The defense remains the best in the league.
The Washington Mystics are 9-7 so far in the 2023 WNBA season, good for fourth in the league standings. If the season were to end today, they would have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, something they lacked last year (as well as a home playoff game, but that’s another topic).
If there’s one common denominator between this season’s and last season’s Mystics teams. Washington had the WNBA’s best defense last season and they continue to have that this season. However, the offense has lagged behind. Currently, Washington has the 9th best offense in the league. But last year, the Mystics had the 7th best offense.
Why are the Mystics poor on offense? This season, a number of guards like Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud started off on a slow note. But both have gradually come around in recent weeks. But the Mystics are also now facing a tough stretch where injuries (Shakira Austin, Kristi Toliver, Elena Delle Donne) and international commitments (Li Meng) have affected chemistry.
It’s easy to say that “once EDD/Toliver/Austin return, the Mystics will have a chance to bounce back.” However, I’m not so sure. I think the Mystics’ identity at this point is rather set. The Washington Mystics are a team that will not make scoring easy. But they also will have a hard time scoring themselves.
Do you see the Mystics improving their offense as we head into the second half of the 2023 WNB season? Let us know in the comments below.