Nate Tibbetts and the Phoenix Mercury are fading from the playoff picture. So far, the team has won just 9 games while sustaining double the losses. So the head was ready to try everything, even if it means playing a gamble on a recovering Natasha Mack that didn’t go his way, as was revealed before the game against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

“I think we were all hoping that we would see her last game, but it didn’t work out. She wasn’t completely ready,” Tibbetts said about trying to get her to court for the first of their back-to-back clashes, as per Clutchpoints reporter Hayden Cilley.

“I know she’s ready to go. She’s excited. Obviously, she’ll be on a minutes restriction. Mack played extremely well to start the year, and I think just having her presence around the rim will be really good for us.”

Ever since the season tipoff, Natasha Mack has been deemed Phoenix’s defensive anchor. As the team’s center, she provides physicality at the post. Her elite rebounding skills just add more quality before her elite rim protection.

She started the season averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, the Indiana Fever game on June 24 derailed her momentum entirely, as she sustained a bone bruise and was sidelined from the rotation.

Before last Friday’s Connecticut game, Mack was deemed probable. However, the veteran center didn’t log a single minute, missing her 8th straight game. Without Mack, the Phoenix Mercury’s defense has struggled.

In Phoenix’s 8-game stretch without her, they lost 5 straight games. This says a lot about why Nate Tibbetts wanted to see Natasha Mack in the rotation, despite her probable status. However, it didn’t materialize as Mack was unavailable for the game while Phoenix lost 96-83 to the Connecticut Sun.

Nevertheless, Mack eventually returned on Sunday, July 19, and her impact was immediate. Tibbetts remained careful with Mack’s minutes as the 28-year-old just played 20 minutes in the game.

However, she made good use of these limited minutes, recording 4 points (2-4 FG), 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. In her time on the court, Natasha Mack had a plus-minus of +11.

While Mack’s stat line clearly reflects her impact in the 72-63 win over Connecticut, Tibbetts and her other teammates further doubled down on it after the game.

Nate Tibbetts Opens Up About Natasha Mack’s Impact on the Phoenix Mercury Rotation

Without Mack, most of the pressure was on frontcourt players like Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner to shoulder most of the activity near the post. But Natasha Mack’s addition changes that entire dynamic for Nate Tibbets’ team.

“I mean it’s definitely going to change our rotation,” Tibbetts said in the post-game presser after the Connecticut win. “She’s on a minutes restriction night. The health and performance team isn’t going to be happy with me. We went over just a little bit. I think we’ve got a plan we need to follow.”

“But we also wanted to win this game tonight, and she played big minutes in the fourth quarter. I think just her screen setting, activity on the glass. She’s just a good way about her, and our team loves the energy that she plays with.”

Even teammate Kahleah Copper echoed a similar sentiment while speaking in the post-game presser.

“It was great to have Mack Daddy back in her short stint. She’s a rebounding machine. She’s getting her hands on everything defensively. Having her back in the pick-and-roll coverages. What she brings and the impact that she has for us is incredible. I can’t wait till she gets off the (minutes) restriction and really gets back to herself because we need that so much,” Copper said, as per Mercury beat writer Hayden Cilley.

Nate Tibbetts and the Phoenix Mercury are definitely in a win-now mode. The team has already suffered 18 losses this season, leaving them with no room for losing streaks. Natasha Mack’s availability in this situation gives Phoenix a cushion on the defensive end going forward into the season.