2021 Washington Mystics season

The 2021 Washington Mystics season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season tipped off versus the Chicago Sky on May 15, 2021.[1]

2021 Washington Mystics season
CoachMike Thibault
ArenaEntertainment and Sports Arena
Attendance2,183 per game
Results
Record12–20 (.375)
Place4th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Team Leaders
PointsTina Charles – 23.4 ppg
ReboundsTina Charles – 9.6 rpg
AssistsNatasha Cloud – 6.4 apg

The Mystics struggled to start the season only winning two of their six games in the month of May. Their fortunes rebounded when they posted a .500 winning percentage through June and in their two games in July before the Olympic break. In closing out their pre-Olympic schedule they won in overtime versus the Chicago Sky to finish the first portion of the schedule with an 8–10 record. Coming back from the break, they faced a tough schedule and posted a 2–6 record, including losing the first four games back from the break. To close out the season, September contained two wins book marked by two losses on either side. Going into the last day of the season, the Mystics had a chance to secure a playoff spot, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx to miss the playoffs and finish with a 12–20 record. Tina Charles was a bright spot during the season, as she led the league in scoring.

Transactions

WNBA draft
See also: 2021 WNBA draft

Due to a trade in 2020 for C Tina Charles, the Mystics did not make a selection in the 2021 Draft.[2]

Trades and roster changes
Date Details
December 28, 2020 Exercised Team Option on G Kiara Leslie[3]
January 4, 2021 Extended Qualifying Offers to G Stella Johnson, G Jacki Gemelos, and G Sug Sutton[4]
January 8, 2021 Re-Signed G Stella Johnson, G Jacki Gemelos, and G Sug Sutton[5]
February 1, 2021 Signed F Alysha Clark[6]
February 2, 2021 Re-Signed F LaToya Sanders[7]
February 5, 2021 Re-Signed C Tina Charles[8]
Acquired F Erica McCall from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the Mystic's third round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft.[9]
February 26, 2021 Signed G Ariel Atkins to a Contract Extension[10]
March 8, 2021 F LaToya Sanders retires.[11]
Signed F Theresa Plaisance[12]
March 10, 2021 Re-Signed G Natasha Cloud[13]
March 16, 2021 Signed F Aislinn Konig to a Training Camp Contract[14]
March 19, 2021 G Jacki Gemelos retires[15]
March 31, 2021 Signed G Shavonte Zellous[16]
April 16, 2021 Signed F G'mrice Davis to a Training Camp Contract[17]
April 18, 2021 Signed F Tyra Whitehead, F Blanca Millán, and G Pre Stanley to Training Camp Contracts[18]
April 20, 2021 Full Season Suspend F Alysha Clark due to Overseas Injury[19]
April 30, 2021 Signed G Klara Lundquist to a Training Camp Contract[20]
May 2, 2021 Waived F Tyra Whitehead[21]
May 5, 2021 Full Season Suspend G Klara Lundquist[22]
Waived F Blanca Millan
May 10, 2021 Waived G Pre Stanley and G Aislinn Konig[23]
May 11, 2021 Waived F G'mrice Davis[24]
May 12, 2021 Temporarily Suspend F Myisha Hines-Allen due to Overseas Commitment[25]
May 13, 2021 Waived G Sug Sutton[26]
Traded a 2022 2nd Round Pick to Los Angeles in exchange for G Sydney Wiese[27]
May 22, 2021 Activate F Myisha Hines-Allen from Temporary Suspension List[28]
Waived F Jillian Alleyne
June 21, 2021 Signed F Megan Gustafson to a Hardship Contract[29]
June 28, 2021 Waived F Megan Gustafson, G Stella Johnson, and G Kiara Leslie[30]
July 1, 2021 Signed F Megan Gustafson and G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to 7-Day Contracts[31]
July 8, 2021 Signed F Megan Gustafson and G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to a 2nd 7-Day Contracts[32]
August 18, 2021 Signed G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to a Rest-Of-Season Contract[33]
Signed F Megan Gustafson to a 3rd 7-Day Contract
August 25, 2021 Signed F Megan Gustafson to a Rest-Of-Season Contract[34]

