With the Mercury down a roster spot due to Diana Taurasi's injury they have brought back guard Andrea Riley. This move also indicates that Taurasi will miss a minimum of four games with her injury, potentially longer.
The 5-5 point guard was acquired via trade last season and was a part of Training Camp. There was a log jam at point guard with Samantha Prahalis, Alexis Hornbuckle, and Alexis Gray-Lawson playing some point this season, because of that Riley was expendable.
Bringing Riley back makes sense with the team struggling to score. She is more of a natural scoring point guard and can get her own shot when called upon. On offense Riley could be a spark for the team as they are struggling to get baskets outside of Candice Dupree and DeWanna Bonner. Riley is a quick full-court player that can put pressure on the ball the length of the court.
This move came just in time as Riley will join the team before they square off against her former team, the Tulsa Shock.
It will be interesting to see how Coach Corey Gaines handles the rotation now with four point guards on the roster that all play a different game. Riley is not known as a facilitator, but will be able to score the ball. Will that take away from Prahalis, Hornbuckle, Gray-Lawson, or none of the above?
Tune in Sunday, June 3rd at 3pm local time to find out as the Mercury host the Shock at U.S. Airways Arena and on Live Access.