Development and joy have the Mystics ahead of schedule. Can they take the next step?
While to many, development and joy alone don’t seem to be markers of winning, the Washington Mystics have found a way to use these pillars to enhance their competitive nature and talent, resulting in their first playoff appearance since 2023.
Development and joy are words that I’ve often heard from Mystics Coach Sydney Johnson during much of his media availability this season.
“We have grown exponentially because of our player development” - Coach Sydney Johnson
At the beginning of the year, many pundits saw the Mystics' season as one of a true rebuild. If they were competitive for a playoff spot, it would be a huge bonus for a team that has since defied those expectations, clinched a spot in the tournament, and can still fight to improve their standing and position as the regular season wanes.
As a team that “cooks on high heat” as the youngest in the league, the established core of Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, and Sonia Citron were already expected to give Washington a competitive floor.
Still, we’ve seen Shakira have a career year, Kiki continue to improve her feel for the game, and Sonia Citron develop into one of the most efficient two way players in the WNBA and set a record for most clutch points in a WNBA season.
Outside of the “CIA” of Citron, Iriafen, and Austin, the bench has also vastly improved all year, highlighted by Lauren Betts ability to thrive in a bench role and make big contributions in a rotating frontcourt.
A frontcourt that allows Washington to stay healthy and dominant, a big proponent in the much-improved play from Shakira Austin as she mentioned earlier this year that being able to be healthy allows for her to continue to grow.
If you’ve followed the Mystics, you constantly see the team spending time together and enjoying each other's company, including the coaching staff and the players on the court.
Whether it’s the “Rorizooka” pregame where Kiki Iriafen picks up Rori Harmon, or the excitement that Coach Sydney Johnson has after wins, you can see just how impactful the culture of joy is in making the Mystics a cohesive unit, something you don’t see often in professional sports.
Looking Ahead:
With the regular season winding down, the Mystics are still committed to developing, but to truly be a team capable of making a deep postseason run, they have some room to grow.
The basis of their success this year is the frontcourt. As the best rebounding team in the league with a very solid defense, the ‘Stics do a great job of limiting second-chance points and getting stops at an elite level (104.6 defensive rating as of Aug 25th).
This team is so good at these two things; that they’ve been able to overcome high-turnover games and a rough season at the free-throw line (2nd-to-last in the WNBA).
On top of quicker teams being able to successfully “build a wall” to make scoring in the paint tougher, the three-ball is crucial for a team that plays inside-out basketball.
When the Mystics are knocking down threes, they are incredibly tough to beat, so improvement like we’ve seen in the second half of the season needs to continue in order to keep pace with elite offenses.
While these are plenty of attributes for a team to improve upon in a few games, they are the reason the Mystics can struggle with the top of the league in a playoff series, but on the bright side, also function as reasons to know that this team is still far from its ceiling with this current group.
Fun tidbit to watch: Chicago Sky
As a reminder, the Mystics have the Chicago Sky’s lottery pick in the upcoming draft and will be able to add a lottery pick to an already talented and growing roster.
Mystics fans should be more than excited for what is to come and also happy that their team can also remind us why sports are fun in the first place.
