their teammates.

August 28, 2010; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor (13) controls the ball under pressure from San Antonio Silver Stars guards Becky Hammon (25) and Roneeka Hodges (right) during the second half at the AT&T Center. Phoenix beat San Antonio 92-73. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images / Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury were on the right track in 2004, as they found two new stars. They added Penny Taylor in a dispersal draft, and they added Diana Taurasi in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

Both players experienced their share of success before coming to the team, and in Taylor's case she was an established WNBA player. She played for the Cleveland Rockers, and she made the All-Star Game in her second season. She averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals.

Connecticut's Diana Taurasi battles past Tennessee's Kara Lawson as the Connecticut Huskies defeated Tennessee 79-56 during the NCAA women's semi-finals at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on March 29, 2002. / JACK GRUBER / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taurasi was a college star, and she was fresh off her third championship. She averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.5 steals that year, and she was preparing for the start of her WNBA journey.

Mercury stars make an impact

Taurasi and Taylor helped the Mercury go 17-17 in their first season, and they kept that momentum going in 2005.

Phoenix was led by the stars, and like the previous season, they got their teammates involved. Taurasi was the team's best facilitator, and she had 150 assists. She dished out eight assists against the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the Mercury picked up their fourth win of the season. By that time, they had 11 losses, and they were way below .500. Still, Taurasi facilitated and helped her teammates have strong performances.

June 27, 2010; Washington, DC, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor (13) is surrounded by Washington Mystics players Chasity Melvin (44) and Crystal Langhorne (1) and Monique Currie (25) and Ashley Houts (12) during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

After Taurasi, Taylor was second in this area, and she had 94 assists during the regular season. In a game against the Silver Stars, the All-Star forward had seven assists. She had a big game, as she had 21 points, seven rebounds, three steals and a block. That was the same game where the 2004 Rookie of the Year had her season high in assists. Both of them moved the ball, and their team picked up a win.

Sep 12, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) celebrates with teammates Candice Dupree (left) and Penny Taylor (rear) after making a basket while being fouled against the Chicago Sky during the second half in game three of the 2014 WNBA Finals at UIC Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

Outside of the two stars, Anna DeForge was the next-best facilitator. She had 80 assists that year, and she had nine assists against the Connecticut Sun. She also contributed in other areas, as she had 20 points, four rebounds and two steals. That game was early in the season, and the Mercury dropped to 1-3 after that loss.

DeForge was third, and Kamila Vodichkova and Ashley Robinson were behind her. Vodichkova had 63 assists and Robinson had 31. One thing that was interesting about that year is that every player who suited up had at least one assist. In some instances, players have brief stints, and they do not record stats in certain areas. That season was an exception.

Phoenix's stars continued to shine, and their teammates reaped the benefits.

Please follow us on X to read more about the Mercury's 2005 season and the team's top facilitators when you click right here!

feed