2016 WNBA Season Preview: Washington Mystics


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2015 Record:
18-16
Lost in Eastern Conference Semifinals

Key Offseason Moves:
None

Draft Picks:
R1, P7: Kahleah Copper, G/F, Rutgers
R2, P7: Lia Galdeira, G, Bulgaria
R3, P7: Danaejah Grant, G, St. John’s

When Mystics head coach Mike Thibault conducted exit interviews with his players last fall – following a first-round playoff loss for the third straight year – he left each with the same message:

“Come back ten percent better.”

Improving from within has been the name of the game for Washington. The Mystics’ 2016 roster won’t look all that different from the 2015 version, but Thibault hopes a combination of continuity and player development will lift his team over the hump.

“That’s been the theme: Be a little bit better at every spot,” the WNBA’s all-time coaching wins leader said. “We lost a deciding playoff game (Game 3 vs. the Liberty) by one or two mistakes. That’s the difference between a good team and a great team.”

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The Mystics ended last season with a first-round playoff loss for the third straight year, this time in a decisive Game 3 in New York.

Youth is on Washington’s side, with just one player on the roster over 30. But that player – two-time All-Star Ivory Latta, the team’s veteran rock at point guard – will be sidelined for potentially the first two weeks of the season after undergoing knee surgery in late April. (Her timetable at the time was estimated to be four-to-six weeks.) That will force the Mystics to play an even younger lineup.

Natasha Cloud, who showed promise as a second-round pick last season, will fill in for Latta during her absence. Backcourt mate Tayler Hill has been impressive during offseason workouts, Thibault said, while third-year guard out of UConn Bria Harley will also look to break out.

But the Mystics’ future rests largely on the shoulders of their dynamic frontcourt duo of Stefanie Dolson and Emma Meesseman. Both made their first All-Star appearance in 2015 and enter 2016 at just 24 and 22 years old, respectively.

“I think they both have a ton of growth left,” said Thibault, who believes post players don’t reach their peak until 25.

Either or both could make a leap this season after impressive 2015 campaigns. Dolson, who helped start UConn’s unprecedented run of four straight championships with a pair in 2013 and 2014, will focus on sustaining her standout play for a full season; she averaged 13.4 points on 54% shooting before the All-Star break compared to 8.4 points on 45% shooting afterward. Meesseman (11.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.4 BPG) ranked behind only Brittney Griner in field goal percentage (56%) and could be due to carry more of the offensive load.

Washington’s Top Plays of 2015

 

Combined, Dolson and Meesseman give Washington one of the most formidable frontcourts in the league, and the Mystics can win plenty of games simply by running the offense through them in the low post. But it’s their perimeter skills, along with the similar skills of backups Tianna Hawkins and LaToya Sanders, that allow Thibault to preach spacing and ball movement; the Mystics were one of three teams to sink at least six three-pointers per game last season and also finished third in assists.

Look for the team to head even farther down that track this season and be right back in the playoff mix, barring a substantial delay in Latta’s return. Still, the Mystics are eyeing more than just a postseason berth this season.

“You’re always somewhat successful if you make the playoffs. We’ve done it three years in a row,” Thibault said. “It’s winning in the playoffs, advancing beyond that first-round disappointment. That would be the next step in our development.”