Elena Delle Donne will miss tomorrow’s game against the Atlanta Dream due to an injury sustained on July 14 against the Indiana Fever. She will also miss the All-Star Game in Seattle this Saturday. Delle Donne collected the second most fan votes (31,414) to earn her fourth All-Star selection in five career seasons.
Elena Delle Donne injury update. pic.twitter.com/tghQSLn72F
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) July 18, 2017
Prior to her injury, Delle Donne averaged 18.6 points per game while shooting 97.1% from the free throw line. She made was part of a three team trade in the offseason. The move brought her closer to her Delaware roots. The change benefitted the Mystics as well and helped the team climb up from the bottom of the 2016 standings to their current perch at second in the Eastern Conference and fifth overall.
The Mystics are also without Tayler Hill, who suffered a season-ending injury in a 72-58 win over the Indiana Fever on July 14. This season, Hill was averaging 13.3 points and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 93.8% from the free throw line. On Sunday the Mystics stumbled against the New York Liberty, shooting a field goal percentage of 27.7%, nearly 14 percentage points from their season average.
The organization will re-evaluate Delle Donne after the All-Star break. The Mystics face Eastern Conference leaders, the Connecticut Sun, on July 28. The two teams met on May 31 and the Mystics prevailed 78-76. Since Connecticut has gone 11-3 and posted two five-game winning streaks. A healthy Delle Donne or not, expect a tough contest between the top two teams in the East.