Alyssa Thomas urges Mercury defense and accountability

Alyssa Thomas says the Phoenix Mercury’s 4-11 start is being shaped by defensive breakdowns—and that improvement has to start with pride and clearer accountability from coaches as the team tries to turn a frustrating dry spell around.

PHOENIX—A 4-11 record is the kind of start that changes the air in a building. For Alyssa Thomas. it’s unfamiliar territory. and in the way she talks about the Phoenix Mercury right now. you can hear the frustration under the basketball. Even with lively practices. she says the progress feels slow—stuck behind defense that has been unraveling since a dominant season opener.

The problems aren’t new to her. Thomas has emphasized. again and again. that the Mercury’s defense has “taken a complete nosedive.” She ties that to the reality of a tough stretch inside the lineup: some struggles come from a lack of practice time. and key starters like Sami Whitcomb being injured. while Monique Akoa Makani has been away fulfilling her overseas commitment.

But Thomas doesn’t let the excuses take the wheel. When asked about balancing the process of improvement with urgency, she laid out a direct checklist—starting with defense, and then what she believes has to drive it.

“A lot of it is our defense. We’re struggling to guard anybody. That comes down to; 1: pride. 2: learning from our mistakes and coming in here, being accountable,” she explained after Monday’s practice.

Monday’s practice, Thomas said, was a good one. The hard part is what comes after. A sharper practice day doesn’t automatically translate into a visible, defensive turnaround on the scoreboard.

“It’s hard to say,” Thomas said when asked about improving defensively. “It’s one of those things where it’s a will to want to guard. I think that’s how you’re going to get minutes on this team, in this game.”

In Thomas’s view, accountability is the bridge between wanting to improve and actually doing it. Players have a say, she acknowledged, but coaches set the direction—what the players build, and what standards they’re held to.

“It starts with the coaches. That’s on them. They’re the ones that tell us what to do, and when they’re holding us accountable, it makes my job easier to hold people accountable as well,” Thomas said, describing how clearer expectations can tighten the work.

She also didn’t shy away from the emotional side of the ongoing issues—how it wears on you when opponents keep finding the same openings.

“I think it works hand in hand, and like I said, it’s got to be a will to want to guard. And at some point, you’ve got to be frustrated with yourself for getting scored on time and time again.”

Thomas’s comments landed with added weight because of what her history has been known for. Throughout her prime, she was notorious for having a Top 3 defense on her teams. So when she talks about defense now, it isn’t theoretical.

The Mercury’s current defensive questions also fit into a larger change from Thomas’s previous stops. During her dominant run with the Connecticut Sun, Stephanie White was in charge, and defense was central to that approach. With Phoenix. Thomas points to head coach Nate Tibbetts and a different vision—one shaped by his NBA background. featuring unique spacing concepts. more off-ball movement. cutting. and wrinkles that align with the kind of offense-first emphasis that Thomas says she’s encountered since signing with the Mercury.

The big question has been defense itself. In 2025, the Mercury had a legitimate defense. A season later, Thomas says the “juice” that once powered it seems to have run dry.

“It starts with the coaches. That’s on them. They’re the ones that tell us what to do, and when they’re holding us accountable, it makes my job easier to hold people…,” Thomas said, continuing the message that accountability has to be consistent.

Nate Tibbetts agreed with the theme, at least in principle. Connected to Thomas during their time together, he has been quick to address flaws whenever they’ve come up. In 2025, Tibbetts said Thomas had been a main proponent of leading by example. In 2026, he says that still applies.

But the results on the floor haven’t matched the standard.

“I think as a coach, there’s always a balance,” Tibbetts said. “Accountability, to me, is doing things right when they’re asked of you. You’re not going to be perfect, obviously, but we’ve got to be close to perfect than we’ve been, and we just got to keep competing.”

He also pointed to a next step—finding a way to make that accountability translate into something steadier.

“I think that’s an area, and the accountability that we can make a step in.”

Competing for a full 40 minutes is something that. by Thomas’s description and Tibbetts’s response. has to change if Phoenix is going to break out of its current cycle. With the 4-11 record already in place. Thomas’s message carries a clear warning: if the defensive breakdowns keep continuing. the frustrations won’t go away on their own. They’ll linger—and keep growing.

A better practice day might be the start, but Thomas’s focus is on what has to follow: pride in guarding, accountability when the team gets scored on repeatedly, and a shared understanding from coaches down to the players that the defensive slide can’t be tolerated for long.

Alyssa Thomas Phoenix Mercury Nate Tibbetts defense accountability WNBA Sami Whitcomb Monique Akoa Makani Connecticut Sun Stephanie White 4-11 record