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Elena Delle Donne injures right thumb, surgery expected

By Howard Megdal

UNCASVILLE, CT - JULY 08: Washington Mystics guard Elena Delle Donne (11) acknowledges a teammate after scoring a basket during the first half of an WNBA game between Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun on July 8, 2017, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Connecticut defeated Washington 96-92. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT - JULY 08: Washington Mystics guard Elena Delle Donne (11) acknowledges a teammate after scoring a basket during the first half of an WNBA game between Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun on July 8, 2017, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Connecticut defeated Washington 96-92. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Washington Mystics were dealt another blow Tuesday, when the team announced that Elena Delle Donne would be sidelined for at least the next two weeks with a left thumb injury.

Specifically, Delle Donne has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the left thumb, which the Mystics said occurred during the first quarter of Washington’s game against the Atlanta Dream on July 30.

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The team added that Delle Donne is expected back “by the end of the regular season” in a release on Tuesday.

“We have had numerous injuries this year and have gotten through them,” Mystics general manager and head coach Mike Thibault said. “We will do the same for the next couple of weeks and look forward to having Elena back for the playoffs.”

The injury continues a nearly season-long trend of Thibault’s Mystics trying to forge a new identity without a full array of players. Delle Donne herself missed time earlier this season with an ankle injury. Emma Meesseman missed weeks due to overseas commitments. Tayler Hill was lost for the season due to multiple injuries, and Natasha Cloud is currently out as well.

The Mystics boast a deep roster, and as Meesseman recently showed when she exploded for 30 points, Washington has plenty of premier offensive options. But the loss of the 2015 MVP, enjoying a season on par with her career production—27.7 player efficiency rating this season, with a career mark of 28.1—is impossible to replace for any team.

Now not only will the Mystics try to do so while chasing a more favorable seed, they’ll try to figure out a way to reintegrate Delle Donne into the team just in time for the postseason. A challenging season in Washington just got even more so.

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