PHOENIX – Mercury forward Satou Sabally is having her best start to a season in her career. “The Unicorn” has long had the skill set to cement herself as one of the top players in the WNBA, but injuries, roster construction and constant coaching changes have kept her from showing her full potential in years past.
In her first 17 games of 2025, Sabally has put together a career-high scoring average of 19.1 points per game, good for fifth-most in the league. The German wing also grabs eight boards a night along with 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals on nearly 40/30/80 shooting splits.
As a result of her production, the league Monday announced her as a starter for the 2025 WNBA All-Star game in Indiana.
“Satou loves basketball. … She’s been great for us,” Mercury assistant coach Michael Joiner said. “Offensively, she’s starting to see the game, so she’s playing really well right now.”
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Whenever Sabally is on the court, she’s a threat to put up big numbers. However, in her first five seasons in Dallas, she played only 94 of a possible total 200 games due to various injuries. Before joining the Mercury, she had played over 20 games in a season just once.
Dallas made the playoffs just once while Sabally donned a Wings uniform, getting swept in the 2023 semifinals to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces. That season also happened to be Sabally’s healthiest to date as she missed only two games, helping lead the Wings to a 22-18 record.
After five seasons and three different head coaches, Sabally’s stint in Texas came to an end in February as a massive four-team deal sent her out west.
“She found a renewed sense of energy and focus coming into a new situation,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbets said.
A new home just might have been the key to truly unlocking Sabally’s potential, as she has not only shown statistical improvement, but she’s been able to play a new style of basketball in Phoenix.
Back in Dallas, the Wings operated on a point-guard-by-committee approach. Although All-WNBA talent Arike Ogunbowale was slotted in at the one, her skillset resembles that of a score-first guard more than a pure playmaker. Through Sabally’s five years as a Wing, Dallas saw only one season of a player averaging five or more assists, which she and Ogunbowale both achieved in 2024.
The lack of an elite-level facilitator forced Sabally to initiate the offense far more often than she does in Phoenix. Despite playing alongside other talented scorers in Dallas, Sabally and those other pieces found themselves in a system plagued by subpar off-ball movement and a lack of schematic variety. Despite the shortage of playmaking personnel, the Wing’s offensive stagnation ultimately stemmed from their over-reliance on isolation possessions and poor operation in the pick-and-roll.
The Wings suffered on defense even more during the Sabally era, giving up an average of 87 points per game over the previous three seasons combined. With Dallas consistently ranking among the WNBA’s worst defenses, Sabally was repeatedly forced to over-commit on the weak side and make up for her teammates’ mistakes.
The 2025 season has been a completely different experience for Sabally so far, as the Mercury’s system has complemented her play style perfectly. Under Tibbetts, Phoenix’s offense embodies the age-old saying, “The ball moves faster than the person.”
“He’s a very intelligent coach … It’s just great to have someone stick beside you,” Sabally said.
Contrary to the Wings, the Mercury boast strong facilitation led by the league’s leader in assists, Alyssa Thomas. In addition to solid passing, Phoenix plays with the second-fastest pace in the league and constantly involves all five on the floor in off-ball actions.
The upgrade in playmaking around Satou is most evident in how she gets to her shots. While she often had to shoulder the load in isolation with the Wings, Sabally now finds herself getting set up by teammates at a higher rate. This change is especially true in the interior, as last season Sabally saw just under 50% of her made paint field goals come off an assist as compared to 63% in 2025.
Aside from Phoenix’s primary facilitators in Thomas and rookie Monique Akoa-Makani, players down the depth chart are capable of spreading the floor with the extra pass.
“That changed a lot for me, that every single player from us is able to facilitate and willing to also kick it out, make that extra pass and really play together,” Sabally said. “It’s been great, that’s the type of basketball I love playing.”
Additionally, the gravity that her teammates attract has opened up the floor, creating easier driving angles and better scoring opportunities in one-on-one situations. Due to Dallas’ lack of threats surrounding Sabally at times, opposing defenses would double her on postups, hard hedge her as a pick-and-roll ball handler and constantly send extra help on drives to the basket.
However, the Mercury pose a different situation for their opposition: They make the most 3s per game of any team in the league. As a result, defenders are forced to stay home and prevent shooters from leaking open. Without all the extra attention opposing defenses gave her in Dallas, Sabally has more time and space to dive into her bag of tricks when given the opportunity.
On the other side of the ball, the Mercury bolster one of the WNBA’s most formidable defenses. With a league-high 16 turnovers forced a night, Phoenix constantly applies pressure on opposing ball handlers and prevents post players from gaining favorable position down low.
Rather than having to exert more energy compensating for constant mistakes by other defenders, the All-Star can now still play the gaps on the floor without having to abandon her assignment. Additionally, the Mercury switch very frequently on screens, which allows Sabally to show her speed and versatility on that end.
The secret to Satou Sabally’s success lies in her hardwork and trust in Phoenix’s system. The Unicorn has found a new home with her like-minded Mercury teammates, and has adjusted quite well to it.
“Everybody understands the main goal,” Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said. “Every piece of the puzzle is doing their job.”
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