The Phoenix Mercury made a big splash with the signing of Tina Charles. She signed a one-year $108,000 deal, a significant pay cut from what Charles made last season with the Washington Mystics. Charles taking less money will allow the Mercury to fill out their roster.
New-look Mercury looking dangerous ☀️ @HighlightHER⁰⁰-Brittney Griner
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2022
-Diana Taurasi
-Tina Charles
-Diamond DeShields
-Skylar Diggins-Smith pic.twitter.com/sOIhVljjor
Scoring
With as much star power as the Mercury have, they might need much scoring from Charles. But Charles did lead the WNBA in scoring last season with 23.4 points per game. In addition, she shot 44% from the field. Charles also extended her range to the three-point line shooting 36% from beyond the arc. She shot 137 three’s last year; the most Charles has ever shot in a single season.
Charles can score and the post, and with her new three-point shot, she can help space the floor. Floor spacing will be critical because Phoenix has Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, and Skylar Diggins-Smith. All three of those players can benefit from Charles being on the court.
Rebounding
Charles is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game; she is one of the best rebounders in WNBA history. Last season Charles averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. Between Charles and Griner, the Mercury should clean up on the boards nicely.
Defense
Charles has made the All-Defensive team four times, she doesn’t play defense like she did when she was young, but Charles still can play solid defense. Charles averages one block per game in her career. The former UConn star is a good team defender, and between her and Griner, there should not be any easy baskets on the Mercury.
It will be interesting to see how this Phoenix team does this season. When you have a lot of star players, there have to be sacrifices made. If that happens, the Mercury could be a dangerous team.
An 11-year WNBA veteran, Charles was the league MVP in 2012 and is a nine-time All-WNBA selection and eight-time All-Star. In addition, she has led the league in rebounding four times and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Now she is chasing that championship ring.
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