WNBA: Why Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen are deserving All-Star reserves

The Washington Mystics, who have been fluctuating below .500 for most of the season, are back to neutral after two wins against the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces in front of a new crowd in Fairfax, Virginia. Nearly halfway through the season, they’re comfortably shooting above expectations.

Evaluating Edwards

Two weeks ago, I noted the abnormality that was Aaliyah Edwards’ declining minutes. I didn’t think it was an absolute sign of an impending breakup, but, in an ideal world, a sophomore with star potential should be playing more than 11 minutes per game. On July 1, a source told ESPN that the Mystics were looking to trade Edwards.

While all signs point to the truth of that report, it’s not entirely clear how determined Washington is to find the second-year forward a new home. If this was one of those messy breakups that we’ve seen too many times in professional basketball, Edwards would be a no-show at practice or games. Some subliminal social media shots may have been fired. That immaturity, however, doesn’t fit this refreshed Mystics culture. Nor does it fit Edwards.

Head coach Sydney Johnson was clear that he wouldn’t treat Edwards as an outsider now that the team is looking to move her. Edwards was equally transparent about her mission to play hard and do what the team needs. In her first appearance following the trade news, Edwards had her best game of the season. She scored 15 points and brought in six rebounds while only missing one shot in 18 minutes against the Minnesota Lynx. In the following game against the Sky, she was a burst of energy off the bench that woke up a dozing Mystics team. On her impact off the bench, Edwards said, “I came in with that competitive spirit like I always do. Just had to do it on both ends of the court… Also, it’s my birthday tomorrow so I had to come in with big energy.”

For now, Edwards is a Mystic, and a valuable one at that. She shouldn’t be thought of any differently until a trade happens—and if one doesn’t happen, all the better. Depth matters, and having a promising young piece coming off the bench is a luxury.

On All-Stars (and a non-All-Star)

The Mystics, a team that was two games below .500 at the time that All-Stars were revealed, had two players named to the All-Star Game. Both are rookies: Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. Neither lead the team in points per game.

Brittney Sykes, playing in her ninth year and never having made an All-Star team, was perhaps “snub of the year.” She led the Mystics in scoring and assists, and is 11th in the league in points per game. Dearica Hamby, a snub in her own right, took to X/Twitter on Sunday to shade WNBA head coaches’ All-Star reserve votes:

Sykes’ absence from the All-Star game is due to her overtly poor efficiency. I have very few doubts about that. Of the 23 players averaging more than 15 points per game, Sykes has the fourth-worst field goal percentage at 37 percent. Each of the three players below her (Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale and Rhyne Howard) attempt more than six 3s per game, while Sykes only attempts two. Attempting more 3s will naturally make having a lower field goal percentage not only more likely, but more acceptable. Howard, the only of the four who made the All-Star game, attempts nearly 10 3s per game, blunting her overall field goal percentage. Sykes is the only player in the WNBA who averages double-digit points while shooting worse than 40 percent from the field and attempting fewer than three 3-pointers per game.

Enforcing such a quantitative lens to her absence makes the reasoning seem cherry-picked, but it isn’t. Sykes has been a volume scorer, not an efficient one. Citron is the opposite; she’s one of only seven players averaging more than 13 points per game while shooting over 45 percent from the floor and attempting more than three 3-pointers per game. Iriafen isn’t super efficient positionally, and there’s certainly a better argument for Sykes over her than Citron. However, she’s a stat-stuffer and has held her own against some of the league’s best bigs. The two players that lead the Mystics in win shares? Citron and Iriafen, with Sykes tailing them in third. The stats back the rookies, and the voters.

Sykes had a strong argument to be an All-Star, but her snub shouldn’t dim any lights shined on the rookies. Citron and Iriafen are the second rookie duo in league history, and the first since 1999, to make the All-Star game as teammates. That feat has only been accomplished four times in the WNBA and NBA combined. In her first season as general manager, Jamila Wideman may have delivered the best draft in team history.

The road ahead

The Mystics finish out the season’s first half with two West Coast games against the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks before All-Star Weekend. They haven’t played either team yet, but both should be competitive outings. (There aren’t too many Mystics games that aren’t competitive!) Washington still has the occasionally down game, but they stay afloat through all four quarters in the majority of their games, making for some entertaining basketball. They’ve proved more than enough times that they’re a team that can hit .500. The second half of the season is time for them to prove that they’re more than that.

There’s nothing wrong with a first-round exit in the first year of a rebuild, but given how quick this rebuild has progressed thanks to great coaching and premier talent, they have the potential to actually take it to a higher-seeded team and force an extended playoff series.

It’s time to stop worrying about winning the games they’re supposed to win. The Mystics need to start making statements. With 24 games left, they’ll have plenty of opportunities.