The Washington Mystics, a team many predicted to be 2025 bottom-dwellers, are the best team in the WNBA.
Sorry, that really might be my only chance to say that this season. But 1-0 is 1-0, and a 94-90 win over the Dream, who bested Washington in the preseason, is a pleasant surprise. New head coach Sydney Johnson and his rookies won’t have to delay the beloved water bottle shower for their first career WNBA win.
Ready rookies
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen looked like everything the Mystics were hoping for—and then some. Citron exploded for 19 points in her debut, while Iriafen trailed closely with 14.
Iriafen’s finishing has a lot of room to grow, but her motor is something that just can’t be taught. She fought offensively in the post, ran the floor, and was rewarded with four trips to the free throw line. She also severely limited Brittney Griner’s shot quality—to a point. Griner was 2-for-10 shooting for the majority of the game, but went on a personal 7-0 run with five minutes left in the game to give Iriafen a quick reality check. Iriafen…
