Season In Review: Washington Mystics


As a part of a WNBA.com offseason series, we’ll be taking a look at the seasons of all 12 teams in the league and touching on some of the top reasons to look forward to their 2016 WNBA campaigns.


Youth and size is traditionally a successful combo for any basketball team, no matter what level. With building blocks like All-Stars Emma Meesseman and Stefanie Dolson in place, the Washington Mystics got a glimpse of what can be a bright future for the franchise in 2015.
Meesseman, 22, and Dolson, 23, each enjoyed their best seasons in the WNBA yet. Both averaged over 10 points per game and finished with at least a block per content, and they combined for nearly 12 rebounds a night. The 6-foot-5 Meesseman also was second in the league in field-goal percentage at 55.6 percent, while the 6-foot-4 Dolson added to her game by shooting 10-21 from 3-point range on the season, after having not made any her rookie season.

Stability has also been a key for the Mystics. Coach Mike Thibault took over the team in 2013 and the team has made the playoffs in the three seasons since, the first such stretch in franchise history. Washington finished the 2015 season at 18-16 and earned the fourth spot in the East in a tightly contested race with both Atlanta and Connecticut. The Mystics lost in the first round to the top-seeded Liberty — despite taking the series to a decisive Game 3 — but Thibault appears to have his team on the upswing.


The Mystics, actually, fared well against the league’s best teams. In back-to-back games in mid-August, the Mystics defeated the 2015 champion Lynx, while they went 3-1 versus the Eastern Conference champion Liberty in the regular season.
When mentioning the Mystics, it would also be remiss not to mention point guard Ivory Latta, who has led the team in scoring each season since her and Thibault arrived. Her energy and passion for the game help set the tone for the team and gives the Mystics an explosive inside-out game. Latta averaged 13.4 points per game in 2015.


Reasons To Look Forward To 2016


Meesseman and Dolson have the talent and versatility to form an elite post duo for years to come. The two will continue to grow together as they haven’t reached their primes yet, and the potential for them is sky-high. The Mystics also have one of the game’s best coaches in the league and a proven point guard. If they’re able to add an additional contributor on the wing in the offseason, or see continued development from 2015 first-round pick Ally Malott (who also stands 6-foot-4), Washington could challenge any team in the East as early as next season.

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