Phoenix Mercury Guard Listed as Questionable for Game Vs Storm

The Phoenix Mercury could be facing the talented Seattle Storm backcourt without Monique Akoa Makani, one of their best defenders.

Aug 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) moves the ball against Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

According to Underdog WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury's starting point guard may not be available for tonight's road game against the Seattle Storm. Monique Akoa Makani has been listed as "questionable," a designation meaning that she is more likely to not play than she is to appear on the court for the Mercury in a tough road matchup. Akoa Makani is currently dealing with a knee issue.

Akoa Makani has been one of the biggest surprises for Phoenix this year. The rookie, signed out of the French league, has been a tenacious defender at the point of attack, one of the keys to a Mercury defense that forces tons of turnovers and feeds the offense easy transition opportunities. She's also been valuable on the offensive end.

While not a high-volume scorer (she averages 8.1 points per game), she's been incredibly consistent as a shooter, hitting 41.8% of her threes for the year and a dazzling 93.8% of her free throws. Her ability to space the floor around players like Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper is immensely helpful for the Mercury. She's also second on the team in assists per game (2.8) and is capable of providing secondary playmaking when needed.

Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33) drives against Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) at PHX Arena in Phoenix on Aug. 7, 2025. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If she misses the game, it's likely that head coach Nate Tibbetts will turn to Sami Whitcomb to start in her stead. She's a more explosive scorer and a capable playmaker herself, but there's a bit more variance in her performance from game to game and Whitcomb starting means the bench will be less dangerous from a scoring standpoint.

Tibbetts has gone to a strict eight-player rotation as of late, and has said he intends to keep the rotation right for the rest of the season, so it likely won't be a replacement-by-committee approach here. If Whitcomb goes into the starting lineup, then there'll almost certainly be just one guard re-entering the rotation and joining the bench unit.

The most likely candidates are Lexi Held, who's a pretty strong defender at the point guard position, or Kiana Williams, currently on yet another seven-day contract, who is a pretty efficient shooter, hitting 35.7% of her threes and 50% of her field goal attempts in limited action this year.

It'll be tough defending the dangerous Storm backcourt, featuring former Phoenix star Skylar Diggins without Akoa Makani, so the Mercury will have to make up for her absence as a unit.

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