The Mystics are looking to upgrade their offense for 2023, haven’t processed their early playoff loss

The Washington Mystics held their end of season media availability yesterday to the media. General Manager and Head Coach Mike Thibault spoke about the playoff series against the Storm, where he acknowledged that untimely turnovers and the lack of homecourt advantage contributed to their series loss. He also acknowledged that the 2022 playoff series loss to the Storm may be a rallying moment like their 2018 Finals loss. In 2019, the Mystics won the championship with reinforcements. 2023 could provide the same.

Natasha Cloud and Alysha Clark were both in agreement that the Mystics were still not quite in the mode of processing the last season, and that some opportunities were lost. If the Mystics won just one more game, they would have hosted the Storm in their series. Clark also noted that the Mystics embraced their identity as defensive stalwarts, which helped them finish as the top defensive team in the regular season.

Cloud also spoke in detail about her interaction with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. She was impressed that he spoke and broke down the Mystics’ games against the Storm with her.

Rui Machida also explained that she intends to play in the WNBA next year after averaging 1.8 points and 2.6 assists per game in her rookie season.

While the Mystics had a great defensive team, their offense needs reinforcements. Thibault noted that there will have to be some changes to augment that, though we can expect to see Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, Cloud and Clark return.

Do you see the Mystics and Storm developing a rivalry in future seasons? Could you see the Mystics go further in the playoffs next year? Let us know in the comments below!