Emma Meesseman to miss about five WNBA games in 2020, according to report

According to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post, Washington Mystics forward Emma Meesseman is expected to miss about five games in the 2020 WNBA season. Wallace learned the information from an interview with General Manager and Head Coach Mike Thibault.

Though it was not mentioned specifically, this is likely because Meesseman will be practicing with the Belgium women’s national basketball team, who made the Olympics last Sunday.

This should be nothing but excellent news for the Mystics and their hopes to repeat as WNBA champions this year.

With Meesseman hopefully playing almost every game in 2020, Thibault can now fully utilize her as their starting power forward, presumably in a lineup that would feature Elena Delle Donne starting at small forward and LaToya Sanders at center. This frontcourt lineup appears to be the most realistic to me since Kristi Toliver left the Mystics to sign with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Furthermore, Meesseman could be in position to make an All-WNBA Team and even .... yes! She could be a contender for the 2020 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award along with Delle Donne, who won the award last year.

Assuming Meesseman is starting this summer and playing like her .... “Belgian Cat and WNBA Finals MVP” self, I may have to write an addendum to this post I wrote last December.

I can’t recall any true European WNBA superstars at any time in the league’s history. Margo Dydek and Ann Wauters are two of the more notable Europeans who played in the WNBA, but neither were stars to American fans. Meesseman can really change that perception, especially if she gets in the MVP conversation.

I can’t wait to see what this season holds, not just for Meesseman, but for the Mystics as a whole!