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 | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Mike Thibault |
| Arena | Entertainment and Sports Arena |
| Attendance | 3,983 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–14 (.611) |
| Place | 3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | 5th seed; Lost in 1st Round to the Seattle Storm |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Elena Delle Donne – 17.2 ppg |
| Rebounds | Shakira Austin – 6.5 rpg |
| Assists | Natasha 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
editWNBA draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Shakira Austin | Ole Miss | |
| 2 | 14 | Christyn Williams | UConn |
Trades and Roster Changes
edit| Date | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|
| January 5, 2022 | Extended Qualifying Offers to Myisha Hines-Allen and Megan Gustafson[3] | |
| January 6, 2022 | Signed Megan Gustafson to a Qualifying Offer [4] | |
| January 27, 2022 | Hired Shelley Patterson as an assistant coach [5] | |
| February 1, 2022 | Re-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, 2022 | Signed Rui Machida to a training-camp contract[12] | |
| February 17, 2022 | Signed MeMe Jackson to a training-camp contract[13] | |
| February 18, 2022 | Suspended Klara Lundquist's contract for the Full Season - Personal Decision[14] | |
| February 22, 2022 | Signed Linnae Harper to a training-camp contract[15] | |
| February 24, 2022 | Signed Stephanie Mavunga to a training-camp contract[16] | |
| February 28, 2022 | Waived Sydney Wiese | |
| April 6, 2022 | Traded 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, 2022 | Signed Shakira Austin to a rookie-scale contract | |
| Signed Jennifer Coleman to a training-camp contract[18] | ||
| April 15, 2022 | Signed Christyn Williams to rookie-scale contract | |
| April 18, 2022 | Waived Jennifer Coleman | |
| April 20, 2022 | Signed Katie Benzan to a training-camp contract[19] | |
| April 22, 2022 | Waived Christyn Williams | |
| April 25, 2022 | Waived MeMe Jackson | |
| April 28, 2022 | Waived Erica McCall, Megan Gustafson, and Lee-Seul Kang | |
| May 3, 2022 | Waived Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper[20] | |
| May 5, 2022 | Temporarily Suspend Elizabeth Williams due to Overseas Commitments | |
| May 6, 2022 | Waived 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, 2022 | Signed Katie Benzan to a Hardship Contract | |
| May 13, 2022 | Released Stephanie Jones from her Hardship Contract | |
| May 16, 2022 | Released Katie Benzan from her Hardship Contract | |
| Activated Kennedy Burke from her Temporary Suspension | ||
| May 19, 2022 | Activated Elizabeth Williams from her Temporary Suspension | |
| June 24, 2022 | Waived Kennedy Burke[21] | |
| June 27, 2022 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 7-day contract[22] | |
| July 4, 2022 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 2nd 7-day contract | |
| July 11, 2022 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 3rd 7-day contract | |
| July 18, 2022 | Signed Evina Westbrook[23] | |
| August 10, 2022 | Signed Jazmine Jones[24] | |
Roster
edit| 2022 Washington Mystics roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth
editSchedule
editPreseason
edit| 2022 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 pre-season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular Season
editPlayoffs
edit| 2022 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Seattle Storm Lost Series: 0–2
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
edit| # | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
| 8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
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 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 1 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
Statistics
edit| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games 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 game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular Season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elena Delle Donne | 25 | 25 | 27.8 | .480 | .368 | .913 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 17.2 |
| Ariel Atkins | 36 | 36 | 30.0 | .420 | .365 | .845 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 14.6 |
| Natasha Cloud | 34 | 34 | 31.3 | .399 | .319 | .824 | 3.6 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 10.7 |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | 34 | 15 | 19.3 | .415 | .367 | .703 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 8.9 |
| Shakira Austin | 36 | 32 | 21.6 | .547 | .000 | .624 | 6.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 8.7 |
| Alysha Clark | 29 | 29 | 26.4 | .464 | .303 | .913 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 8.0 |
| Shatori Walker-Kimbrough | 35 | 3 | 20.1 | .402 | .347 | .902 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 6.9 |
| Katie Benzan‡ | 3 | 0 | 9.0 | .556 | .714 | .750 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 6.0 |
