The Washington Mystics might just be the hottest team in the WNBA.
The hottest team in the WNBA is a dark-horse championship contender
The Mystics have won 7 straight games — and they’ve shown few signs of slowing down.
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
They’ve won seven straight games, and they’ve done so against legit competition, tallying wins against the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings (twice), and the Atlanta Dream.
Under head coach Sydney Johnson, it’s been a full-team effort headlined by young, overachieving talent. Second-year guard Sonia Citron is averaging 17.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, while establishing herself as one of the best wing defenders in the WNBA. Kiki Iriafen (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Shakira Austin (16.2 points, 9.6 rebounds) have anchored the frontcourts, and both have established themselves among the league’s elite bigs.
Michaela Onyenwere is chipping in 9.6 points per game while shooting a team-best 41.9% from three, and Cotie McMahon has become a breakthrough contributor off the bench, averaging 6.9 points per game.
The Mystics have a clear identity. They possess the WNBA’s second-best defensive rating (103.3). They also lead the league in rebounds per game (37.5) and free throw attempts (25.8).
Thanks to this most recent win streak, they’ve catapulted up the standings, now sitting in fifth place, having surpassed the Dream, Wings, and New York Liberty.
The Mystics have bolstered their surging squad with the addition of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
On top of that, on Friday, they added veteran forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton as they gear up for a playoff run. Laney-Hamilton was waived by the Liberty the day prior after a season filled with DNPs and limited on-court opportunities.
But, just two years ago, she was a starter on a championship team and a critical defender and bucket-getter. She immediately becomes the most veteran player on the roster and someone who could emerge as a key contributor come playoff time.
“We were patient at the deadline because we believe in our group and wanted to protect our team chemistry,” Mystics president Michael Winger told ESPN, per Kareem Copeland. “But the opportunity to add an established veteran with a wealth of experience is important for our continued development and competitiveness.”
Washington could face Indiana in the first round
If the playoffs were to start today, the Mystics would face the Fever in the first round. The two teams have faced off twice this season, and each has come out victorious once. In the first matchup, the Mystics won in overtime behind a 30-point performance from Sonia Citron. A few weeks later, it was Caitlin Clark who hit the clutch bucket to secure the victory for the Fever.
Most would favor the Fever in a Fever-Mystics matchup, but if history is any indication, this one could come down to the wire.
In theory, Washington is ahead of schedule. The only players on the roster with playoff experience are Michael Onyenwere (who has played in four playoff games) and Shakira Austin (who has played in two).
Beating a team like the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces will still be an uphill battle. But, in large part due to their elite defense, they’ve held strong against both; the Mystics are 1-1 against Minnesota, and 1-0 against Las Vegas this season.
When Washington opted not to make any big moves in the offseason, it appeared they were content entering Year 2 of a rebuild.
Instead, they’ve established themselves as legitimate championship contenders.
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