2022 Washington Mystics season

The 2022 Washington Mystics season is the franchise's 25th season in the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season will tip off versus the Indiana Fever on May 6, 2022.[1]

2022 Washington Mystics season
CoachMike Thibault
ArenaEntertainment and Sports Arena
Attendance3,983 per game
Results
Record22–14 (.611)
Place3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish5th seed; Lost in 1st Round to the Seattle Storm
Team Leaders
PointsElena Delle Donne – 17.2 ppg
ReboundsShakira Austin – 6.5 rpg
AssistsNatasha Cloud – 7.0 apg

The Mystics won the Draft Lottery and received the 1st Overall pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, despite only having the third best odds to win. This is the first time in franchise history that the Mystics had the #1 Overall pick.[2] The team traded the pick to Atlanta and moved down to the third overall pick in the Draft.

The Mystics started the season on a three-game winning streak, before losing their first game. The continued on to win four of their next six games and finished the month of May 7–3. Their fortunes turned a little in June, with the team not being able to put together a streak of wins and they finished the month 6–6. The team improved in July, finishing 6–3 and winning five of six in the middle of the month. The Mystics finished August 3–2, losing two games in the middle but winning the final two games. Their overall record of 22–14 left them tied for fourth place with Seattle.

Seattle won the tiebreaker for the playoffs, by finishing the regular season 2–1 against the Mystics. The two teams would meet in the first round of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs, with Seattle being the fourth seed and Washington being the fifth seed. The first two games of the series were in Seattle and those were the only two games that were needed out of the possible three-game series. The Mystics lost the first game by three points and the second by thirteen to drop the series 0–2 and end their season.

Transactions edit

WNBA draft edit

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country
13Shakira Austin  United StatesOle Miss
214Christyn Williams  United StatesUConn

Trades and Roster Changes edit

DateTransaction
January 5, 2022Extended Qualifying Offers to Myisha Hines-Allen and Megan Gustafson[3]
January 6, 2022Signed Megan Gustafson to a Qualifying Offer [4]
January 27, 2022Hired Shelley Patterson as an assistant coach [5]
February 1, 2022Re-Signed Myisha Hines-Allen to a Multi-Year Deal[6][7]
Signed Elizabeth Williams to a One-Year Deal[8]
Signed Klara Lundquist, Lee-Seul Kang, Tianna Hawkins, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to training-camp contracts[9][10][11]
February 14, 2022Signed Rui Machida to a training-camp contract[12]
February 17, 2022Signed MeMe Jackson to a training-camp contract[13]
February 18, 2022Suspended Klara Lundquist's contract for the Full Season - Personal Decision[14]
February 22, 2022Signed Linnae Harper to a training-camp contract[15]
February 24, 2022Signed Stephanie Mavunga to a training-camp contract[16]
February 28, 2022Waived Sydney Wiese
April 6, 2022Traded the #1 Pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the #3 and #14 picks in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and the right to exchange 1st Round Picks in 2023 with the Los Angeles Sparks that the Dream received in an earlier trade[17]
April 14, 2022Signed Shakira Austin to a rookie-scale contract
Signed Jennifer Coleman to a training-camp contract[18]
April 15, 2022Signed Christyn Williams to rookie-scale contract
April 18, 2022Waived Jennifer Coleman
April 20, 2022Signed Katie Benzan to a training-camp contract[19]
April 22, 2022Waived Christyn Williams
April 25, 2022Waived MeMe Jackson
April 28, 2022Waived Erica McCall, Megan Gustafson, and Lee-Seul Kang
May 3, 2022Waived Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper[20]
May 5, 2022Temporarily Suspend Elizabeth Williams due to Overseas Commitments
May 6, 2022Waived Katie Benzan
Claimed Kennedy Burke off of waivers and then temporarily suspended her due to Overseas commitments
Signed Stephanie Jones to a Hardship Contract
May 8, 2022Signed Katie Benzan to a Hardship Contract
May 13, 2022Released Stephanie Jones from her Hardship Contract
May 16, 2022Released Katie Benzan from her Hardship Contract
Activated Kennedy Burke from her Temporary Suspension
May 19, 2022Activated Elizabeth Williams from her Temporary Suspension
June 24, 2022Waived Kennedy Burke[21]
June 27, 2022Signed Evina Westbrook to a 7-day contract[22]
July 4, 2022Signed Evina Westbrook to a 2nd 7-day contract
July 11, 2022Signed Evina Westbrook to a 3rd 7-day contract
July 18, 2022Signed Evina Westbrook[23]
August 10, 2022Signed Jazmine Jones[24]

