Washington

Mystics

Like fellow Mystics rookie Sonia Citron, Iriafen’s first season in the nation’s capital was highly encouraging for the franchise. The forward earned an All-Star Game invite in her first season and was one of the WNBA’s most consistent and impressive rookies. Iriafen started all 44 games, recording 16 double-doubles and grabbing at least 10 rebounds on 19 occasions. A late-round pick in most fantasy drafts before this season began, Iriafen should be a popular target, even with the offseason likely to be one of significant change due to the number of players who will be free agents.

Citron capped her rookie campaign with another solid stat line and should be one of the top vote-getters for Rookie of the Year. Despite the Mystics missing out on the postseason, the franchise has identified two critical building blocks for the future in Citron and fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen. The former Notre Dame guard played in all 44 games, reaching double figures in scoring in 38. A late-round pick in most fantasy drafts before this season began, Citron should be a popular option in 2026.

While the Mystics ended their season on a 10-game losing streak, Austin’s play was one of the team’s bright spots. The fourth-year center/forward finishes with career-high averages in points, assists and blocked shots, and she performed well against the Liberty. Austin will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and her play in 2025 should make her a coveted asset for the Mystics as the franchise continues its rebuild.

Sheldon has been ruled out for Washington’s final game of the season, again meaning more playing time for reserves Jade Melbourne and Lucy Olsen. Acquired from the Sun at the August trade deadline, Sheldon only appeared in two games for the Mystics. In 30 combined appearances this season, she averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 three-pointers in 23.6 minutes. Sheldon shot nearly 40 percent from three this season, making 41.2 percent of her attempts with the Sun.

While Austin’s numbers were solid on Sunday, the efficiency left something to be desired. The center/forward was one of three Mystics to record at least five turnovers, with Kiki Iriafen (five) and Sonia Citron (six) being the others. After halftime, Indiana did a better job of focusing its defensive efforts on that trio, turning what was a close game into a 94-63 blowout. However, this should not detract from the strides Austin made this season. After two injury-plagued seasons, she heads into Tuesday’s finale averaging career-highs in points, assists and blocked shots.

Iriafen has scored at least nine points in 18 straight games, reaching double figures in 16. While fellow rookie Sonia Citron broke the Mystics’ single-season scoring record on Sunday, Iriafen has been just as consistent in her debut campaign. Washington will take a season-long nine-game losing streak into Tuesday’s season finale against the Liberty, but the finish should not overshadow the progress made by Iriafen and Citron. With both earning All-Star Game invites as rookies, the future appears to be bright in Washington.

The home portion of Washington’s 2025 schedule ended disappointingly, but the franchise has two excellent building blocks in rookies Citron and Kiki Iriafen. The former made some history on Sunday, breaking Brittney Skykes’ Mystics’ single-season scoring record. However, it should be noted that Citron played three more games than Sykes did in 2023, as the WNBA schedule expanded from 40 to 44 games with the addition of Golden State. Asterisk or not, this has been an excellent debut season for the Mystics guard, who has firmly established herself as a key cog in the franchise’s rebuild.

Sheldon’s absence due to an ankle injury continues, as she has not appeared in a game since August 13. Washington concludes its season on Tuesday against the Liberty, and with no postseason on the horizon, the motivation to play Sheldon may not be there. Lucy Olsen and Jade Melbourne will again pick up additional minutes off the bench.

Sutton entered Thursday’s game averaging 3.8 assists, her highest mark since 2023 as a member of the Mercury. Since the August trade deadline, the Mystics guard has dished out at least five helpers on seven occasions, including Thursday’s loss to Phoenix. Also of note was Sutton’s “ball control,” as she only committed one turnover. While Sutton did not have her best night shooting the basketball, the point guard once again did a good job of finding her teammates in spots where they could be successful.

Austin has recorded at least one blocked shot in seven straight games, and on Thursday, she recorded her fourth double-double of the season and first since July 26. Outside of three-pointers, Austin posted numbers across the stat line in the loss to Phoenix in her most productive WNBA season. She’s averaging career-highs in points, assists and blocked shots while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field. Washington has two games remaining in its season, and Austin will look to finish on a high note.