WNBA: Washington Mystics’ winning stretch could signal playoff push

The Washington Mystics (10-23) are at a crossroads.

With seven games left in the regular season, they are now one game out of the final playoff spot, trailing just behind the Chicago Sky (11-22) and Atlanta Dream (11-22), both of whom are vying for postseason contention. The reason this is such a crossroads for Washington is because the team is in position to secure a top pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft if they remain in the bottom four. Because Washington also owns Atlanta’s pick, which could be a lottery pick if they miss the playoffs, there’s added incentive for the Mystics to remain in the lottery.

Now obviously losing is not anyone’s preferred option, but when a team has struggled as much as Washington has this season, it certainly isn’t crazy to suggest that having two lottery picks in next year’s draft would be more beneficial to their long-term success. With that being said, the Mystics have won four of their last five games, so what’s been the key to their late-season push?

Health and opportunity

The Mystics haven’t been healthy most of this season, and, to an extent, they still aren’t. But, having most of their starting lineup together for this stretch has provided them with some much needed consistency on both ends.

Because of injuries and trades, we have gotten to see more of Aaliyah Edwards and Emily Engstler, two players who deserve a ton of minutes given their youth and great performances. During games against the Dallas Wings and Sky, we saw flashes of Edwards’ defensive potential, switching onto Satou Sabally on ball screens several times while also doing a solid job of guarding Angel Reese in the post.

As for Engstler, watching her evolve from being mostly a spot-up shooter earlier in the season to initiating delay action with the ball in her hands and screening and popping for 3s in pick-and-roll actions speaks to her comfortability in her role and minute security. She’s blossomed into a key rotation piece for the Mystics and is definitely someone who should be a part of the team’s long-term future.

Defensive improvement

Over the last five games, the Mystics have posted a 100 defensive rating. It starts with their point-of-attack defense. Ariel Atkins and Brittney Sykes have been solid on the defensive end, but most importantly, the bigs for Washington have been extremely mobile guarding ball screens.

Granted, four of the five games have come against struggling offensive units in Connecticut, Seattle and Chicago. But all three of those teams are inside-scoring teams without much shooting prowess, which puts an emphasis on interior defense. During this five-game stretch, teams are shooting 63 percent at the rim against Washington, which isn’t a spectacular number, but when you consider that teams were shooting 68 percent at the rim against the Mystics on the season, it makes this five-game stretch look noticeably better. Teams were also attempting significantly more shots at the rim during this stretch, which speaks volumes to Washington’s recent improvement.

The Mystics will look to continue their hot stretch against the Phoenix Mercury tonight at 10 pm ET.