The Phoenix Mercury are having a disappointing season, but Sophie Cunningham, one of the team's longest-tenured players, hasn't been shy about criticizing the team.
“We need to learn how to be great teammates,” Cunningham said after the team's loss to the Storm, their fifth defeat in six games. “At the end of the day, we make a living playing basketball and we're grateful for that. Maybe just changing our perspective and being a little more grateful would be a good start.”
Cunningham was drafted by the Mercury in 2019 and has spent his entire tenure with the franchise. WNBA She holds the record for most points of her career, having appeared as a starter the past two seasons and averaging 11.3 points per game in 29 minutes last season.
But he has come off the bench more often this year, averaging eight points in 27.7 minutes per game. His shooting percentage has increased slightly from last season to this season (41.3% to 42.1%), as has his three-point shooting percentage (33.7% to 36.8%). His mindset at the start of the game varies from game to game depending on what he sees from the sideline in the opening minutes.
“For me, it's not about the points, it's about doing whatever the team needs in that game,” Cunningham said. “And sometimes teeth “Scoring, sometimes rebounding, assisting, playing good defense. I'm like the X-factor and I do whatever they need me to do.”
Instead, Cunningham is now a candidate for the NBA Player of the Year award, and coming off the bench can actually make the game easier at times, especially with the talent and accolades on the roster that includes Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kalia Copper.
“Coming off the bench is sometimes good because you get to see the flow of the game,” Cunningham said. “We have four Olympians on the team, so we're all out there trying to find our rhythm pretty early in the game. We're trying to get our rhythm. So, coming off the bench is sometimes good because it gives the team that second punch they need at that time, a little bit of intensity, so we can be more aggressive on the offensive side and take shots.”
Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images
Cunningham's campaign for a sixth World Player of the Year award will be hampered by the fact that her team has had a disappointing season, currently sitting in seventh place and looking particularly disjointed since the Olympic break.
But Cunningham is a worthy candidate for the sixth MVP award as he is one of the league's most prolific and efficient scorers off the bench. Among players who have made at least 15 appearances off the bench this season, Cunningham averaged 1.2 points per game. Second most points He averaged 8.4 shots per game, second only to Hayes, and his shooting percentage off the bench has been phenomenal, shooting 49% from the field, 43.8% from three-point range and 87.2% from the free throw line in 19 appearances from the bench.
But beyond his on-court performance, Cunningham told SB Nation that his biggest contribution this season has been his leadership.
“It's about meeting them where they are,” she said, “being the glue for the team and making sure all these personalities, sometimes egos, all come together and trying to create a great culture and a great environment for people to grow and succeed. And for me, most of it is what happens off the court. It's about building chemistry. It's about building rhythm. And when you do that and you have a team like that, naturally, things fall into place for the corner teams as well.”
“So that's where my focus is. I think we have a lot of great players on our team, Olympians, they've won World Cups, so for me it's just about doing the little things and making sure we're all pulling in the same direction.”
Last weekend, Cunningham signed a one-year contract extension with the Mercury, the organization with which he has played his entire professional career.
“We're building a really good culture, and it's going to be a successful, winning culture,” Cunningham said. “I think we can win again here in Phoenix in a few years, and that's what it means to me. Our coaching staff is really great. The whole organization, especially the owner, the CEO and the GM, have treated us like elite-level athletes, which I know isn't always the case with other teams.”
During that time, she hasn't given much thought to whether she'll win her sixth Player of the Year award, but she recognizes it would be a huge honor if she did win it.
“I know it's been discussed, and I think it's great,” she said. “It's a testament to my teammates, to the hard work that I've put in. But at the end of the day, awards and stuff like that doesn't represent me. It's not about where I place my hopes and success, whether I'm a winner or a loser, whether I win these awards or not.”
Regardless of whether she receives the honor or not, Cunningham will likely continue to pursue what has made her successful in the WNBA so far, whether as a starter or not.
“At the end of the day, what I need to do is just try harder than the other guys, give the most effort on the court, have the most energy and give for my team,” Cunningham said. “And if I do those things, I think the game will take care of itself.”
Author's Note: This article is WNBA Player of the Year CandidateA similar story is Tiffany Hayes of Las Vegas Aces and Leonie Fiebic of New York Liberty.