Roster edit

2022 Washington Mystics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G7 Atkins, Ariel5' 8" (1.73m)167 lb (76kg)1996-07-30Texas4
F/C0 Austin, Shakira6' 5" (1.96m)190 lb (86kg)2000-07-25MississippiR
F22 Clark, Alysha5' 11" (1.8m)167 lb (76kg)07-07-1987Middle Tennessee9
G9 Cloud, Natasha5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg)1992-02-22Saint Joseph's6
G/F11 Delle Donne, Elena6' 5" (1.96m)187 lb (85kg)1989-09-05Delaware8
F21 Hawkins, Tianna6' 3" (1.91m)186 lb (84kg)1991-03-02Maryland8
F2 Hines-Allen, Myisha6' 1" (1.85m)200 lb (91kg)1996-05-30Louisville4
G23 Jones, Jazmine6' 0" (1.83m)160 lb (73kg)10-15-1996Louisville3
G13 Machida, Rui5' 4" (1.63m)126 lb (57kg)1993-03-08JapanR
G32 Walker-Kimbrough, Shatori5' 9" (1.75m)140 lb (64kg)1995-05-18Maryland5
G4 Westbrook, Evina6' 0" (1.83m)158 lb (72kg)09-28-1998ConnecticutR
C1 Williams, Elizabeth6' 3" (1.91m)200 lb (91kg)1993-06-23Duke7
Head coach
Mike Thibault (St. Martin's)
Assistant coaches
Eric Thibault (Missouri)
LaToya Sanders (North Carolina)
Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
Athletic trainer
Chalisa Fonza (Western Illinois)
Strength and conditioning coach
Vacant

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth edit

Pos.StarterBench
CShakira AustinElizabeth Williams
PFElena Delle DonneMyisha Hines-Allen
Tianna Hawkins
SFAlysha ClarkJazmine Jones
SGAriel AtkinsShatori Walker-Kimbrough
Evina Westbrook
PGNatasha CloudRui Machida

Schedule edit

Preseason edit

2022 pre-season game log
Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
April: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance
Record
1April 24@ AtlantaL 69–88Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (13)Shakira Austin (12)Myisha Hines-Allen (7)Gateway Center Arena
854
0–1
2April 27MinnesotaW 78–66Elena Delle Donne (21)Shakira Austin (13)Natasha Cloud (4)Entertainment and Sports Arena
3,220
1–1
3April 30@ New YorkCanceledBarclays Center
1–1
2022 pre-season schedule

Regular Season edit

2022 game log
Total: 22–14 (Home: 12–6; Road: 10–8)
June: 6–6 (Home: 4–2; Road: 2–4)
August: 3–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–1)
2022 season schedule

Playoffs edit

2022 playoff game log
First Round vs. Seattle Storm
Lost Series: 0–2
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance
Series
1August 18@ SeattleL 83–86Elena Delle Donne (26)Shakira Austin (7)Elena Delle Donne (5)Climate Pledge Arena
8,917
0–1
2August 21@ SeattleL 84–97Natasha Cloud (21)Shakira Austin (8)Ariel Atkins (7)Climate Pledge Arena
12,490
0–2
2022 playoff schedule

Standings edit

# W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1xLas Vegas Aces2610.72215–313–513–59–1
2xChicago Sky2610.72215–314–412–69–1
3xConnecticut Sun2511.6941.011–713–512–65–5
4xSeattle Storm2214.6114.010–813–59–96–4
5xWashington Mystics2214.6114.011–712–610–85–5
6xDallas Wings1818.5008.08–108–1010–85–5
7xNew York Liberty1620.44410.010–89–97–116–4
8xPhoenix Mercury1521.41711.07–1111–74–143–7
9eMinnesota Lynx1422.38912.08–107–117–114–6
10eAtlanta Dream1422.38912.05–138–106–123–7
11eLos Angeles Sparks1323.36113.06–127–116–123–7
12eIndiana Fever531.13921.02–163–152–162–8

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Playoffs edit

Round One:
Best-of-3
Semifinals:
Best-of-5
Finals:
Best-of-5
         
1Las Vegas Aces2
8Phoenix Mercury0
1Las Vegas Aces3
4Seattle Storm1
4Seattle Storm2
5Washington Mystics0
1Las Vegas Aces3
3Connecticut Sun1
2Chicago Sky2
7New York Liberty1
2Chicago Sky2
3Connecticut Sun3
3Connecticut Sun2
6Dallas Wings1

Bold Series winner

Statistics edit

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game
 APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG% Field-goal percentage 3P% 3-point field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage TO Turnovers per game
 PF Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular Season edit

