The Washington Mystics’ post All-Star Break schedule will be difficult.
On Monday, the Washington Mystics announced that guard Ariel Atkins will miss the next two weeks due to a left ankle sprain she suffered on July 11 against the Seattle Storm. She will be re-evaluated at that time. Yanir Rubinstein also noted the injuries in his preview of the Indiana Fever game later this morning.
⤵️Washington, D.C. – The Washington Mystics announced today that Ariel Atkins has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. The injury occurred during Washington’s game against the Seattle Storm on July 11. Atkins will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
— Wayne Cole (@waynec0le) July 17, 2023
With Atkins out, she joins Elena Delle Donne (ankle), Shakira Austin (hip) and Kristi Toliver (foot) as players who are currently missing time due to injury. All but Toliver are also starters, which will make the next several games quite difficult for the Mystics, who are currently fifth place in the WNBA regular season standings.
While Washington still has over half of the regular season left to play, they also cannot afford to have a significant drop off in their standings. They are just half a game behind the Atlanta Dream for the fourth and final position for a guaranteed home game in the first round of the playoffs. And though the Mystics are four games ahead of the sixth-place Dallas Wings, the Wings are also coming off a three-game winning streak.
Here’s hoping that Atkins gets back on the court soon, and that the Mystics can persevere over the next several weeks.