This WNBA team is biggest opening weekend surprise (in a good way)

Most projected that the Washington Mystics would be among the WNBA’s worst — if not the worst — this season. The Mystics remained quiet through free agency and traded away one of their top players in Ariel Atkins. Then, the point guard they drafted, Georgia Amoore, tore her ACL at training camp.

But, through two games, the Mystics have been perhaps one of the league’s most positive surprises. They opened up the season with a 4-point win against the Atlanta Dream, and followed that up with a 5-point win over the Connecticut Sun.

So far, the team has been led by Brittney Sykes, who battled a slew of injuries last season. Sykes is averaging 24.5 points and 6 assists per game.

And, their two first-round rookie selections — Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — have been phenomenal. Citron, who was picked third out of Notre Dame, is averaging 17 points on a ridiculous 64.7% shooting, including 40% from three. Iriafen, who was picked fifth, is averaging 15.5 points on 55% shooting, in addition to 9 rebounds.

“I absolutely love playing with Sonia,” Iriafen said after the season opener. “She’s so selfless, and she had a quiet 20 points. The way that she plays, she’s just so composed.”

Returning guard Jade Melbourne has also been key; Melbourne has averaged 13 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, capitalizing on the increased backcourt opportunities.

All of this has been done without two of the team’s promising young post players, Aaliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin. Edwards missed the first two games of the season with a lower back contusion, while Austin missed one game with a right leg injury and was ejected just minutes into another. When they return, the team’s margin of error will only increase, as will their ability to handle fiercer competition.

The competition that the Mystics have faced has been relatively weak — the Sun were also expected to be one of the league’s bottom feeders, while the Dream will likely be a middle-of-the-pack one. They now embark on a three-game road trip that begins against the Golden State Valkyries, which positions them well for an unlikely 3-0 start considering the Valkyries’ early struggles as the WNBA’s expansion team.

It’s still very early, but the rookie duo of Citron and Iriafen has gotten off to a fast start. Sykes looks like a potential All-Star, and the Mystics could prove a lot of analysts wrong who projected them to be among the league’s worst.