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Mystics at Stars preview: Can Washingon stay on a roll without Elena Delle Donne?

By Elle Ward

The Washington Mystics (14-9) take on the San Antonio Stars (4-21) on Friday, and are in a very good position with 11 games left in the season. Despite the fact that Elena Delle Donne will be out 2-3 weeks for surgery on her left hand.

Where and When The AT&T Center. Friday August 4. 8:00 P.M. ET.

Streaming WNBA League Pass, NBATV, Monumental.

The Mystics have now won more games than last season. I believe they can get to 20 wins, based on the schedule, which could be enough to get a first round bye in the Playoffs.

We have noted all along the way how this team seems to be getting to know each other. Plenty of talent, but plenty of bumps and bruises, literally and figuratively, have challenged this new roster.

But it has been crystal clear, pun intended, who has been carving out her place on this championship leaning team.

The Out-of-Nowhere Award goes to Center, Krystal Thomas.

Of course I trusted Coach T with this acquisition, but damn!

Coach Thibault nailed it this winter

K THOMAS Pts Rbs Ast Stl BLK
K THOMAS Pts Rbs Ast Stl BLK
2016 1.4 2.3 0.1 0.2 0.6
2017 6.4 8.5 0.9 0.4 1.1
Last 5 Gms 8 12.4 0.6 0.8 1.5
Krystal Thomas has exploded this season! Elle ward

And of course Elena Delle Donne is $$ in the bank, but I definitely like to see those blocks going UP. This seemed inevitable having paired up with Meesseman down low.

All Star season, check.

DELLE DONNE PTS Rbds Ast Stl BLK
DELLE DONNE PTS Rbds Ast Stl BLK
2016 21.5 7 1.9 0.5 1.5
2017 18.8 6.5 1.6 1.9 1.5
LAST 5 GMS 20.8 8.5 1.8 0.6 2.2
She is who we thought she was. Excellent. Elle Ward

The Mystics home grown version of EDD.

Our Emma Meesseman has brought the sauce back from Europe. Busting out a 30 point game against Atlanta had been a long time coming.

Meesse is bringing her A game to the Mystics

Meesseman Pts Rbds Ast Stl BLK
Meesseman Pts Rbds Ast Stl BLK
2016 15.2 5.6 2.3 1.2 0.7
2017 13.3 5 2.5 1.1 1.6
LAST 5 GMS 19.6 5 3 1.2 2.8
Looks good Elle Ward

I have never understood why people could not see this growth from space, but I probably watch a lot of teams in the ‘off season’.

Hi Kristi Toliver. Speaking of the off-season, not a second was wasted when the annoucement broke in February in Russia, that she and teammate Emma Meesseman had a super advantage.

They played together for 3 months before joining the Mystics. There seems to be only a hiccup in Toliver getting acclimated with the Mystics.

Popping off for 29 points against the Dream on July 19 was delightful to watch, in that 21 point comeback win. Nice to see her showing off here in D.C.

Bringing it

TOLIVER Pts Rbs Ast
TOLIVER Pts Rbs Ast
2016 13.2 2.6 3.7
2017 11 2.1 3
LAST 5 GMS 13.2 3.2 3.8
This eases the pain of losing Tayler Hill. Elle Ward

The question I have is can this team hit the home stretch and punish people even without EDD? They are going to have to.

...

And this was really cool to see finally happen! I haven’t played a video game since Atari, so it should be fun to figure it out. Kudos EA Sports!