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Two players are officially part of the Phoenix Mercury roster, and those players are Kitija Laksa and Murjanatu Musa. Both players were overseas, with Italy and France, respectively.
While Laksa was on the bench for Saturday's game due to her contract being partially suspended, her contract was reinstated on Monday. Meanwhile, Musa's contract was never in question, as her contract was official, despite being overseas.
After the Mercury had two injury updates before Saturday's game, adding more pieces is beneficial, and then some. Musa spoke to reporters on Wednesday during the team's shoot-around about her adjustment period.
“I think I'm just going to slow everything down because I'm just coming (over),” Musa said. “A lot of them have been here for like weeks, 2 weeks, and I'm just coming, so I'm just going to take one thing at a time every day.”
Luckily, her head coach, Nate Tibbetts, was a major fan, even before training camp began. The anticipation for Musa to arrive in Phoenix was heightened.
Once she arrived, the head coach knew exactly who he would be getting.
“Musa, she's just gonna fly around,” Tibbetts said via Desert Wave Media's David Veenstra on Wednesday. “She’s an offensive rebounder. She does things you can't teach … She's got like that quick twitch.
“It’s just different. She has the ability to kinda go make plays, and she’s also a good passer.”
Overseas, the Nigerian women's national team member was productive. She posted 14.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 2.3 steals in 33.3 minutes per game.
However, one of the major questions has been her height. Despite being listed at 6'2, standing next to Natasha Mack (who is 6'4), she looks significantly shorter.
Still, averaging nearly 10 rebounds overseas is impressive. Musa has that versatility and fits the Mercury's positionless basketball they've leaned on since training camp.
Will Murjanatu Musa be the only Mercury X-factor?
Funny enough, Musa won't be the only one awaiting her debut. That title also goes to Laksa. The latter spent time in Italy with her overseas squad.
However, one of the major problems that most overseas players face is their contracts. As Laksa said on Tuesday, her club team required her to play the full season, regardless of it overlapping with the WNBA season.
Regardless, she played out the season and showed gratitude to the Phoenix organization.
“It wasn’t really my decision,” Laksa said on Tuesday. “I didn’t really have a choice, to be honest.
“So I’m grateful the Mercury organization has been supportive of me finishing the season in Italy.”
Again, the head coach had his eyes on her throughout the offseason. This was the first time that the second-year man was able to construct his team as he wanted.
The Italian combo guard/forward averaged 12.3 points per game and shot 38% from three. That efficiency stood out in Tibbetts's assessment of her.
“(Laksa) is a sniper, that's what she does,” Tibbetts said. “She doesn’t hardly ever turn it over, which is great. She's got good positional size.”
Phoenix needs all the depth with players out
Both Kahleah Copper and Mack continue to be out. The All-WNBA guard is set to miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her knee.
Furthermore, Mack sustained a back injury that has her sidelined for a minimum of two weeks. As a result, the team is truly embracing positionless basketball and calling on everyone to rise up.
Luckily for them, Kathryn Westbeld rose, as well as rookie Monique Akoa Makani. Now, it might be Laksa and Musa's time to do so.
Still, there will most likely be an adjustment period for them, and especially for the Nigerian forward. As she joked during Wednesday's shootaround, she feels dead, following her season ending on May 16.
Either way, Murjanatu Musa's versatility, defensive chops, and crafty scoring could serve the Mercury well with their new and enhanced brand of basketball.
