When the Washington Mystics take the floor, they very well could be confused for a college basketball team. The average age on the roster is 23.8 years old, making them the youngest team in WNBA history.
Still, despite their youth and relative inexperience, the Mystics were able to secure a spot in the postseason with a 105-100 victory over the Portland Fire on Sunday night.
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The 26-year-old Shakira Austin, one of the more veteran players on the roster, led the way with a career-high 31 points on Sunday. Austin is playing the best basketball of her career, averaging 17 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, quietly establishing herself as one of the best bigs in the WNBA.
Second-year players Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are building off of strong rookie campaigns; Citron has established herself as one of the league's top perimeter defenders, averaging 16.9 points and 4.2 assists, while Iriafen is averaging 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
The result? The Mystics are 22-15 and winners of 10 of their last 13 games.
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And, though Austin, Citron, and Iriafen have been the team's best players, contributions from the roster's many role players have been critical, too. Michaela Onyenwere (age 27), Cotie McMahon (age 22), Georgia Amoore (age 25), and Lauren Betts (age 22) have all been important additions in their own way.
Onyenwere is the team's best three-point shooter, sinking 40.3% of her 3.6 attempts per game. Amoore runs the offense as the team's starting point guard, starting all 37 games for the Mystics after missing her entire rookie season with an ACL tear.
Betts, the Mystics' No. 4 overall pick in 2026, is adding 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game. When she checks into the game, her size and strength give the Mystics a new dynamic. And McMahon has been increasingly impactful, tallying 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
In the past month, the Mystics have tallied wins against the Golden State Valkyries, the Las Vegas Aces, the Dallas Wings, and the Atlanta Dream. They also added veteran forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton after the midseason trade deadline; the longtime New York Liberty star has averaged 14.3 minutes across 6 games.
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Head coach Sydney Johnson is maximizing the roster in Year 2 at the helm, and while the Mystics might not be a championship contender yet, they're clearly on the right trajectory.
The Mystics weren't supposed to be here — at least not yet. Last year, they finished near the bottom of the WNBA standings. But Johnson has instilled in them a defensive-minded identity. They lead the league in rebounds per game (37.8) and have the third-best defensive rating (104.6). They also attempt more free throws (25.4) than any other team in the league.
Austin has established herself among the WNBA's most underrated players, and Sunday's dominant performance over the Fire was the latest such indication. The 6'7 center believes the Mystics have yet to play their best basketball.
"We want to be able to start peaking now."
