Elena Delle Donne spoke to The Summitt about her return to the court, after missing the past several games with a torn ligament in her left thumb, prior to Friday night’s game between the Washington Mystics and New York Liberty.
More from Washington Mystics
- Seattle Comes Back Late, Beats Washington In Game One
- Mystics Overcome Early Struggles, Beat Liberty 78-69
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, November 9: Emma Meesseman tests positive for COVID-19
- Women’s Basketball, September 17: NCAA Hoops to start Nov. 25
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 14: Mystics are going dancing
Delle Donne has played in 20 games this season, averaging 22.9 points per game. Her transition into Mike Thibault’s offense has resulted in Delle Donne combining her typical efficiency—a 27.8 PER, right in line with her career mark of 28.1—with a career-best true shooting percentage of 61.3 percent, and an assist percentage of 10.8, which ties her rookie season for the best of her career. Her 1.129 points per possession ranks fifth in the league among players with at least 100 possessions, per Synergy.
Notably, her presence was also missed on the defensive end. Her block percentage of 4.0 ranks tenth in the league, while she is allowing just 0.747 points per possession, per Synergy, good for eleventh in the league among players with at least 100 possessions.
She has been the elite two-way star the Mystics knew they were getting when they traded Kahleah Cooper, the second overall pick in the 2017 draft and center Stefanie Dolson for Delle Donne this past offseason.
The Mystics entered Friday night’s game 17-12, but just 4-5 without Delle Donne.
Watch Delle Donne chat courtside ahead of Friday night’s game: