Ahead of the regular season, the WNBA published its annual GM survey. In that survey, GMs were asked forty questions, like which team would win the 2025 WNBA Finals or which player would take home the MVP award. One key question was which team had the most promising young core in the league. Indiana got 50 percent of the votes and Los Angeles 30 percent. Las Vegas and Dallas also received votes.
It was no surprise to see the Fever and Sparks win the vote. Between Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Cameron Brink, and Rickea Jackson, those two teams feature some of the brightest young stars in the game. However, it was somewhat surprising to see the Washington Mystics receive no votes at all. The Mystics have the youngest roster in the WNBA and just got three first-round picks on top of the young talent already on the roster.
Washington’s newest rookies are off to a hot start, reminding people why they should’ve gotten at least some votes in this category.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are WNBA ready
Even the best rookies sometimes struggle to make the transition to the WNBA. The game is more physical, young players have to get used to new teammates and systems, and many of their opponents have been working on their game for decades. Mystics rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen weren’t fazed by the transition.
Playing big roles for the young Mystics, both rookies are off to a great start, putting their names in the Rookie of the Year conversation and helping their team to two wins to open the season. Since then, the Mystics have lost to the Valkyries, Aces, and Mercury, but Cirton and Iriafen still played well.
Citron, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, is currently averaging 15.4 points on very efficient shooting, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. She scored between 10 and 19 points in all five games and converted 10 of her 21 3-point attempts.
Iriafen, who was selected fourth overall, is currently averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. She logged four straight double-doubles, establishing herself as a strong presence in the paint and a player who is not afraid of a challenge.
The Mystics aren’t even healthy at the moment
Citron and Iriafen wasted no time putting the league on notice, but they are not the only young Mystics playing well. Jade Melbourne looks improved compared to last season, averaging 10.8 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists, and one steal over the first five games of the season.
The Mystics will struggle in the next few games, having to face Indiana and New York four times, and might not make the playoffs, but Iriafen and Citron have already established that the team has great young talent to work with—and they are only part of the Mystics young core. Aliyah Edwards, who just had a great season in Unrivaled, has only played one game after suffering a back injury in preseason. Moreover, Georgia Amoore, the Mystics’ other first-round pick in this year’s draft, also hasn’t played yet. She will miss the entire 2025 season with an ACL injury.
The GM survey was conducted before the start of the regular season, so no one had seen the Mystics’ youngsters play seriously yet, but Citron and Iriafen quickly made the fact that they received no votes seem foolish.