Roster
2021 Washington Mystics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G 7 United States Atkins, Ariel 5' 8" (1.73m) 167 lb (76kg) 07-30-1996 Texas 3
C 31 United States Charles, Tina 6' 4" (1.93m) 192 lb (87kg) 12-05-1988 Connecticut 10
G 9 United States Cloud, Natasha 5' 9" (1.75m) 160 lb (73kg) 02-22-1992 Saint Joseph's 5
G/F 11 United States Delle Donne, Elena 6' 5" (1.96m) 187 lb (85kg) 09-05-1989 Delaware 7
C 10 United States Gustafson, Megan 6' 3" (1.91m) 195 lb (88kg) 12-13-1996 Iowa 2
F 2 United States Hines-Allen, Myisha 6' 1" (1.85m) 200 lb (91kg) 05-30-1996 Louisville 3
F 24 United States McCall, Erica 6' 2" (1.88m) 184 lb (83kg) 1995-08-21 Stanford 4
G 5 Australia Mitchell, Leilani 5' 5" (1.65m) 138 lb (63kg) 06-15-1985 Utah 12
F 55 United States Plaisance, Theresa 6' 5" (1.96m) 200 lb (91kg) 05-18-1992 LSU 7
G 2 United States Walker-Kimbrough, Shatori 5' 9" (1.75m) 140 lb (64kg) 05-18-1995 Maryland 4
G 24 United States Wiese, Sydney 6' 0" (1.83m) 165 lb (75kg) 06-16-1995 Oregon State 4
G 21 United States Zellous, Shavonte 5' 10" (1.78m) 188 lb (85kg) 08-28-1986 Pittsburgh 11
Head coach
United States Mike Thibault (St. Martin's)
Assistant coaches
United States Eric Thibault (Missouri)
United States LaToya Sanders (North Carolina)
Athletic trainer
United States Chalisa Fonza (Western Illinois)
Strength and conditioning coach
Vacant
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Game log

Preseason
2021 pre-season game log
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 May 5 Atlanta L 80–87 Tina Charles (18) Jillian Alleyne (12) Natasha Cloud (3) Entertainment and Sports Arena
0		 0–1
2 May 8 @ Minnesota L 68–79 Tina Charles (18) Jillian Alleyne (8) Natasha Cloud (4) Target Center
No Fans		 0–2
2021 pre-season schedule

