{"id":844690,"date":"2026-09-26T22:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T22:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/844690\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T22:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T22:00:22","slug":"despite-their-inexperience-washington-mystics-are-playoff-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/844690\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite their inexperience, Washington Mystics are playoff ready"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Washington Mystics are entering the WNBA playoffs<\/a> having won 16 of their past 20 games, including all four after the World Cup break. That winning streak lifted them to the No. 5 seed, setting up a first-round series against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re not sure how much it matters that they\u2019re coming into the playoffs hot.<\/p>\n

Center Shakira Austin<\/a> told The IX Sports before Thursday\u2019s regular-season finale against the Chicago Sky that she wished it mattered. \u201cUnfortunately, I don\u2019t think it matters at all,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce we get to that first game, it\u2019s just about finishing 1-0. No one cares if you went undefeated the whole year. Nobody cares if you lost [a lot] but you still made it in the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, head coach Sydney Johnson told reporters on Thursday that he thought having \u201ca good amount of confidence and momentum and flow\u201d was a good thing for his team. (He also admitted, though, that his answer would probably be different if his team\u2019s recent record was worse.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard for any team to know the answer to this question. But it\u2019s doubly hard for the Mystics because they have very little playoff experience to look back on.<\/p>\n

This will be Johnson\u2019s first playoff experience as a professional head coach, after he missed the playoffs as an assistant coach with the Sky in 2024 and in his first year leading the Mystics in 2025. And with one of the youngest rosters<\/a> in WNBA history this season, only three of his players have any WNBA playoff experience:<\/p>\n

* Was injured and did not play in that year\u2019s playoffs. Sources: Across the Timeline<\/a>, Basketball Reference<\/a><\/p>\n

Those 32 combined playoff games are the lowest total for any WNBA team<\/a> this season. In fact, 11 teams have a single player who has played in more than 32 career playoff games. That list includes the Dream, as veteran forward\/guard DeWanna Bonner<\/a> has appeared in 98 games and the rest of the roster has combined for 120 more.<\/p>\n

For Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere, it\u2019s been four years since she was last on a playoff team, and she is eager to experience postseason basketball again. She has won one playoff game in her career, in 2022 with the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe WNBA is really hard, and I know that,\u201d she told reporters before Tuesday\u2019s game against the Connecticut Sun. \u201cI knew that coming in obviously as a rookie, but then not being in the playoffs for so long, you\u2019re like, \u2018I just am craving that again.\u2019 And so to be able to be with this organization \u2026 it\u2019s been really, really fun, and just to kind of see our growth and individually as a team to see us to get to this point, I\u2019m really excited for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mystics claimed veteran guard\/forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton off waivers in early August in part to add postseason experience<\/a> to the roster. Laney-Hamilton made her playoff debut as a rookie in 2015, played with Onyenwere in New York in 2021 and 2022, and went on to win a WNBA title with the Liberty in 2024. She is the only player on Washington\u2019s roster who has advanced beyond the first round.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s won a championship before, and she\u2019s also been in really tough playoff series as well, which will be what we think will happen as well really soon,\u201d Onyenwere said. \u201c[Having her] just gives us kind of a precursor [of] what we\u2019re going to \u2026 see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laney-Hamilton did not play at all in 2025 due to a knee injury, so she is also appreciating getting back to the postseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d Laney-Hamilton told The IX Sports after Tuesday\u2019s game. \u201cIt feels good when you\u2019re able to move and do all of the things. Obviously, missing the season last year was a bit of a bummer, but it gave me time to get healthy. \u2026 So now that I\u2019m healthy and ready to go, I think it\u2019ll be really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Austin went to the playoffs in each of her first two WNBA seasons, but the Mystics were swept both times. (She didn\u2019t even get to play in the 2023 playoffs because of a hip injury.) So getting her first playoff win in her fifth season is top of mind.<\/p>\n

