One theme has been consistent through the past three days: positionless basketball. For the Phoenix Mercury, and their Big 3 of Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally, and Alyssa Thomas, they are embracing it as much as anyone. Since Thomas was traded to the Mercury, that was a major point of emphasis during Wednesday’s media day. What exactly is positionless basketball? Well, there’s no clear definition of it. Regardless, the All-WNBA forward gave a thoughtful explanation as to the hype surrounding that brand of ball. At Phoenix Mercury Media Day, Alyssa Thomas talked about the fun of “position-less basketball.”#WNBA #ValleyTogether https://t.co/NhE8SmwLA3 pic.twitter.com/Q6776JDfZx — Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) April 30, 2025 “Position-less basketball is a lot of fun,” Thomas said. “As a facilitator, I’m surrounded by so many offensive weapons. I think that’s the great thing about it. Any given night, anybody can go off and it’s their night. “So right now it’s just learning each other and figuring out how to play with each other. But once we get it, it’s going to be seamless.” Thomas herself is a positionless player. Although she’s listed as a forward, she’s often the primary ball-handler. Especially the last handful of years with the Connecticut Sun, she’s embraced the role. She’ll initiate the offense either in the half-court or on a fastbreak. Her pace is ideal for Nate Tibbetts’ 3-point and pace-and-space system. However, the former Connecticut Sun star won’t be the only one who enjoys the new-look offense. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally love the Mercury’s positionless feel Matt Krohn-Imagn Images If anyone embodies position-less, it’s Sabally. She was labeled as a unicorn coming out of the University of Oregon. From ball-handling in the pick-and-roll to being a shooter or playing down-low, she can do just about anything. Much like Alyssa Thomas, the former Dallas Wings forward feels a similar way about going position-less. “It’s really in today’s way of playing basketball,” Sabally said. “I think people just become more skilled at everything, and I have always been a player where it’s like, oh, ‘I don’t even know which position I’m at’, I’m versatile and I love playing the point or bringing the ball up. I love posting up, and the same goes for AT. “We have Kalani (Brown) shooting threes…. Having that flow and that unpredictable movement of offensive players. We know what we’re doing. But I think it’s really hard to guard that because people are also bound to guard a position type in basketball.” Satou Sabally told me how the benefits of Mercury’s positionless basketball. “I think it’s really hard to to guard because people are also bound to guard a position in position-type basketball.” pic.twitter.com/bSQ11BR0FY — Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) April 30, 2025 At her size, Sabally is the quintessential 3-level scorer. Not to mention, she’s one of the younger players on the team, despite having an All-WNBA nod to her resume. Although she could’ve sat out all of 2024, she loved the game and came back. She attempted a career-high in three pointers made per game, as well as attempted. In Tibbetts’s offense, that is a major bonus. The 3-point and shots at the basket are essential. Luckily for Thomas, her running mate will be someone who can excel in all areas. Will the Mercury go positionless on defense? © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Offense is a major component, but so is defense. The old saying goes, “defense wins championships.” While that mantra might not be true anymore, it’s a major component to team success. Thomas’s teams have always been elite defensive teams. During Tibbetts’s first season as head coach, the Mercury didn’t have that success. They were middle to the lower echelon of teams in the league for defensive rating and points allowed per game. However, one player has taken what Thomas said about defense to heart. On Sunday, Copper touched on the Mercury’s defensive identity before training camp. Three days later, that message is still the same, and is one that she cherishes. “Well, I think I love that everyone has locked in defensively,” Copper said. “I think we were very intentional from day one and said that we want to guard. We know we can score, but we wanna be able to rely on our defense at times. “I’m just excited that everyone has kind of bought into that. The first day, the first thing was defense. AT was like, ‘Let’s go, let’s get it, ‘ but I think that’s why it’s so important for me to set the tone. I was just excited for everyone following that energy.” The traditionalists won’t like what Phoenix is cooking up. With their versatility at a majority of positions, they have the chance to be great. Although centers like Natasha Mack and Kalani Brown will be traditional in their roles, those two still plan to expand their games. Adding more skills to the arsenal won’t do any harm. That versatility on both sides can be a change compared to what Mercury fans witnessed in 2024. Now, there’s a heightened sense of that, reinforced with a realistic sense of who will play what role. With Alyssa Thomas claiming that Phoenix will have a “Top 3 defense” in the league, both sides of the ball are being addressed to a tee.