| Elizabeth Williams | 30 | 0 | 14.9 | .482 | .000 | .581 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 5.4 |
| Kennedy Burke‡ | 16 | 4 | 13.9 | .446 | .344 | .588 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 5.4 |
| Tianna Hawkins | 25 | 0 | 12.8 | .386 | .264 | .952 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 4.9 |
| Evina Westbrook≠ | 6 | 0 | 5.3 | .667 | .500 | .833 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.3 |
| Stephanie Jones‡ | 3 | 0 | 6.3 | .429 | .500 | .000 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| Rui Machida | 36 | 2 | 12.9 | .310 | .206 | .667 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Jazmine Jones≠ | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elena Delle Donne | 2 | 2 | 33.0 | .516 | .111 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 19.0 |
| Natasha Cloud | 2 | 2 | 35.5 | .500 | .700 | 1.000 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 18.5 |
| Ariel Atkins | 2 | 2 | 33.0 | .379 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 15.5 |
| Shatori Walker-Kimbrough | 2 | 0 | 20.5 | .556 | .500 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Shakira Austin | 2 | 2 | 27.0 | .462 | .000 | .500 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 7.0 |
| Alysha Clark | 2 | 2 | 25.5 | .571 | .500 | .667 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 6.0 |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | 2 | 0 | 14.5 | .182 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| Rui Machida | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | .667 | .000 | .250 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Elizabeth Williams | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | 1.000 | .000 | .250 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
Awards and honors
edit| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel Atkins | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 28 | [25] |
| All-Defensive First Team | August 30 | [26] | |
| Elena Delle Donne | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | July 18 | [27] |
| Natasha Cloud | Peak Performer:Assists | August 15 | [28] |
| All-Defensive First Team | August 30 | [26] | |
| Shakira Austin | WNBA All-Rookie Team | August 25 | [29] |
References
edit- ^ "2022 Washington Mystics Schedule". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "WASHINGTON MYSTICS TO PICK FIRST IN 2022 WNBA DRAFT". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Washington Mystics Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Washington Mystics Name Shelley Patterson Assistant Coach". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "MYSTICS RE-SIGN MYISHA HINES-ALLEN". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Richard Cohen Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "MYSTICS SIGN ELIZABETH WILLIAMS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet 2". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "MYSTICS SIGN TIANNA HAWKINS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "MYSTICS RE-SIGN SHATORI WALKER-KIMBROUGH". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "MYSTICS SIGN OLYMPIAN RUI MACHIDA". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ "Washington Mystics Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "JUST ANNOUNCED We've signed Linnae Harper to a training-camp contract". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙀𝘿 We've signed Stephanie Mavunga to a training-camp contract". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "Dream Lands 2022 Number One Overall Draft Pick". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Can't wait to have you!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ "Just Announced!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Copeland, Kareem. "Mystics have waived Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (June 24, 2022). "𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀:The Mystics have waived forward Kennedy Burke" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (June 27, 2022). "𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙐𝙋𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀: We've signed guard @evinawestbrook. Welcome to DC! #Mystics25 // #TogetherDC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Washington Mystics [@WashMystics] (August 10, 2022). "𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: We've signed guard @Jazmine_Jones4! Welcome to DC!! #Mystics25 // #TogetherDC // #TogetherDC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b @WNBA (August 30, 2022). "Your 2022 #WNBA All-Defensive First Team ⬇️ @_ajawilson22 @T_Cloud4 @SylviaFowles @breannastewart @arielatkinssvn #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 18, 2022). "These two have been BALLING 👏 @SkyDigg4 & @De11eDonne are your #WNBA Players of the Week 🌟" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @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.
- ^ 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.