Brittney Griner is back: What to expect as the Phoenix Mercury center returns to the court - ESPN

It's finally here. Brittney Griner makes her official return to the basketball court, to the Phoenix Mercury and to the WNBA on Friday as the 2023 season opens.

It's a night anyone who cared about Griner before, during or after her detainment in Russia has been anticipating. The Los Angeles Sparks host the Mercury at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

It has been 474 days since her last competitive game, which took place in Russia in late January 2022, and 578 days since she last played a WNBA game, which was Game 4 of the 2021 Finals.

After being detained in a Russian airport in February 2022, Griner spent 10 months in a Russian prison. Days after her release — she was freed in a U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange in December — Griner declared her intention to play this season for the Mercury.

For the past five months, she has practiced and prepared, tried to shake off the rust to find the Brittney Griner of old. Will she be that same player who was part of the MVP conversation in 2021? Probably not — not yet, at least.

This weekend, with Friday's game in Los Angeles and Sunday's home opener (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) against the Chicago Sky, isn't just about basketball. Sure, she's expected to play in two games and score points and grab rebounds and block shots, but this weekend is more about welcoming Griner back to basketball.

What has made her such a consistent presence on the court in the past? Where is Griner's game at now? And what might we expect as the season progresses?

She is so hard to guard and so good at guarding others. Griner is a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, who at 6-foot-9 with such great mobility is a premiere rim protector and someone who can cover for miscues or mismatches her teammates face.

Offensively, she is