Regular season
2021 game log
Total: 12–20 (Home: 8–8; Road: 4–12)
May: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 May 15 Chicago L 56–70 Tina Charles (14) Erica McCall (9) Cloud
Mitchell (3)		 Entertainment and Sports Arena
1,050		 0–1
2 May 18 Phoenix L 70–91 Tina Charles (22) Tina Charles (12) Leilani Mitchell (7) Entertainment and Sports Arena
1,050		 0–2
3 May 21 New York W 101–72 Tina Charles (34) Tina Charles (13) Natasha Cloud (8) Entertainment and Sports Arena
No Fans		 1–2
4 May 23 @ Indiana L 77–89 Tina Charles (31) Charles
McCall (9)		 Ariel Atkins (4) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
No Fans		 1–3
5 May 25 @ Indiana W 85–69 Tina Charles (30) Myisha Hines-Allen (10) Natasha Cloud (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
No Fans		 2–3
6 May 28 @ Connecticut L 81–86 Tina Charles (29) Myisha Hines-Allen (10) Charles
Cloud
Hines-Allen (3)		 Mohegan Sun Arena
2,102		 2–4
June : 5–5 (Home: 4–2; Road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
7 June 5 Las Vegas L 93–96 Myisha Hines-Allen (32) Myisha Hines-Allen (13) Natasha Cloud (11) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 2–5
8 June 8 Minnesota W 85–81 Tina Charles (31) Tina Charles (8) Natasha Cloud (8) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 3–5
9 June 10 Los Angeles W 89–71 Ariel Atkins (23) Tina Charles (10) Natasha Cloud (5) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 4–5
10 June 13 @ Atlanta L 78–101 Myisha Hines-Allen (16) Charles
Leslie (7)		 Natasha Cloud (6) Gateway Center Arena
1,122		 4–6
11 June 17 Atlanta W 96–93 Ariel Atkins (32) Natasha Cloud (9) Natasha Cloud (11) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 5–6
12 June 19 Indiana W 82–77 Tina Charles (30) Tina Charles (15) Theresa Plaisance (4) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 6–6
13 June 22 @ Seattle W 87–83 Tina Charles (34) Tina Charles (16) Leilani Mitchell (7) Angel of the Winds Arena
2,495		 7–6
14 June 24 @ Los Angeles L 82–89 Leilani Mitchell (26) Tina Charles (10) Ariel Atkins (7) Los Angeles Convention Center
520		 7–7
15 June 26 @ Dallas L 74–85 Tina Charles (27) Tina Charles (10) Leilani Mitchell (7) College Park Center
2,055		 7–8
16 June 29 Connecticut L 71–90 Tina Charles (26) Theresa Plaisance (7) Ariel Atkins (5) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100		 7–9
July : 1–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
17 July 3 @ New York L 79–82 Tina Charles (31) Tina Charles (16) Shavonte Zellous (5) Barclays Center
1,615		 7–10
18 July 10 @ Chicago W 89–85 (OT) Tina Charles (34) Tina Charles (17) Natasha Cloud (11) Wintrust Arena
8,331		 8–10
August : 2–6 (Home: 2–3; Road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
19 August 15 @ Las Vegas L 83–84 Atkins
Charles (20)		 Charles
Hines-Allen (8)		 Natasha Cloud (10) Michelob Ultra Arena
3,024		 8–11
20 August 17 @ Las Vegas L 83–93 Tina Charles (30) Tina Charles (10) Natasha Cloud (8) Michelob Ultra Arena
3,241		 8–12
21 August 19 @ Phoenix L 64–77 Tina Charles (17) Myisha Hines-Allen (9) Atkins
Cloud
Plaisance (2)		 Phoenix Suns Arena
5,113		 8–13
22 August 22 Seattle L 78–85 Tina Charles (20) Myisha Hines-Allen (17) Natasha Cloud (9) Entertainment and Sports Arena
3,114		 8–14
23 August 24 Los Angeles W 78–68 Myisha Hines-Allen (19) Natasha Cloud (8) Natasha Cloud (8) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,620		 9–14
24 August 26 Dallas L 77–82 Myisha Hines-Allen (16) Delle Donne
Hines-Allen
Plaisance (5)		 Natasha Cloud (7) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,465		 9–15
25 August 28 Dallas W 76–75 Natasha Cloud (21) Erica McCall (8) Natasha Cloud (5) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,410		 10–15
26 August 31 Connecticut L 75–85 Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (17) Hines-Allen
McCall (5)		 Natasha Cloud (12) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,269		 10–16
September : 2–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27 September 4 @ Indiana L 75–93 Ariel Atkins (25) Tina Charles (8) Natasha Cloud (6) Target Center
3,403		 10–17
28 September 7 @ Seattle L 71–105 Shavonte Zellous (17) Megan Gustafson (8) Sydney Wiese (4) Angel of the Winds Arena
2,390		 10–18
29 September 10 Atlanta W 82–74 Tina Charles (26) Tina Charles (16) Cloud
Plaisance (6)		 Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,320		 11–18
30 September 12 @ Chicago W 79–71 Tina Charles (31) Tina Charles (10) Natasha Cloud (8) Wintrust Arena
4,707		 12–18
31 September 17 @ New York L 80–91 Ariel Atkins (29) Cloud
Hines-Allen (5)		 Charles
Cloud (7)		 Barclays Center
3,615		 12–19
32 September 19 Minnesota L 77–83 Natasha Cloud (22) Tina Charles (13) Natasha Cloud (5) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,854		 12–20
2021 season schedule

Standings
# Team W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1 x – Connecticut Sun266.813–12–315–111–59–1
2 x – Las Vegas Aces248.750211–413–311–56–4
3 x – Minnesota Lynx2210.688410–513–39–77–3
4 x – Seattle Storm2111.65659–611–510–68–2
5 x – Phoenix Mercury1913.59476–97–912–45–5
6 x – Chicago Sky1616.5001010–56–1010–66–4
7 x – Dallas Wings1418.438127–87–97–93–7
8 x – New York Liberty1220.375146–97–95–115–5
9 e – Washington Mystics1220.375147–88–84–124–6
10 e – Los Angeles Sparks1220.375142–138–84–121–9
11 e – Atlanta Dream824.250186–94–124–124–6
12 e – Indiana Fever626.188204–114–122–142–8

