2021 Washington Mystics season
WNBA team season
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The 2021 Washington Mystics season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season tipped off versus the Chicago Sky on May 15, 2021.[1]
| 2021 Washington Mystics season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Mike Thibault |
| Arena | Entertainment and Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–20 (.375) |
| Place | 4th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The Mystics struggled to start the season only winning two of their six games in the month of May. Their fortunes rebounded when they posted a .500 winning percentage through June and in their two games in July before the Olympic break. In closing out their pre-Olympic schedule they won in overtime versus the Chicago Sky to finish the first portion of the schedule with an 8–10 record. Coming back from the break, they faced a tough schedule and posted a 2–6 record, including losing the first four games back from the break. To close out the season, September contained two wins book marked by two losses on either side. Going into the last day of the season, the Mystics had a chance to secure a playoff spot, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx to miss the playoffs and finish with a 12–20 record. Tina Charles was a bright spot during the season, as she led the league in scoring.
Transactions
WNBA draft
Due to a trade in 2020 for C Tina Charles, the Mystics did not make a selection in the 2021 Draft.[2]
Trades and roster changes
| Date | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| December 28, 2020 | Exercised Team Option on G Kiara Leslie[3] | |
| January 4, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offers to G Stella Johnson, G Jacki Gemelos, and G Sug Sutton[4] | |
| January 8, 2021 | Re-Signed G Stella Johnson, G Jacki Gemelos, and G Sug Sutton[5] | |
| February 1, 2021 | Signed F Alysha Clark[6] | |
| February 2, 2021 | Re-Signed F LaToya Sanders[7] | |
| February 5, 2021 | Re-Signed C Tina Charles[8] | |
| Acquired F Erica McCall from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the Mystic's third round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft.[9] | ||
| February 26, 2021 | Signed G Ariel Atkins to a Contract Extension[10] | |
| March 8, 2021 | F LaToya Sanders retires.[11] | |
| Signed F Theresa Plaisance[12] | ||
| March 10, 2021 | Re-Signed G Natasha Cloud[13] | |
| March 16, 2021 | Signed F Aislinn Konig to a Training Camp Contract[14] | |
| March 19, 2021 | G Jacki Gemelos retires[15] | |
| March 31, 2021 | Signed G Shavonte Zellous[16] | |
| April 16, 2021 | Signed F G'mrice Davis to a Training Camp Contract[17] | |
| April 18, 2021 | Signed F Tyra Whitehead, F Blanca Millán, and G Pre Stanley to Training Camp Contracts[18] | |
| April 20, 2021 | Full Season Suspend F Alysha Clark due to Overseas Injury[19] | |
| April 30, 2021 | Signed G Klara Lundquist to a Training Camp Contract[20] | |
| May 2, 2021 | Waived F Tyra Whitehead[21] | |
| May 5, 2021 | Full Season Suspend G Klara Lundquist[22] | |
| Waived F Blanca Millan | ||
| May 10, 2021 | Waived G Pre Stanley and G Aislinn Konig[23] | |
| May 11, 2021 | Waived F G'mrice Davis[24] | |
| May 12, 2021 | Temporarily Suspend F Myisha Hines-Allen due to Overseas Commitment[25] | |
| May 13, 2021 | Waived G Sug Sutton[26] | |
| Traded a 2022 2nd Round Pick to Los Angeles in exchange for G Sydney Wiese[27] | ||
| May 22, 2021 | Activate F Myisha Hines-Allen from Temporary Suspension List[28] | |
| Waived F Jillian Alleyne | ||
| June 21, 2021 | Signed F Megan Gustafson to a Hardship Contract[29] | |
| June 28, 2021 | Waived F Megan Gustafson, G Stella Johnson, and G Kiara Leslie[30] | |
| July 1, 2021 | Signed F Megan Gustafson and G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to 7-Day Contracts[31] | |
| July 8, 2021 | Signed F Megan Gustafson and G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to a 2nd 7-Day Contracts[32] | |
| August 18, 2021 | Signed G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to a Rest-Of-Season Contract[33] | |
| Signed F Megan Gustafson to a 3rd 7-Day Contract | ||
| August 25, 2021 | Signed F Megan Gustafson to a Rest-Of-Season Contract[34] | |
Roster
| 2021 Washington Mystics roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Game log
Preseason
| 2021 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
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| 2021 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
| 5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
| 8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
| 9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
| 11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Statistics
| 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
Source:[35]
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Charles | 27 | 27 | 33.3 | 44.9 | 36.5 | 82.0 | 9.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 23.4 |
| Ariel Atkins | 30 | 30 | 30.6 | 40.7 | 35.9 | 83.1 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 16.2 |
| Elena Delle Donne | 3 | 3 | 13.7 | 48.1 | 60.0 | 100 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 13.7 |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | 18 | 17 | 25.7 | 41.4 | 31.7 | 73.2 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 12.9 |
| Natasha Cloud | 27 | 27 | 31.6 | 38.9 | 27.4 | 83.6 | 3.6 | 6.4 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 8.7 |
| Shatori Walker-Kimbrough | 16 | 13 | 21.6 | 51.3 | 32.0 | 85.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 7.4 |
| Leilani Mitchell | 31 | 12 | 23.4 | 36.0 | 35.7 | 82.6 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 6.4 |
| Theresa Plaisance | 31 | 11 | 18.0 | 35.1 | 30.2 | 81.5 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 6.4 |
| Sydney Wiese | 27 | 8 | 21.4 | 32.3 | 29.1 | 77.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.4 |
| Shavonte Zellous | 28 | 5 | 15.8 | 37.7 | 24.4 | 80.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 4.3 |
| Erica McCall | 23 | 6 | 15.5 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 62.5 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.1 |
| Megan Gustafson | 11 | 1 | 9.9 | 59.4 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 4.0 |
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Charles | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | June 14 | [36] |
| Eastern Conference Player of the Month - June | July 1 | [37] | |
| Ariel Atkins | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 | [38] |
| Tina Charles | |||
| Tina Charles | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | September 13 | [39] |
| Tina Charles | Peak Performer: Points | September 20 | [40] |
| Ariel Atkins | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 26, 2021 | [41] |
| Tina Charles | All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 | [42] |