She was an All-Star for the first time last season. She was a member of the starting five that dominated en route to the 2014 WNBA championship.

After all her recent accomplishments as a starter, DeWanna Bonner’s recent request to start games on the bench was initially met by hesitation from Mercury Head Coach Sandy Brondello.

“She wanted to be taken out of the starting lineup and I fought it, initially,” Brondello admitted. “She wanted to. You give credit to her. She thought that was the best way for her to get back into the flow of the game.”

Bonner should know. The long-time Mercury forward is a three-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award-winner, a role she played in her rookie season when Phoenix won the franchise’s second championship in 2009.

Brondello made the move after a June 3 loss to Seattle. In the three games since, Bonner  has seven steals and 21 free throw attempts, far more than any other three-game stretch this season. Phoenix is 2-1 in that span, including Sunday’s 86-80 comeback win over Chicago. The eighth-year veteran scored 20 points off the bench, including two go-ahead free throws to put the Mercury up for good with with 1:16 remaining.

“I just thought that, two or three games ago, we needed a little bit more energy off the bench,” Bonner said. “I’ve been in that role before…It really doesn’t matter. I like to bring the energy, especially when we need it. Of course we won the championship with me in the starting five [last season], but things change.”

Newcomer Sonja Petrovic, signed as a free agent during the offseason, has taken Bonner’s place in the starting lineup. Both Bonner and Brondello cited her energy as a welcome addition to the starting five, while Bonner’s defense and scoring ability has provided the anticipated boost to the reserve unit.

Petrovic finished with 10 points, three rebounds and a block in Sunday’s win.

“It really helps Sonja flourish a little bit, too,” Brondello said. “It helped both ways. Will it stay that way the rest of the year? I don’t know, but Sonja’s doing a great job, and with D.B. we’ve got the luxury of having a great player coming off the bench at the moment.”

“Sonja’s great,” Bonner added. “She’s bringing that energy [to the starters] and I can bring it off the bench.”