With only one game left in the season, the Washington Mystics are firmly situated in the bottom part of the standings. The Mystics entered the season as the youngest team in the league, but didn’t always play like it. Due to impressive performances from rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics were even in the mix for a playoff spot until they traded All-Star Brittney Sykes to the Seattle Storm before the trade deadline.
Instead of a trip to the playoffs, the Mystics have three more first-round picks to look forward to. The organization is taking its time, trying to ensure that the rebuild goes well. Youngsters Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Shakira Austin have already established themselves as building blocks. Now, the Mystics have to figure out which players they need to surround their young core with.
This season, the Mystics lacked 3-point shooters to create space for Iriafen and Austin to work in the paint—an issue that rookie head coach Sydney Johnson also lamented.
Sydney Johnson talked about the pairing of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin, and the need for better shooting around them (which is something to keep in mind for the future). pic.twitter.com/CI4PctPFom
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) September 7, 2025
Iriafen and Austin form one of the best young frontcourts in the league. Iriafen averages 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while Austin averages 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds. Neither one of them is a 3-point threat, so the Mystics must have players who can provide excellent spacing around them.
Washington is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league
Averaging 32.9% shooting on 17.2 3-point attempts per game, the Mystics are one of the worst teams from long range across the league. Sydney Johnson’s team averages the fewest threes per game and ranks tenth in percentage.
The Mystics don’t have a lot of great 3-point shooters on the roster. Only Sonia Citron averages at least four threes per game. She is also the only player to convert over 40% of her attempts from long range. Jacy Sheldon attempts three 3-pointers per game but makes only 16.7% of them. Stephanie Dolson and Sug Sutton are the only players shooting over 30% from three, but they only take 1.8 and 2.8 attempts per game, respectively.
That lack of 3-point shooters puts a lot of pressure on Citron to reliably sink threes and allows defenders to give other players space and crowd the paint instead.
The Mystics will have several chances to add 3-point shooters this offseason
While the Mystics still have things to work out, this season was incredibly encouraging. Citron and Iriafen were both named All-Stars, Austin had a career year after dealing with injuries in previous seasons, and Johnson was an excellent choice as the team’s new head coach. The Mystics have an incredibly bright future and will have plenty of opportunities to round out the roster around their young core.
The most obvious way to add 3-point shooters is the draft. Washington has three first-round picks and will be able to get a ton of young talent. The prospect of playing with young talent like Citron, Iriafen, and Austin may also entice some veteran 3-point specialists to come to Washington in the offseason. If free agency doesn’t offer much, the Mystics can also explore the trade market. They could move on from interesting young players, like Emily Englster, whose minutes and production dropped compared to last season.