But her previous playoff experience was so long ago that it\u2019s not helping her prepare now.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I was just a completely different person back then,\u201d she said. \u201cKind of just playing my role, not really going outside of what I was asked to do. So honestly, there\u2019s been more lessons this year with how the regular season has gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a rookie in 2022, Austin was in a supporting role<\/a> on a veteran-laden team, playing with stars like Elena Delle Donne<\/a>, Natasha Cloud<\/a> and Ariel Atkins<\/a>. Now, she\u2019s the veteran leader<\/a>, defensive anchor and leading scorer on a rookie-laden team, and she\u2019s played well enough to be in consideration for All-WNBA, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and WNBA Most Improved Player.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf she doesn\u2019t get Most Improved Player. I think I\u2019m gonna start a riot \u2014 like a literal riot,\u201d point guard Georgia Amoore<\/a> told reporters on Sunday. \u201c\u2026 Her ability to finish plays \u2014 I love saying that the play is not done till Shakira decides it\u2019s done. She\u2019s gonna get a monster block, she\u2019s going to finish under contact and she\u2019s not gonna get the call, and she\u2019s gonna keep playing through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just she\u2019s channeled her aggression \u2026 [and] it\u2019s really the consistency that\u2019s really just blown me away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Austin\u2019s career year is one reason why the Mystics have gotten to this point, perhaps a season ahead of schedule. The Mystics were expected to be in the second year of a rebuild<\/a>, and few people thought they\u2019d make the playoffs. They not only did that, but also finished ahead of star-studded teams like the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty with a 28-16 record.<\/p>\n

The Mystics did that in part by emphasizing player development<\/a> for everyone on the roster, from those who barely play to the star trio of Austin, Sonia Citron<\/a> and Kiki Iriafen<\/a>. The coaches preached getting better every day and never letting a learning opportunity slip by. When Johnson was asked in mid-August if he\u2019d let himself think about October basketball yet, he looked at the reporter in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m minute-to-minute. I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d he said a few days before the Mystics officially clinched their playoff berth<\/a>. \u201cI mean, we don\u2019t have any of this in hand. Our players are giving me stuff because I\u2019m saying \u2018if we make the playoffs.\u2019 They\u2019re saying \u2018when we make the playoffs.\u2019 I think let\u2019s stay grounded; let\u2019s stay in the moment. \u2026 That\u2019s how we\u2019ve gotten here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MinnesotaWashington Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere (middle) navigates a screen from Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) and tries to stay with guard Olivia Miles (5) during a game at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2026. (Photo credit: John McClellan | The IX Sports)<\/p>\n

The Mystics\u2019 defense has also carried them to the playoffs. They allowed just 103.3 points per 100 possessions this season, which ranked second in the league<\/a> behind the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries. That\u2019s uncharted territory for a young team: The Mystics are 5.1 points better defensively<\/a> than the WNBA average this season, which is a gap that none of the league\u2019s youngest teams<\/a> since 2009 has been able to match.<\/p>\n

The Mystics\u2019 defense isn\u2019t built on forcing turnovers. Instead, they defend as a unit and make shots extremely difficult. They are also an excellent rebounding team \u2014 outrebounding opponents<\/a> in 40 of their 44 games \u2014 so opponents aren\u2019t getting many second chances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just really trust this group to be in great position, to not gamble and not get into disadvantaged situations,\u201d Johnson said before Thursday\u2019s game. \u201cSo we \u2026 really trust the toughness and togetherness that it\u2019s our five versus your five. We\u2019re going to make you take a tough shot, and we\u2019re going to corral that rebound. And if we can do that over and over and over and over again, that could be good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though their offense isn\u2019t as strong as their defense, the Mystics have dominated in the paint. A focus in the offseason was adding more size and length<\/a> to the roster, and now the 6\u20195 Austin, the 6\u20193 Iriafen and 6\u20197 rookie Lauren Betts<\/a> are making life difficult for every opponent. The Mystics are scoring 42.9 points in the paint and allowing just 35.4, both of which are second-best in the league<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps most of all, the Mystics have learned in real time this season how to win. They have played a league-high 122 clutch minutes<\/a>, which are when the score is within 5 points in the last five minutes of regulation or in overtime. And in their 27 games that have had clutch minutes, they\u2019ve gone 18-9.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow we\u2019ve kind of approached the entire season is we haven\u2019t really known everything, but \u2026 we\u2019ve just attacked it really head-on,\u201d Onyenwere said.<\/p>\n

