After being drafted with the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, Paige Bueckers landed at the feet of the ecstatic Dallas Wings and was widely considered to be the leading candidate to take home the prestigious Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of her debut campaign. Throughout her six games this season, the Dallas star has chalked up 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and two steals, while playing around 34 minutes per game.
In each of the last three years, the first selection in the draft process has been crowned Rookie of the Year. However, two sensational rookie teammates are striving to buck the trend as they continue to dazzle the league with a string of impressive performances. It may still be too early to discuss end-of-season accolades, but who are the two Washington rookies attempting to steal Bueckers' perceived birthright?
Sonia Citron is everything the Mystics could’ve hoped for
The Washington Mystics utilized their third overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to select the devastating guard Sonia Citron. During her time in the NCAA, the 2021 McDonald's All-American star was a renowned scoring option for Notre Dame, scoring 14.3 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor, something that has translated directly into her magnificent rookie year in the WNBA so far.
Behind only Bueckers in the rookie season leaders in scoring, the 21-year-old is currently averaging 14.3 points per game in around 31 minutes on the floor, including an amazing 19-point debut performance versus the Atlanta Dream. Citron has shown no signs of needing time to settle into her new surroundings as she has remarkably become the first rookie this season to reach the 100-point tally, although she has featured in one extra game than her Dallas counterpart.
It is not just the points that the Notre Dame graduate has registered that have stirred excitement among the Washington fan base; it is the rate of efficiency from all three levels that has accompanied this statistic. The Eastchester native has a field-goal percentage of 47.2 percent while shooting 40 percent from three-point range and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Despite the sensational performances that Citron has showcased during her short career in the WNBA so far, one thing that will work against the star in the Rookie of the Year race will be the fact that she occupies the same position as her direct rival. If the Mystics' guard wishes to overtake Dallas' fan favourite for the award, she must obliterate Bueckers' scoring record as Citron's playmaking numbers (two assists per game) are dwarfed by her 23-year-old opponent.
Kiki Iriafen is thriving in Washington
Iriafen was selected with Washington's fourth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and has thrived in her newly established partnership with Citron. The 21-year-old forward is averaging a double-double during her seven games so far this campaign, registering 13.9 points, with a field goal percentage of 47.4 percent, and 10.1 rebounds per matchup.
In addition to cementing her dominance in a statistical aspect, Iriafen has exhibited her ability to be an essential asset off the ball on the offensive end of the floor as the Mystics have attempted to employ the forward in a pick-and-roll motion during a high number of possessions to create separation for their distance shooters.
The USC graduate has shown an overwhelming level of maturity in her rookie season by drawing upon her attributes that made her an imposing presence in the NCAA. The offensive powerhouse has enacted all of her damage within the perimeter during her inaugural campaign, as she averages 10.9 field goal attempts per game, none of which have come from three-point range.
One favourable factor as Iriafen looks to steal a march on the Rookie of the Year award is that the forward cannot be directly compared to her first-year rival, Bueckers. Due to occupying a different position, the Mystics' star has the opportunity to manufacture her own legacy that could establish the 2024 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year as the front-runner for the individual accolade.
It will be a monumental task for Washington's dynamic duo to prevent Paige Bueckers from being honoured as the most talented rookie in the 2025 WNBA draft class. Nevertheless, if the pairing can elevate the Mystics into a playoff birth come the end of the campaign while maintaining outstanding individual stats, then the pendulum may swing in their favour.