Mystics @ Sun preview : No more Thibaults to bind us

 As the Washington Mystics come to Mohegan Sun Arena for Sunday’s regular season opener (at least for the Sun), it will be easy to look at the visiting bench and see a partner in rebuilding.

While the Sun went to the semifinals, the Mystics finished just 14-26 and lost out on Paige Bueckers, but traded its best statistical offensive player - Ariel Atkins - to Chicago for the No. 3 pick, giving them three of the top six picks in April’s draft (unfortunately Georgia Amoore tore her ACL in training camp, meaning only Sonia Cintron and Kiki Iriafen will feature for the team this season).


Of course, the Mystics and Sun will always be linked by Mike Thibault as well. Thibault, of course, spent 10 years in Uncasville, where he had a losing record only once, barely, in 2009 (they finished 16-18).


Alas, the WNBA title eluded him. Until 2019 when he got it in Washington over the Sun, who are still searching. He spent a decade there as well before retiring and turning over the reigns to his son Eric, but the Mystics made the tough decision to part ways with Eric (and Mike) after last season, meaning 2025 is the first season since 2002 (a year before Cintron and Iriafen were born) that a Thibault will not be a head coach in this matchup.


Pamela Smith / AP
It was also probably fitting that two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne officially retired in April as Washington begins its reboot, just as Connecticut saw Alyssa Thomas (and others, obviously) depart.


While the Mystics will likely try to find a way out of tiny CareFirst Arena (capacity 4,200), they won’t likely have to worry about moving anytime soon. But we’ve been over that already with the Sun, let’s focus on the basketball, as undefeated Washington looks to make it a surprising 2-0 for the opening weekend.


 


WASHINGTON MYSTICS @ SUN


Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT


Place: Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.


Records: Washington 1-0 (defeated Atlanta 94-90 Friday); Connecticut 0-0


TV: WNBA League Pass; NBC Sports Boston


Line: Washington -4 (much different with Morrow and Rivers out, I guess)


Absences: Connecticut - Leila Lacan (out, still in Europe); Aneesah Morrow (out, knee); Saniya Rivers (out, bereavement). Washington - Georgia Amoore  (out, season ending); Shakira Austin (questionable, leg); Aaliyah Edwards (out, back).


History between them: Connecticut leads the regular season series 60-35 overall and swept the Mystics in four meetings last season. In fact, the Sun have won nine straight dating back to 2022 when Della Donne and Jonquel Jones were the leading respective scorers. Thibault won all three playoff series between the two teams, the other two coming in 2004 and 2006.


What to look for: The Mystics posted an impressive comeback win over Atlanta Friday night, putting up 94 points in the process, led by 22 points from Brittany Sykes and 19 from Sofia Cintron, although it only took Cintron 7 shots to get there, while it took Sykes 20. Cintron is listed at +1000 to be Rookie of the Year, and I like those odds at the moment, even if Paige Bueckers is the clear favorite. Cintron has already proven she can score at this level and will be given every chance to this season.


Sykes, of course, is about more than scoring and she and Sug Sutton will create athletic problems for Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen. And then someone has to guard Cintron, probably Marina Mabrey, which is a really interesting matchup. The Mystics did get beat up on the boards by the Dream, but they have Brittany Griner and Brionna Jones and the Sun do not. Olivia Nelson-Ododa will have her hands full with Kiki Iriafen, but that should be another fascinating matchup down low. 


How Rachid Meziane divides his minutes will be something to definitely watch. We have not seen Saniya Rivers or Aneesah Morrow on the floor yet, and now both have been ruled out for Sunday. Robyn Parks, Haley Peters, and Kariata Diaby all made the team, and Meziane may need them for extended time. But how much will they play? It may be a moving target in the next couple of weeks.


Finally, don’t leave Stefanie Dolson open from three, something Tina Charles surely knows.


Key players:  Connecticut: Jacy Sheldon - It appears that Sheldon has earned the starting off-guard spot with her great preseason performance against the Liberty, but as I mentioned before, she will be tested by Sykes and Sutton. Can she create her own offense and still do a job defensively at the other end?


Washington: Sug Sutton - Sutton has trouble staying on a WNBA roster just a couple seasons ago, and was just the 36th overall pick in the draft in 2020. But she was already going to be in the rotation in Washington and with Amoore’s injury, will likely start every game. She had 13 points in Friday’s opener.


Advanced stat:  8.8% - Turnover rate for Washington Friday night against Atlanta, as they had just 7 turnovers in 80 possessions, one of the big reasons the Mystics won and put up 94 points. The Sun would like to create turnovers as it did in the past, but that’s an open question.


Tactical spotlight: Dolson shot 46.5% from behind the arc, good for third in the W last season (teammate Emily Engstler actually led the league at 47.4%). I’ve talked before about how tough it will be for Charles and Nelson-Ododa to challenge stretch bigs, and they’ll get tested in the opener.


Inside the numbers: 2 - Players from Africa who did not play for American colleges that could appear in this game. Sika Kone from Mali got 12 minutes Friday from Washington, while Diaby is from Ivory Coast for the Sun. The world game continues to grow.


Prediction: 84-82 Connecticut (the Sun really want to get this one for confidence going forward).

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