The Mystics have learned to stay poised when the score isn\u2019t close, too. They erased a 20-point deficit<\/a> to stun the Dallas Wings in early August. And in a 16-point win against the Fever on Sunday, the Mystics kept their composure in the third quarter as Indiana started to trim a 26-point deficit and as referees\u2019 whistles made the game extremely choppy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, or maybe even earlier this year, we would have been reeling from that,\u201d Johnson said postgame. \u201c\u2026 This team\u2019s really grown up a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WashingtonWashington Mystics centers Lauren Betts (51) and Shakira Austin (right) celebrate with teammates after beating the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on July 20, 2026. (Photo credit: Kelley L Cox | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

The turning point for these Mystics was on July 20, when they beat the Valkyries for the first time in Johnson\u2019s tenure. Entering that game, the Mystics were 12-12, but the victory was the first in a seven-game winning streak. That stretch elevated the Mystics from a playoff hopeful to a threat to end anyone\u2019s season.<\/p>\n

Since July 20, the Mystics have noticeably improved at both their strengths and their weaknesses. They are grabbing a league-best 56.0% of all available rebounds<\/a>, up from 52.7% before the win over Golden State. They\u2019re also fouling less, which has further helped their defense, and scoring even more in the paint.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, their offense has improved enormously, from averaging 98.4 points per 100 possessions<\/a> before July 20 to 112.1 since. They\u2019ve cut down on their turnovers and shot 37.9% from 3-point range, up from 27.8% before July 20. In particular, Amoore and Citron \u2014 the two Mystics who attempt the most threes per game<\/a> \u2014 have been much more accurate from 3-point range since July 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was cashing out in practice, and now it\u2019s just making its way to the games,\u201d Amoore said after shooting 3-for-4 from distance on Sunday. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not even mad because we\u2019re hitting our strides at the right time. I\u2019d rather hit them now and when they matter than early on, when they don\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking at the Mystics\u2019 growth since midseason, it\u2019s no surprise that both Johnson and Citron declared on Thursday that the team is ready for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve been ready for a while,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Now comes the preparation. Citron said the team would be intentional between Thursday night and Sunday about recovering physically and preparing mentally. The Mystics went 2-1 against the Dream this season, but they lost badly in their only game in Atlanta back on June 6.<\/p>\n

Read about Atlanta: 5 keys for the Dream to avoid a repeat of last year\u2019s playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mystics\u2019 mindset for the series can be boiled down to two words: \u201cBe us.\u201d Onyenwere, Laney-Hamilton and Austin all spoke in recent days about not wanting to deviate from what got them this far. They have two more wins than any other team since July 20, and they\u2019re one of only three teams that went 4-0 to end the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe focus on being together. We focus on playing tough defense, being super physical. That\u2019s been our identity the entire season, and so it\u2019s like, why stop now?\u201d Onyenwere said after Thursday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\"WashingtonWashington Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson walks on the court during a stoppage in a game against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2026. (Photo credit: John McClellan | The IX Sports)<\/p>\n

That message is how Johnson will convey to his players that, while most of them don\u2019t have postseason experience, they have all the knowledge they need. Rather than emphasizing what experiences will be new in the playoffs, he\u2019ll focus on everything that hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to lean into the firsts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to lean into, \u2018OK, what do we have to work on?\u2019 \u2026 So rather than keep necessarily the pressure of this magical moment of playoffs, it\u2019s really like, \u2018Everything that we\u2019ve done to date has positioned us here. Let\u2019s continue to get better, smooth out our weaknesses and see what we got.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Washington Mystics, holds a minority stake in The IX Sports. The IX Sports\u2019 editorial operations are entirely independent of Monumental and all other business partners.<\/p>\n

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