2022 Washington Mystics season
WNBA team season
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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 | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Mike Thibault |
| Arena | Entertainment and Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–14 (.611) |
| Place | 3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | 5th seed; Lost in 1st Round to the Seattle Storm |
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
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Shakira Austin |  United States |
Ole Miss |
| 2 | 14 | Christyn Williams | United States |
UConn |
Trades and Roster Changes
| 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
| 2022 Washington Mystics roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth
Schedule
Preseason
| 2022 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
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| 2022 pre-season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2022 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Seattle Storm Lost Series: 0–2
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| 2022 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | 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
| First round 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
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
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
| 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
| 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
| 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] |