As you all know, the Washington Mystics are 8-8 in the 2026 WNBA standings as of today. As a team that most, including me thought would be out of the playoff picture, a recent three game winning streak with road wins against the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx should drive the Mystics up significantly in the power rankings, right?
The answer is mixed.
Michael Voepel of ESPN had the Mystics at No. 10 in his power rankings last week. But in his current rankings (which happened before Wednesday’s
loss to Minnesota), the Mystics were at No. 7. Here’s the rationale.
Washington beat Connecticut 88-81 on Wednesday. Then forward Kiki Iriafen, back after missing three games because of an ankle injury, had 20 points — including the game-clinching layup — in a 86-83 win at New York on Friday. It was the first time Washington beat New York since the 2023 regular-season finale.
After the game, coach Sydney Johnson said he was happy with his team but cautioned, “We haven’t played Minnesota yet.” That was next, and the Mystics used a late 12-0 run to beat the Lynx 84-79 on Sunday. Guard Sonia Citron totaled 63 points, 20 rebounds and 14 assists in the three victories.
Citron went on to win the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
For Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic, the Mystics only moved up from No. 10 last week to No. 9 this week. Like Voepel’s rankings, this takes into account the Minnesota win but not the loss last Wednesday. While the Mystics moved up one spot in the rankings, Merchant acknowledged that the Mystics are “trending up.” Here’s why.
Kiki Iriafen had two game-winners last weekend versus top teams. Against New York, she made herself open in the dunker spot after extra help came to Sonia Citron and finished a lob pass. Against Minnesota, she sealed Nia Coffey inside and went to work, punishing the smaller defender.
It’s been an unheralded sophomore season for Iriafen, even as she’s improved in points, rebounds and shooting percentage since 2025. Now that the Mystics are winning again — and doing so against top opposition — Iriafen’s play is at the forefront. The Mystics are in a weird limbo this season, where they don’t outwardly appear to be trying to win, but their talent is good enough to remain competitive. With two sophomore All-Stars and a rapidly improving rookie class — both Cotie McMahon and Lauren Betts have taken massive steps forward recently — Washington is ruining its draft position in spite of itself.
What Merchant wrote toward the end of her blurb is something that most folks, including me, have noted. The Mystics are playing a lot better than what the front office probably wanted them to (or expected them to) on the surface.
The Mystics, under Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger have effectively written off the 2026 season as one with championship or at least playoff contention goals because they didn’t sign any blockbuster free agent when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement took effect. Their most significant signing was Michaela Onyenwere. The 2026 team is made up of mostly rookies. Shakira Austin is the veteran locker room leader … and she’s only in her fifth WNBA season. Hell, the Mystics weren’t willing to sign her to a sophomore contract outright.
Given their rookie heavy roster, if Citron and Iriafen had sophomore slumps (I hope I’m not jinxing them), then there’s a real possibility that this Mystics team would be winning about as much as the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm are this season.
But I gotta say that Johnson may very well be the kind of coach the Mystics need right now. The recent social media videos on how the team is around him show that he’s well embraced by this young squad. And there’s no way that Johnson wants this team to tank 2026, even if they don’t have any true seasoned 10 year veterans.
So what should we take away from these power rankings? On the one hand, Voepel is riding the wave. The Mystics are one of the hotter teams in the WNBA right now, even though they lost to the Lynx last Wednesday. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get knocked down a place next week for that.
But on the other, Merchant appears skeptical.
Sure, the Mystics improved and she acknowledged that. But over the course of that 2026 season, does one three game winning streak warrant the Mystics moving up three or four spots from No. 10? And furthermore, this team was constructed to tank in 2026 if the rookies didn’t step and become an effective supporting cast to Citron, Iriafen and Austin. But as long as that is happening and the wins keep coming, eventually, the skeptics will have to show the Mystics more love this season as well.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