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular Season

Source:[35]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tina Charles 27 27 33.3 44.9 36.5 82.0 9.6 2.1 0.9 0.9 23.4
Ariel Atkins 30 30 30.6 40.7 35.9 83.1 2.8 2.6 1.6 0.5 16.2
Elena Delle Donne 3 3 13.7 48.1 60.0 100 4.3 0.7 0.0 0.3 13.7
Myisha Hines-Allen 18 17 25.7 41.4 31.7 73.2 7.0 2.5 1.3 0.6 12.9
Natasha Cloud 27 27 31.6 38.9 27.4 83.6 3.6 6.4 1.4 0.1 8.7
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 16 13 21.6 51.3 32.0 85.7 1.4 1.0 0.8 0.3 7.4
Leilani Mitchell 31 12 23.4 36.0 35.7 82.6 2.0 2.5 0.5 0.1 6.4
Theresa Plaisance 31 11 18.0 35.1 30.2 81.5 4.4 1.4 0.8 0.7 6.4
Sydney Wiese 27 8 21.4 32.3 29.1 77.8 1.3 1.6 0.4 0.0 4.4
Shavonte Zellous 28 5 15.8 37.7 24.4 80.6 2.4 1.6 0.4 0.2 4.3
Erica McCall 23 6 15.5 50.0 0.0 62.5 4.3 0.6 0.3 0.4 4.1
Megan Gustafson 11 1 9.9 59.4 0.0 66.7 3.6 0.0 0.2 0.1 4.0

Awards and honors
Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Tina Charles Eastern Conference Player of the Week June 14 [36]
Eastern Conference Player of the Month - June July 1 [37]
Ariel Atkins WNBA All-Star Selection June 30 [38]
Tina Charles
Tina Charles Eastern Conference Player of the Week September 13 [39]
Tina Charles Peak Performer: Points September 20 [40]
Ariel Atkins WNBA All-Defensive Second Team September 26, 2021 [41]
Tina Charles All-WNBA Second Team October 15 [42]

References
  1. "2021 Washington Mystics Schedule". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. Ward, Zach (April 15, 2021). "2021 WNBA Draft Preview: Washington Mystics sitting this one out". swishappeal.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  4. "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  5. Ibrahim, Gabe. "WNBA Free Agency 2020: Mystics re-sign Sug Sutton, Jacki Gemelos and Stella Johnson". bulletsforever.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. "WNBA CHAMPION ALYSHA CLARK SIGNS WITH MYSTICS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  7. "SANDERS TO RETURN TO MYSTICS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  8. "CHARLES RE-SIGNS WITH MYSTICS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  9. "MYSTICS ACQUIRE ERICA MCCALL". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  10. "ARIEL ATKINS SIGNS MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 26, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  11. "LATOYA SANDERS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. March 8, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  12. "MYSTICS SIGN THERESA PLAISANCE". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. March 8, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  13. "MYSTICS SIGN NATASHA CLOUD TO MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
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  16. "MYSTICS SIGN SHAVONTE ZELLOUS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
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  19. Diaz, Greydy. "Mystics announce that Alysha Clark had successful foot surgery". bulletsforever.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
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  28. "Transactions – Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across The Timeline. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
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  30. "MYSTICS ROSTER UPDATE". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  31. "MYSTICS SIGN GUSTAFSON AND WALKER-KIMBROUGH". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  32. "OFFICIAL: We have signed Megan Gustafson and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to another seven-day contract". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  33. "MYSTICS SIGN SHATORI WALKER-KIMBROUGH". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  34. "MYSTICS SIGN MEGAN GUSTAFSON". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  35. "Stats-Washington Mystics". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  36. "Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles Named Week 4 Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  37. "Tina Charles and A'ja Wilson Named Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  38. "Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 on July 14". wnba.com. WNBA. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
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  40. "2021 WNBA Peak Performers: Tina Charles, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  41. Voepel, Mechelle (September 26, 2021). "Minnesota Lynx star Sylvia Fowles named WNBA Defensive Player of Year for 4th time in career". ESPN. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  42. "The 2021 All-WNBA First & Second Team Announced". wnba.com. WNBA. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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