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Elena Delle Donne252527.8.480.368.9136.32.30.51.117.2
Ariel Atkins363630.0.420.365.8453.32.31.40.314.6
Natasha Cloud343431.3.399.319.8243.67.01.00.310.7
Myisha Hines-Allen341519.3.415.367.7035.31.90.80.38.9
Shakira Austin363221.6.547.000.6246.50.90.70.88.7
Alysha Clark292926.4.464.303.9134.52.00.90.38.0
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough35320.1.402.347.9021.81.51.10.36.9
Katie Benzan309.0.556.714.7500.70.30.00.36.0
Elizabeth Williams30014.9.482.000.5813.80.50.60.75.4
Kennedy Burke16413.9.446.344.5882.20.41.00.35.4
Tianna Hawkins25012.8.386.264.9522.40.80.40.14.9
Evina Westbrook605.3.667.500.8330.00.50.30.23.3
Stephanie Jones306.3.429.500.0000.70.30.30.02.3
Rui Machida36212.9.310.206.6671.12.60.40.11.8
Jazmine Jones103.0.000.000.0001.00.00.00.00.0


Waived/Released during the season
Traded during the season
Acquired during the season

Playoffs edit

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Elena Delle Donne2233.0.516.1111.0002.55.00.51.019.0
Natasha Cloud2235.5.500.7001.0006.03.00.51.518.5
Ariel Atkins2233.0.379.5001.0001.55.50.50.015.5
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough2020.5.556.5001.0000.00.51.50.07.5
Shakira Austin2227.0.462.000.5007.51.01.00.57.0
Alysha Clark2225.5.571.500.6673.53.01.50.56.0
Myisha Hines-Allen2014.5.182.0001.0003.52.01.00.05.0
Rui Machida205.5.667.000.2501.00.00.00.02.5
Elizabeth Williams205.51.000.000.2501.00.00.00.52.5

Awards and honors edit

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Ariel AtkinsWNBA All-Star SelectionJune 28[25]
All-Defensive First TeamAugust 30[26]
Elena Delle DonneEastern Conference Player of the WeekJuly 18[27]
Natasha CloudPeak Performer:AssistsAugust 15[28]
All-Defensive First TeamAugust 30[26]
Shakira AustinWNBA All-Rookie TeamAugust 25[29]

References edit

  1. ^ "2022 Washington Mystics Schedule". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "WASHINGTON MYSTICS TO PICK FIRST IN 2022 WNBA DRAFT". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ "Washington Mystics Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Washington Mystics Name Shelley Patterson Assistant Coach". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "MYSTICS RE-SIGN MYISHA HINES-ALLEN". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Richard Cohen Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "MYSTICS SIGN ELIZABETH WILLIAMS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  9. ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet 2". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "MYSTICS SIGN TIANNA HAWKINS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "MYSTICS RE-SIGN SHATORI WALKER-KIMBROUGH". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "MYSTICS SIGN OLYMPIAN RUI MACHIDA". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Washington Mystics Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  15. ^ "JUST ANNOUNCED We've signed Linnae Harper to a training-camp contract". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙀𝘿 We've signed Stephanie Mavunga to a training-camp contract". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Dream Lands 2022 Number One Overall Draft Pick". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  18. ^ "Can't wait to have you!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "Just Announced!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  20. ^ Copeland, Kareem. "Mystics have waived Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  21. ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (June 24, 2022). "𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀:The Mystics have waived forward Kennedy Burke" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (June 27, 2022). "𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀: We've signed guard @evinawestbrook. Welcome to DC! #Mystics25 // #TogetherDC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (July 18, 2022). "𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 We've signed @evinawestbrook to a rest of the season contract! #Mystics25 // #TogetherDC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (August 10, 2022). "𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: We've signed guard @Jazmine_Jones4! Welcome to DC!! #Mystics25 // #TogetherDC // #TogetherDC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Chicago Sky Trio of Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman, Courtney Vandersloot Highlight Reserves for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  26. ^ a b @WNBA (August 30, 2022). "Your 2022 #WNBA All-Defensive First Team ⬇️ @_ajawilson22 @T_Cloud4 @SylviaFowles @breannastewart @arielatkinssvn #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ @WNBA (July 18, 2022). "These two have been BALLING 👏 @SkyDigg4 & @De11eDonne are your #WNBA Players of the Week 🌟" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ @WNBA (August 15, 2022). "THE BEST OF THE BEST 👏 Congratulations to @breannastewart, @SylviaFowles, and @T_Cloud4 for being named the 2022 WNBA Peak Performers 🙌 #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Maloney, Jack (August 25, 2022). "2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year: Dream's Rhyne Howard wins honor, highlights All-Rookie team". cbssports.com. CBS. Retrieved August 25, 2022.

External links edit