WNBA: With three first-round picks, can the Mystics find a future star?

Washington Mystics first-year general manager Jamila Wideman has been given a blessing of draft ammunition in her inaugural offseason, as the team has three first-round picks: No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6.

There’s just one problem—the Mystics are searching for a unicorn in a rapidly-thinning draft class.

Big decisions

Prior to Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament exit, guard Olivia Miles was mocked by most as a top three, probably top two, pick. Shocking everyone, Miles announced that she’s choosing not to enter the draft, instead transferring for a final season of eligibility at TCU.

While it’s very possible that Miles wouldn’t have fallen to DC, her absence will hurt the Mystics. Paige Bueckers will be off the board at No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings. If Miles were in the draft and taken No. 2 by the Seattle Storm, the Mystics then would have had their pick between Dominique Malonga, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, strong candidates to be taken in the No. 3 through No. 5 range. With Miles staying in college, the Mystics will no longer have the luxury of choice.

Seattle’s second overall pick will very likely dictate who the Mystics take at picks three and four. It’s hard to believe that Washington leaves the draft without one of Iriafen or Malonga. The two forwards are extremely talented and physically ready for the WNBA. The Mystics already have high-volume bigs in Aaliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin, but Austin is sitting on an expiring contract and her Mystics tenure has been bumpy. Edwards showed in Unrivaled that she has the potential to move to a power forward position if the team’s player development staff invests in her shot.

Malonga is a better prospect than Iriafen. She’s bigger, more athletic and much younger. She also projects to be a game changing WNBA archetype—athletic rim-running, shot-blocking centers aren’t just a luxury in the league, they’re a myth. Iriafen is a safe bet because she’s played against familiar American competition, but her ceiling doesn’t project to be nearly as high. It’s very likely that Wideman and the Mystics front office will want Malonga at No. 3, but will end up with Iriafen if Malonga is taken at No. 2.

Backcourt realities

Let’s return to the comment about the Mystics needing a “unicorn”.

While Malonga and Iriafen are battling for top-three selections, neither of them fit the bill for the Mystics biggest priority. By trading Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky for the No. 3 pick in the draft, the Mystics lost one of their two ball-dominant players. Brittney Sykes can carry a big offensive load, but her age doesn’t fit the timeline of a rebuilding team. Washington needs to find a younger guard or wing who can manage a big shot-taking role in the future, and the sad reality is that they may have to wait until a future draft.

At picks No. 4 and No. 6, look for some of the draft’s backcourt role players to land in DC. Originally, this would have been a perfect range to select Northern Virginia native Azzi Fudd, but like Miles, Fudd announced she’s returning for another season of college hoops. Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers, Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith are all names to watch. Van Lith is going to be the beneficiary of some NCAA Tournament recency bias, but the Mystics could absolutely use a distributing guard. Citron is probably the best shot-maker of the bunch and a more well-rounded prospect. Sellers has great size and the local DMV college connection (although that didn’t stop the Mystics from passing on former Maryland star Angel Reese last season).

Aneesah Morrow is an interesting possibility for the Mystics, but she plays into the same frontcourt redundancies of Iriafen and Malonga. If Wideman doesn’t see Morrow as someone with the potential to stretch the floor in the future, it’s hard to justify selecting her alongside another big in the first six picks. If they don’t like their options they could always trade out of No. 4 or No. 6, but that would quickly bring into question why they traded for pick No. 3 in the first place.

With three of the top six picks, the Mystics have so many options that naming players almost feels too easy. If they use all three picks and somehow don’t take any of the players I named in this article, my reputation as a journalist will be rightfully called into question. I can accept that. Whatever happens, the Mystics will come out of Monday night with a new core of young players, ready to augment an equally new coaching staff and front office.