Breanna Stewart Ruled Out for Mercury vs. Storm Playoff Game with Foot Injury

The Seattle Storm will be without Breanna Stewart when they play the Phoenix Mercury in the second round of the 2021 WNBA playoffs Sunday.

The team announced Saturday the 2018 MVP will be absent because of the left foot injury that ended her regular season.

Stewart hasn't stepped on the court since Seattle's 105-71 victory over the Washington Mystics on Sept. 7. Head coach Noelle Quinn said she wanted the 27-year-old to shake off the rust in practice before she rejoins the lineup.

"I just think you have to get some time on the court in a team setting to get bumped around and make sure everything is good," Quinn said, per Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. "When you've been out as long as she has, I don't know if you can just flip a switch and jump back in it."

Losing Natasha Howard, Alysha Clark and Sami Whitcomb this offseason has seemed to catch up to the Storm. The defending champions went 5-6 following the Commissioner's Cup final.

Heading into the Olympic break, Seattle owned the second-best net rating (8.2) in the league, per WNBA.com. The team was fifth in net rating (minus-0.4) after the season resumed.

Quinn's squad did, however, close out the regular season with a 94-85 win over the Mercury. Replicating the recipe that led to that victory will be difficult, though. Ezi Magbegor and Mercedes Russell combined for 29 points, while Jewell Loyd dropped a career-high 37 points.

Stewart led the team in scoring (20.3 points per game), but her absence is likely to be felt most on the boards and at the defensive end (team highs of 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game).

The Storm will be asking a lot of Magbegor and Russell to contain Brittney Griner inside.