Though the Mystics are 5-17, there are still some things they have done right as a team and individually.
The Washington Mystics are 5-17, or just a bit halfway through the 2024 WNBA regular season. Now is a good time for us to take a quick look at how they are doing overall. I decided to take this midpoint analysis into two parts.
Today, I’ll look at some of the positive things. And tomorrow, I’ll go over the negatives.
The Mystics have persevered after a rough start to the season
Since Washington began the season 0-12 when there were calls by fans to the team on social media to fire head coach Eric Thibault and General Manager Mike Thibault, the Mystics have gone 5-5. Their wins include two back-to-back victories over the Dallas Wings, the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Granted, the teams they won against are all lottery bound or close to it. But Washington is regularly beating teams toward the bottom of the standings. They also have regularly played competitively against most WNBA teams this season, even without Brittney Sykes and/or Shakira Austin in many games.
So if and when the Thibaults say that the Mystics are better than their record, they have a point.
Ariel Atkins has remained a consistent performer after her injury-riddled 2023
Atkins missed a significant number of games in the 2023 season due to injury in a season where she averaged just 11.5 points a game, her lowest average since 2019. But this season, she is averaging 14.5 points a game to lead Washington while averaging nearly 41 percent of her shots and making 1.7 three pointers per game. Atkins is also averaging a career-high 3.6 assists per game, adding a dimension to her game that wasn’t evident earlier in her career.
And we forget that she isn’t even 28 years old yet. Atkins still has some room to grow!
The Mystics are one of the best assisting and three point shooting teams in the WNBA
Washington averaged 21.9 assists per game, third in the WNBA. They also average 9.8 three point shots (third in makes) out of 26.8 attempts per game (fourth in attempts).
Mike Thibault made it a priority to add three point shooting to the lineup this season, and the additions of Stefanie Dolson, Karlie Samuelson and Julie Vanloo have helped there!
Julie Vanloo has shown she can produce big numbers in WNBA
With Cloud now in Phoenix, the Mystics had to replace her with someone who could replicate her assist numbers. Initially, Sykes was to be the point guard, more-or-less. But with Sykes out due to various leg injuries, Vanloo, the 31-year-old rookie-by-technicality has started 19 games.
So far, Vanloo is averaging 7.9 points and 5.1 assists per game, the latter putting her in the Top 10 in assists, which is solid. While I’m frustrated about her borderline obscene turnover rate of 27.8 percent (and it still hasn’t dropped), she is still a consistent playmaker on a rebuilding team.
I’d be interested to see how Vanloo performs as a consistent reserve after the Olympics as a reserve if Sykes returns from injury. And she is someone I’d like to see back in some capacity for the 2025 season, but I’m not at that point yet.
Stefanie Dolson is still a capable starter in the WNBA (and a deep threat as well!)
Last season, Dolson was a reserve center for the New York Liberty and signed with Washington this season. That’s partly because this was the first team she played for from 2014-16. But Washington also would provide her a bigger role. This season, Dolson is averaging 10.5 points per game, her highest average since 2017 for the Chicago Sky when she made the All-Star team.
Dolson has also shown that she is one of the WNBA’s three point shooters, period. She isn’t just averaging about 50 percent of her threes, she is making 2.1 attempts per game! In addition, Dolson’s individual offensive rating is 109, well above Washington’s of 99.5. There’s no doubt that Dolson has been one of the Mystics’ key contributors this season.
Aaliyah Edwards has quietly pulled in a solid rookie season
There are some Mystics fans unhappy that the team didn’t select Angel Reese, who has outperformed expectations for the Chicago Sky as the No. 7 overall pick. But I don’t care about Reese, because she’s not in Monumental Red. How about the rookie Washington DID select?
Edwards has averaged 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 19 appearances (10 starts). She is really good at converting close baskets and averages 13.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, the same numbers Reese is at that rate.
I get that Reese is looking like the better player because she plays more minutes and has more social media buzz because of the rivalry with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. But I think Edwards will grow to be a more-than-solid WNBA performer in her own right over time.
The Mystics will have three Olympians. They just aren’t on Team USA.
We will be going into Olympic basketball mode in just a couple weeks. Typically, a bad WNBA team won’t have any Team USA players and the Mystics won’t have any.
But the Mystics can still get revenge on Team USA because not one, not two, but THREE Mystics will be on Olympic teams.
Vanloo will play for Belgium where she’s the starting point guard. Edwards will play for Canada. And Jade Melbourne will play for Australia. Belgium and Australia are legitimate contenders to win the Gold Medal after the USA.