WNBA: Amidst inconsistencies, the Mystics are staying afloat

After a smooth three-win, three-loss start to the season in Washington, the Mystics dropped three-straight games, casting a silhouette of the poor team that most people predicted them to be.

However, a much needed bounce-back 37-point beatdown of the Connecticut Sun proves that the Mystics didn’t have a lucky start, but instead are plagued by inconsistency.

No freedom against the Liberty

The New York Liberty, as they’ve done with each of their opponents this season, walked into CareFirst Arena twice and stripped the Mystics of their joy. Until their first meeting with the defending champions, Washington had only lost by two possessions or less in each of their three defeats. New York stomped them by 22 points. Just six days later, they beat the Mystics again by a less-impressive-but-still-notable eight.

The Mystics were not expected to beat the Liberty, but optimists may have hoped that a youthful, streaking roster might be able to steal a statement win off the defending champs. Going 0-2 isn’t the end of the world, but the margin of the first loss was concerning. It’s very likely that if Washington makes the playoffs, they would inherit one of the lower seeds. Thus, they very well could see the Liberty in the first round. If those two meetings suggest anything, the Mystics need to do everything in their power to avoid that matchup.

The Brittney Sykes Show

Something that the Mystics haven’t had in a few years is a true star.

Elena Delle Donne effectively “retired” after the 2023 season (she didn’t formally announce her retirement until this year, but did not compete in either of the last two seasons) and hadn’t been a bonafide offensive powerhouse since the 2019 championship season. The latest Mystic to average more than 20 points per game, and whom I would refer to as a star in the Washington uniform, was Tina Charles in her lone DC season. Charles averaged 23.4 points in a season where four Mystics combined for 66.2 points a night and only twelve wins. They missed the playoffs because the Liberty, who had an equal record, held the tiebreaker. Maybe that goes to show that star power doesn’t equal wins.

Anyways, Brittney Sykes is, so far, the highest Mystic scorer by points per game since Charles. Her 20.6 points per game is fourth in the league. Her 7.9 free throws and 10.1 free throw attempts per game is first by a wide margin, and an extremely impressive mark for a guard. She’s having a career season, but also shooting a career-worst percentage from the field. She is the prototypical skilled-veteran given the green light to shoot whenever they want on a team of inexperienced rookies.

However, she’s absolutely been a benefit to her team. Without her direction, the Mystics wouldn’t be putting nearly as much pressure on defenses. Part of me wants to see her find a balance between scoring and efficiency. Part of me wants to see her push herself to the shot-chucking limits and find a way to the All-WNBA First Team. Sykes has the green light that every hooper dreams of, and it’s awfully fun to watch.

The road ahead

The Mystics round out their Commissioners Cup schedule with games against the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky.

They are playing better basketball than the Sky, and have already taken down the Dream once this season. Atlanta has hit a groove since the season opener, however, so that game (along with every other game for such a young team) is far from a guarantee. All four of their next games are very winnable contests, and in a perfect world will help them boost their record until they play the Minnesota Lynx on June 24. This should be a good stretch to see if the Mystics can re-discover their competitive groove and solidify their spot in the early playoff picture.