Kelsey Plum Draws Major Praise From New Head Coach After Helping Mercury Win: “Hell of a First Performance By Her”

The Phoenix Mercury sent a player, a first round, and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Sparks for Kelsey Plum.

Kelsey Plum Draws Major Praise From New Head Coach After Helping Mercury Win: “Hell of a First Performance By Her”

New Mercury guard Kelsey Plum (Image via Mirror US Sports/X)

Up until a few days ago, Kelsey Plum did not have a clue as to how her career would progress. The Los Angeles Sparks were actively shopping her on the trade market, and their asking price was putting off potential suitors.

The Sparks traded away a first-round pick to land Plum, which ultimately turned into dunking All-Star and generational talent Dominique Malonga. They wanted to recoup as much as possible without compromising their rebuilding efforts.

That meant the wait was going to add to the stress the guard was under. Then, just before the trade deadline, the Phoenix Mercury managed to convince the Sparks to let go of their best scorer and facilitator.

Satou Sabally walking away was a huge loss from which they did not recover. The hope is that their newest addition and her second-best scoring in the league will take care of it. It may take time to show, but after her first game, Plum’s new head coach is thrilled.

I don’t think she’s played in six weeks… To get in last night at 10:30 p.m. and to have one shoot around and play the way she did- a hell of a first performance by her.

Nate Tibbetts told reporters

Tibbetts has coached long enough to know what a superlative performance looks like. His response indicates that what he saw from Kelsey Plum, who was playing for the first time in over a month, was enough to leave him excited.

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Kelsey Plum’s 20 points helped Mercury win against the resurgent Sky

After Kelsey Plum joined her new teammates, it was reported that she would play her first game immediately. That meant she would suit up in Phoenix Mercury gear to battle against the resurgent Chicago Sky.

Kelsey Plum drives to the basket
Kelsey Plum drives to the basket (Image via Justin Evans/X)

That team had just defeated the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, and it was looking like a team that could upset any big team that was coming for them. But in this game, they may not have game-planned for Kelsey Plum, as she was the difference in this battle.

The 5’8″ guard came off the bench, as she is yet to practice with her new team. On top of that, the franchise placed a minutes restriction to ease her back into play after spending a lot of time off the court.

But that was not going to stop the five-time All-Star from doing what she does best, and that is to score efficiently. Plum launched shots at will from the perimeter, or glided to the rim, or even fed her teammates whenever needed.

She finished the night with 20 points and four assists, all from just the 21 minutes she was on the floor. If this is any indication of what is to come for the Mercury, they might suddenly become dark horses in the race for a playoff spot.

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Kelsey Plum grateful to get to the Mercury

After Nate Tibbetts spoke about what he saw from his newest player, it was time for Kelsey Plum to speak with reporters now as a member of the Phoenix Mercury. When asked about her experience with her new team, she said:

I’m super grateful to be here. I’m super excited to play tonight… It’s been a crazy 48 hours. But to be received like that from teammates, from the staff, from the organization- I’m just super grateful.

Kelsey Plum replied

The 31-year-old seems to be in great spirits after being cast away by her previous team. Plum was supposed to be the Sparks’ franchise cornerstone for a while. Playing in her home state of California and wearing the iconic purple and gold were good enough motivation for her to stay there.

But it seems the franchise wanted to cut its losses and rebuild since the guard could not lead them to the playoffs last season, and her inconsistent health this campaign has left them trailing in the run for a postseason berth again.

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