The Washington Mystics are officially taking their first full step away from their 2019 WNBA championship. The organization operated in a window of contention with the core of that team intact for several years, but that opening has passed and they begin a new season Tuesday night with a roster that has been rebuilt by longtime general manager Mike Thibault.
Two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne declined to sign a core qualifying offer and is taking time away from basketball. Natasha Cloud, the franchise leader in assists, signed with Phoenix. Tianna Hawkins, who played eight seasons with Washington as a steady and dependable reserve, was not re-signed.
Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin are officially the cornerstones of the franchise now, and starting guard Brittney Sykes is also back after posting a career year in her first season with the Mystics. Myisha Hines-Allen and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough return, too. Seven newcomers fill out the 12-player opening night roster, with Thibault favoring versatility on the court and reasonable contracts off it. The team also has two first-round picks in the 2025 draft, commodities expected to be valuable pieces of the puzzle.
“We know that we have maybe a little bit younger group, and it was a priority for us to kind of reset or reimagine the way that we acted and worked every day,” Coach Eric Thibault said. “At the end of the year, if all of our players have improved and collectively we have improved, I think we’ll be in a good spot to finish the season, and then we’ll have a good foundation going forward after that.”
As of Tuesday night, when the Mystics tip off against the New York Liberty (7 p.m., Monumental Sports Network), the future is now.
Here are five things to watch as the Mystics get underway:
Fresh faces
Two-time all-star center Stefanie Dolson returns to the team that selected her with the No. 6 pick in the 2014 draft before she was traded to the Chicago Sky in 2017 as part of the deal for Delle Donne. Forward Karlie Samuelson signed the first multiyear deal of her career this offseason. Both players started both of the Mystics’ preseason games and should have major roles.
Power forward Aaliyah Edwards was drafted with the No. 6 pick this year out of Connecticut, and Thibault traded a 2025 third-round pick for point guard Jade Melbourne this week. Both players are on rookie contracts: the 21-year-old Melbourne, a 2022 third-round pick out of Australia, is the youngest player in the league, and Edwards is the third-youngest.
Forward DiDi Richards, point guard Julie Vanloo and forward Emily Engstler signed training camp contracts before making the opening night roster.
“Part of what we’re trying to go through right now with our team is to, over the next couple years, have some young players that are under contract that have an upside,” Mike Thibault said, “and see where that takes us over the next two years.”
Tweaks on the floor
Delle Donne had been the clear No. 1 offensive option since arriving in Washington, and Cloud had been the point guard directing traffic. Now Austin and Atkins are expected to be the focal points in an offensive scheme that wants to share the wealth. Those two may be the top options, but it wouldn’t be a shock if Sykes leads the team in shot attempts.
Defensively, the presence of all-league defenders Sykes, Cloud and Atkins allowed the Mystics to be aggressive on the perimeter last season. Cloud’s departure and Austin’s return from injury shift some of that strength back to the post as the team gets its rim protector back.
Mike Thibault valued players who can play multiple positions with varied skill sets when settling on the opening night roster.
“Trying to prepare ourselves for a long season,” he said. “You want answers to a lot of different problems or at least the opportunity to change it up and mix it up.”
Changing of the guard
Without Cloud, the Mystics embark on a new era at point guard. Sykes will start and look to initiate offense while not losing the aggressiveness that has served her so well throughout her career. Vanloo seems to be in line to serve as the primary backup and has shown glimpses of elite passing ability. Melbourne also plays the position.
Eric Thibault wants to play with pace and doesn’t think it’s necessary for the point guard to bring the ball up the court every time. Atkins will have the ball in her hands plenty. Versatile players such as Austin, Hines-Allen, Richards and Walker-Kimbrough also will initiate at times.
Hip watch
Austin played just 19 games last season and eventually had surgery to repair a torn labrum in her left hip after the season. The team is being careful with her return, though she played in both preseason games and has no physical limitations. She will start the season on a minutes restriction, but Eric Thibault declined to share the exact number of minutes she is expected to play. Austin is a rising star, and the Mystics need her healthy.
Fire away
The Mystics want to be a better three-point shooting team in quantity and accuracy. Enter Samuelson, a career 39.5 percent shooter who shot 42.6 percent in a career-high 34 games last season for the Los Angeles Sparks. Dolson is a stretch five who has shot 38.7 percent from behind the arc in her career. Atkins holds the franchise record for three-point makes, and Sykes’s 35 percent mark in 2023 was a career best. Hines-Allen and Walker-Kimbrough also are capable from deep, and the Mystics hope Vanloo can be, too. Engstler is a forward the team hopes can stretch the floor.
“We probably have more [shooters] than we’ve had in a little while,” Atkins said. “So for me it’s super exciting because it opens our floor up. It allows some of our players that are able to get to the rim, it’ll give them more opportunity to get there.”
