Washington Mystics
By Dave Sellers
The Mystics’ season has been everything but magical, read why they sit at 6-19.
The Washington Mystics have not had the year they expected under first-year head coach, Eric Thibault. Coach Thibault has stepped in for his father, Mike Thibault. The senior Thibault was the head coach for Washington for ten years. That ten-year run saw two WNBA Finals appearances and one championship in 2019.
But in defense of Coach Thibault, he walked into a locker room that was missing two core pieces from the prior year.
Elena Delle Donne stepped away from the WNBA in the offseason. The two-time MVP was the Mystics offense.
Natasha Cloud left for the Phoenix Mercury in free agency. Cloud played an average of 31 minutes a game over the last four seasons. She is a wirey veteran who played lockdown defense.
Then the injury bug bit this roster.
Brittney Sykes has had two different stints on the injury list leading to her only playing three games this season. Sykes started all 40 games for the Mystics last year while averaging 15.9 points a game while shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Shakira Austin has only appeared in six games this season. The third-year pro appeared in 19 games last year with 17 starts.
Karlie Samuelson is a third starter who has been dealing with injuries. The fifth-year veteran was averaging a career-high in points, 9.9 PPG, while starting 17 games.
Key Stats
6-19 straight-up
16-8-1 ATS
14-11 to the over
79.3 points per game
43% field goal percentage
36.7% three-point field goal percentage
9.8 made three-pointers per game
77.1 free-throw percentage
7 offensive rebounds per game
16.3 turnovers per game
83.8 points allowed per game
45.9% opponent’s shooting percentage
34.8% opponent’s three-point field goal percentage
77.9% opponent’s free-throw percentage
7.7 opponents offensive rebounds per game
16.1 turnovers per game
The numbers don’t lie, the Mystics sit where they are in the WNBA Standings for multiple reasons. Being outscored, being outshot percentage-wise, and turning the ball over 16 times a game.
Key Players
Stefanie Dolson
-The ten-year pro and one-time WNBA Champion is having a career year from beyond the arc. Dolson is averaging 2.2 three-pointers a game while shooting 50% from three-point land, both career highs.
If Washington hopes to make a playoff run, Dolson has to continue her hot shooting from beyond the arc.
Ariel Atkins
-Atkins mostly known for her defensive effort, a five-time all-WNBA defensive team member, is leading the Mystics in scoring. Atkins is averaging 15.9 points a game which is 2.5 points higher than her career average.
The rest of the Mystics’ roster will need to step it up offensively to help Atkins push this team toward a playoff run.
Rest of the Season
The good thing for Washington is they do not have to play the Las Vegas Aces anymore and only have one more matchup against the New York Liberty. The bad news is they still have the fourth hardest remaining schedule.
This schedule includes nine road games with the longest remaining road trip being two games.
I like the chances of the Msytics crawling back into the playoff race but they have to start playing defense.
Closing
I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read my work. I will be writing recaps of each WNBA team’s season before the Olympic break.
If you like sports gambling content, check me out on X @Davesdailypicks, I will also be writing golf articles during the break for Rithmm.
