WNBA: Do Mystics rookies deserve blame for their losses?

Winless against the Sparks, winless against the Valkyries, undefeated against the Storm.

Sparing the infamous 12-game loss streak to start last season, the 2025 Washington Mystics have been nearly as unpredictable as the 2024 team. As they fight through adversity on a nightly basis, the playoff push continues.

Rookie rhythm

Unlike their team, the Mystics rookies have been nothing but consistent. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the dynamic duo demanding national attention in the nation’s capital, have set yet another rookie record. Against the Sky, they became the first duo in Mystics history to both score 20 or more points in the same game. They combined for 50 behind Citron’s 28 and Iriafen’s 22, both career highs. Citron became the fourth Mystics rookie to ever score 25 or more points twice in the same season. Iriafen became the fourth Mystics rookie to ever score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds in a single game.

There will come a time when the duo’s successes will no longer be coddled by rookie records—which are, quite frankly, the easiest records to break. Most rookies don’t play very many minutes, let alone inherit focal roles in a team’s offense. Let’s be clear: Iriafen and Citron earned those roles. But perhaps the most telling thing I could say about their successes is that they’ve outgrown the “rookie praise.”

Whenever a Citron 3 is launched into the atmosphere of CareFirst Arena, 4,200 people expect it to land right in the middle of that little orange circle. The crowd’s surprise when she misses is often louder than their excitement when she hits. She’s that automatic. Between post players and politicians, Iriafen is the biggest bully in the District. In a gauntlet of violent matchups, she hasn’t backed down once. And forget rookies; both have arguments for being top-20 players in the league. They should be talked about as such.

For now, they get the best of both worlds: They get to soak up accolades without the burden of responsibility if the Mystics don’t amount to anything notable. That privilege will fade as sophomores, but, maybe, it would be good to strip away the responsibility part sooner rather than later. It’s easy to rain blame on veteran leader Brittney Sykes whenever Washington drops a winnable game. Would holding Citron and Iriafen equally responsible for the teams results benefit their superstar potential in the long run? If nothing else, it’s worth the thought.

A four-team playoff race

The Mystics post-All Star campaign, while not detrimental to their overall record, was tarnished by two avoidable losses to a flimsy Los Angeles Sparks team (the first of which was actually the game directly preceding All-Star weekend). A 19-point deficit at the final whistle of the first matchup soured what could have been a four-game win streak leading into the break. Washington was unable to cleanse themselves in the second meeting just a week later. They also failed to ground the Golden State Valkyries in the franchises first trip to DC.

Fortunately for the Mystics, losses to the Sparks and Valkyries are nothing but a scrape on their record. They won’t see either team in the postseason, spare the most unlikely late-round matchups in the history of sports. Unfortunately, the Mystics aren’t in a position where they can comfortably hide such scrapes. The Las Vegas Aces, Mystics, Valkyries and Sparks are tucked within four games of each other in the standings. Right now, the Aces and Mystics hold seeds No. 7 and No. 8. That could change at any moment. Over the last few seasons, Washington has become accustomed to fighting from a deficit in the standings during the latter half of the schedule. Now, they have to learn to hold a lead.

The Mystics won’t have any low-pressure outings for the remainder of the season. They’re floating around .500, with an opportunity to return to the postseason after missing a playoff berth in the last game of the season just a year ago. Games against the other members of the aforementioned pack will mean even more, as it’s in Washington’s best interest to see Las Vegas, Golden State and Los Angeles lose. Indiana Fever losses will equally benefit the Mystics, as DC is only three games behind Indy in the standings. It’s hard to put a number on the Mystics’ postseason chances, but anything above even will give them a good shot to creep into the playoffs in the first year of a rebuild.