Evaluating the Mystics frontcourt players after a great 2018 season

Let’s evaluate how the 2018 Washington Mystics’ frontcourt players did in 2018. If you haven’t read our backcourt player evaluations, you can do so by clicking here.

Elena Delle Donne

Stats: 20.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.3 apg.

Summary: After an inconsistent 2017 season, Delle Donne had her best season since 2015 when she won the MVP award. Delle Donne also was named to the All-WNBA First Team. If Delle Donne was not injured in the semifinals, she may have even led Washington to a WNBA championship.

Offseason Plans: Delle Donne is in the USA during each offseason. However, she has never ruled out playing overseas at some point.

LaToya Sanders

Stats: 10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg

Summary: Sanders played the bulk of the 2018 season as the Mystics’ starting center. She enjoyed career highs as a scorer and rebounder and played an important role helping Washington get to the WNBA Finals.

Offseason Plans: Sanders is not playing overseas.

Aerial Powers

Stats: 6.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg in nine appearances.

Summary: Powers was a spark off the Mystics’ bench where he played from the wing and the frontcourt. Her best performance was in the playoffs when she scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a Game 3 semifinals loss to the Dream.

Offseason Plans: Powers is playing for the Guangdong Vermillon Birds in China’s WCBA.

Tianna Hawkins

Stats: 6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg

Summary: Hawkins solidified her standing as one of the Mystics’ key posts of the bench where she continued to provide scoring and rebounding relief. Hawkins also looked noticeably quicker on the court this year now that she is a couple years out of her pregnancy back that resulted in her missing the entire 2015 season.

Offseason Plans: Hawkins is not reported to be overseas.

Myisha Hines-Allen

Stats: 3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Summary: Hines-Allen put up some strong scoring and rebounding performances early in the WNBA season but was a reserve for most of the rest of the season. A

Offseason Plans: Hines-Allen is playing for Enisey Krasnoyarski Kraj in the Russian PBL and EuroCup Women.

Krystal Thomas

Stats: 1.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Summary: Thomas started the season as the Mystics’ starting center but finished at the end of the bench. She noticeably regressed in 2018 where she only made 42.9 percent of her shots and even her per-36 minute rebounding rate dropped from 13.3 to 9.0 this season. Ultimately, it was not a surprise to see Thomas fall down quite quickly in the rotation this season.

Offseason Plans: Hawkins is playing for Asan Woori Bank Wibee in Asan, Korea. Asan is a city in the western part of South Korea.

Monique Currie

Stats: 6.6 ppg, 3 rpg

Summary: Currie returned to the Mystics and originally came in to help fill in the scoring void Emma Meesseman left behind when she decided to sit the 2018 season out. Currie ultimately didn’t play as much as expected in part because Ariel Atkins blossomed sooner than expected.

Offseason Plans: Currie opened her own real estate investment firm, called Currie Collective LLC where she is buying, selling, and managing properties. She is also officiating high school games and runs WomensBasketball247.com.

Emma Meesseman

Summary: She may have missed the 2018 WNBA season, but Meesseman may have had the best year out of all the Mystics’ frontcourt players. Before the WNBA season, Meesseman won her second EuroLeague championship in three years and was named the season’s Final Four MVP. Then she was one of the best individual players in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, where Belgium made the semifinals.

The biggest questions surrounding Meesseman isn’t how good she’ll be. How much time does Meesseman have left in the WNBA considering how fickle Europeans historically are. And if Meesseman does spend most summers in D.C., where do you play her? Starting her alongside Delle Donne or having her come off the bench as a sixth woman extraordinaire?

Offseason Plans: Meesseman is playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia’s PBL and EuroLeague Women.