After being waived by the Indiana Fever, Celeste Taylor makes her presence felt on both ends of the floor for the Phoenix Mercury. (Photo by Dylan Wickman/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX — Twenty-one days. It’s not a lot of time. It’s three quarters of a month; six percent of a year.
But it was enough time for rookie guard Celeste Taylor to secure a roster spot with the Phoenix Mercury for the rest of the season. All it took was three seven-day contracts, each day more important than the last.
How would Taylor describe those three weeks? Emotional, anxious and impactful.
Taylor was signed to a rest-of-season contract with the Mercury on Sept. 6 after appearing in 10 games with the team and averaging 3.3 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.
Of all the feelings and difficulties of her unique rookie season, Taylor’s initial reaction to the contract was one of fulfillment.
“(I feel) accomplished working through the things I had to work through to get to where I’m at,” Taylor said.
Her journey wasn’t the easiest. The former Ohio State Buckeye was drafted by the Indiana Fever along with Caitlin Clark in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Taylor was taken as the 15th overall pick; Clark went first overall.
Indiana waived the rookie guard on June 25 after Taylor appeared in five games, averaging just 3.2 minutes per game. That time in the season was difficult for her, but she found solace in the people close to her.
“It was pretty hard, I mean, I got drafted by Indiana. I was there for a big chunk of the season,” Taylor said. “Once they let me go I got a little bit frustrated.”
“I just wanted to put in work when I got back home and I got to spend a lot of time with family and friends, so that soothed me a little bit. I went out to go train in San Antonio with some of my old coaches. (I tried) to just stay in the gym and keep that consistent. Just always working hard because you never know when your next opportunity will come.”
That next opportunity came on July 12, when the Mercury signed her to the first of three seven-day contracts. Phoenix needed her with injuries to key playmakers Natasha Cloud, Sug Sutton, Charisma Osborne and Diana Taurasi at the time, and she appeared in four games.
Taylor played 24 minutes in her first game with the Mercury – more minutes than she played in her entire tenure in Indiana. She averaged 13 minutes in her next three games as Cloud and Taurasi returned to the lineup.
When Taylor’s contract expired, she spent a week with the Connecticut Sun. After that, Taylor returned for a second stint with the Mercury on Aug. 23. She didn’t crack over 12 minutes in a game during that span.
Not a lot of time, but enough for Phoenix to sign her to a third and final seven-day. Taylor knew it was her last shot but was seemingly unperturbed.
“They can only sign you for three,” Taylor said. “And so that third time it’s like, ‘OK, this can be my last one with this organization, but it’s not much that (I) need to change because (I’m) finding ways to impact the game and working hard and continuing to get better.’”
Rookie guard Celeste Taylor brings energy to the Phoenix Mercury lineup during a crucial stretch of games ahead of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. (Photo by Dylan Wickman/Cronkite News)
And impact the game she did, as Taylor played an increased facilitating role with the departure of Sug Sutton via trade and even started a game as Cloud served a suspension. Taylor embraced the opportunity, and the results made a lasting impression on the coaching staff.
“Whenever (Taylor)’s been given minutes, she’s come in and played extremely hard,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said before the final game of Taylor’s third seven-day contract. “Defensively, you can throw her in the game and feel really comfortable about how she competes and understands where to be at that end of the floor.”
Defense was always an important aspect of her game. Taylor was named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Ohio State in the 2023-24 season. She was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year with Duke University the year prior.
In the WNBA, though, Taylor views herself as being a ‘connector’ on the court, bridging the gap between the stars and the players on the bench. It’s a rather large role to assume as a rookie fighting for a spot in the league.
“When you’re a rookie, you need to figure out the small things to do every time you step on the court,” Taylor said. “I’ve always been a player that just does whatever they need to do in order to help (their) team win. Be that competitive spirit, bring people together regardless of if I’m a rookie or not.
“Being that connecting piece and trying to bring everybody along as far as the energy is concerned.”
It’s typically hard for a rookie to make an impact similar to Taylor’s when they are in a locker room with prominent veterans and personalities like Brittney Griner, Cloud and Taurasi.
Celeste Taylor adjusts to the WNBA with the benefit of learning from Phoenix Mercury veterans like Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. (Photo by Dylan Wickman/Cronkite News)
Recently signed veteran forward Monique Billings detailed that Taylor adjusted well (and fast) for someone who is in her position.
“(Taylor) was so quiet when I first met her, but I’m seeing her talk more and more and getting more comfortable,” Billings said. “She has legends around her so those are great people for her to learn from. I know it’s tough being a young point guard trying to lead a team with such great players, but I think she’s doing such a great job and progressing game by game.”
The journey to this contract, although difficult, put Taylor in a unique spot – a rookie point guard on a team looking to make a playoff run, filled with some of the best players the WNBA has ever seen.
Being around those players is motivating to Taylor, and being accepted into the Mercury organization made it easy for her to focus on the one thing that matters: basketball.
“When you have that relationship aspect with your teammates and the coaching staff, it just makes a player want to work harder,” Taylor said. “They’ve impacted my career and my experience in the W(NBA). They just made it a very welcoming space to come into as a rookie.”
The WNBA season is long. Taylor’s felt longer, from the emotion of being cut by the franchise that drafted her, to the anxiety of wondering if she’ll be under contract again in the next seven days.
Taylor’s goal – whether it was in 21 days or for a full season – was to leave the franchise that took a chance on her with one thing: an impact.
