The Mystics weren’t supposed to be this good. Someone forgot to tell the Mystics.
Then the games started. The Mystics tore out to a 3-0 start, scoring the third-most points in league history through three games. A late jumper from Chicago’s Cheyenne Parker on Saturday might be the only thing keeping them from being 4-0. Still, they are tied for the best record in the league entering Wednesday’s prime-time clash with Las Vegas (2-2).
“From other teams, we have a target on our back,” Thibault said. “From ourselves, we want to prove that it’s not an accident. That we’re playing good basketball. When you’re playing a good team every other day, it kind of ramps up.
“You can feel it. It’s like being in a tournament and everybody’s here. You see other people. Other coaches say something or other players say something to your players. You feel, in the bubble situation, a little bit more of a focus on you because everyone talks about things.”
The narrative changed in the span of a week. No one knew what to expect from Myisha Hines-Allen after she averaged 2.3 points in 7.8 minutes sitting behind Delle Donne, Emma Meesseman and Sanders. Yet all she has done was earn Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, averaging 17.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. She is also averaging two steals a game, fourth in the league.
Ariel Atkins was already a two-year starter. Handed more scoring responsibility, she is averaging 18.8 points, more than eight points higher than she posted last season. Her 15 three pointers are a league high and she is shooting 55.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Aerial Powers moved from the bench to the starting lineup and is averaging a career-high 18 points, tied with 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart for No. 10 in the league. The fifth-year veteran has developed into an emotional leader.
“You’ve got an arsenal of players who are extremely versatile and they understand how to take advantage of their skill set,” said Indiana Fever Coach Marianne Stanley, a former assistant to Thibault. “They also have three-point shooters all around the arc … and so it’s really hard to double team. … It’s kind of like pick-your-poison as far as what you’re willing to give up.
“What people maybe don’t know is that the backups like the Myisha Hines-Allen, like Aerial Powers, [they] don’t get the recognition for just how talented they truly are. And when you can put that kind of talent in practice on a daily basis, going against each other, it just elevates everybody.”
The Mystics haven’t radically changed their style of play. Thibault said that 50-70 percent of the offense is similar to what they did last year; he simply has found ways to put players in positions to succeed. Thibault had spent the spring designing schemes to take advantage of one of the most talented front courts in the league with Delle Donne and Charles paired together.
Those plans were scrapped with Delle Donne recovering from back surgery and Charles opting out for medical reasons.
Another twist has been the slow start of Meesseman, the 2019 Finals MVP. A proven scorer, she is averaging just 11.3 points — due in no small part to being the focal point of most every defense the Mystics face.
“They have a lot of good individual players that can make plays, inside and outside,” said Seattle Coach Gary Kloppenburg, whose team, one of the league favorites, was torched 89-71 last week. “Hines-Allen is a really tough matchup. Can put it on the floor and score inside and outside. They have really good, strong wings. They’re good. They’re really good.”
Said Storm star Breanna Stewart: “We know that Washington is talented and they’re hungry to prove that they’re missing a lot of their pieces, but they’re still just as good.”
The Mystics couldn’t have asked for much more in these unique circumstances. The pandemic has forced a shortened 22-game season, giving more urgency to every game. A slow start could be fatal. Dealing with the fatigue from playing with a nine-player roster will continue to be a challenge until forward Tianna Hawkins (back) returns.
One of the things Thibault is most proud of is the fact that the team had three different leading scorers in four games. With the amount of firepower missing, the coach and GM knew 2020 would hinge on the collective.
“We’re dangerous in the sense that A) we can be underestimated,” Thibault said, “B) because we have balanced scoring, I don’t think teams can lock in on one player. … I think we’ll be able to score this summer. I just hope our depth can hold up and we stay injury free. And the defensive end is going to be really important, we don’t have a lot of size so we’re not going to shut down the lane on a lot of people.
“It’s kind of funny, we don’t even know, as coaches, what we’re going to get each night because we don’t know how teams are really going to play this group yet. I don’t know what the scouting report is on us yet from other teams other than as a general rule they try to make life miserable for Emma.”
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