‘Now we’re off and running’: How the Mystics fast-tracked a rebuild all the way to the postseason
'Now we're off and running': How the Mystics fast-tracked a rebuild all the way to the postseason. Skip to main content Skip to navigation 'Now we're off and running': How the Mystics fast-tracked a rebuild all the way to the postseasonWashington Mystics7hKareem CopelandCunningham reveals she talked with Silver about next WNBA commissionerIndiana Fever4h'Greatest winner' Stewart guides U.
What happened
New York Liberty7dAlexa Philippou and Michael VoepelGolden again: How Team USA rallied to beat France and win the World CupNew York Liberty2dMichael Voepel and Alexa PhilippouWNBA offseason 2026: Guides for every eliminated teamPortland Fire8dMichael Voepel, +3 MoreWNBA playoff schedule: League releases dates for 2026 postseasonAtlanta Dream6dESPNThe Mystics are the youngest team to ever make the WNBA playoffs. On the Mystics' side, the rebuild has been quicker and the depths of the losing nowhere near as low.
The Mystics are riding a wave of talented young players and exuberance to the WNBA playoffs. C. — AT any given moment with the Washington Mystics, a dance party can break out. It's all fun and games the late August day before the Mystics take on the Toronto Tempo — until someone blows a defensive assignment in practice. Things have drastically changed in the past 23 months for the youthful Mystics, playoff-bound for the first time since 2023.
With six first-round picks from the past two drafts and a sprinkle of veteran leadership, the lightning-quick franchise rebuild has created a playful-yet-serious vibe that just seems to fit this particularly constructed roster.
The wider picture
"The girls might be crazy, but they've already become the youngest playoff team in WNBA history just two years into a rebuild that began before the 2025 season. Four years later, former Los Angeles Clippers GM Michael Winger was hired as the president of Monumental Basketball, which owns the Washington Wizards and Mystics. The draft-and-develop strategy first employed by the Wizards was eventually tailored to fit the Mystics. But while the Wizards had the worst three-year stretch in franchise history, the Mystics' youngsters have had an immediate impact on winning.
Sources in Washington claim that never was going to happen — she was a restricted free agent, and the Mystics were ready to match any offer — but Austin, the only player remaining from the previous regime, was considering her options. Johnson emphasized he wanted the team to play with "joy" more than anything else — so often that it became a running joke, as the coach would work "joy" into nearly every conversation ad nauseum.
Austin understood the rebuild ahead, but heading into her fifth season, she wanted to play for more than just joy and felt that Johnson was being a bit "timid" in Year 1. "When our players — Kira and Kiki and Sonia, especially — were like, Coach, you can push us more — all right, now we're off and running.
What has been reported
But when the New York Liberty waived Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who never found a consistent role under new coach Chris DeMarco, the Mystics pounced. "THE PRACTICE SIDE of CareFirst Arena — the building that serves as the Mystics' and G-League Capital City Go-Go's home arena and the practice facility for both teams and the Wizards — features two full-length courts and six baskets. Center court on one side features the Wizards logo; the Mystics crest is on the other.
Before every Mystics practice comes individual work for each player, who is matched up with her own specific coach. "The Mystics just implemented the decimal system this season, adapted from a version that the Wizards have used in previous seasons. That ended up being an advantage for the Mystics, after the structure went through trial and error with the men. There's a hesitancy to say the Mystics are simply mimicking the system applied by the Wizards, but there are core philosophical beliefs and standards that Winger and his staff consider vital to building successful basketball teams, so there is some crossover.
Like with many teams in the league, the Mystics social media team records everyone heading to the locker room after victories.
What happens next
Until Laney-Hamilton was added, the Mystics were the youngest team in the league. "That's where this Mystics team lives — a balance between a young silliness and a seriousness on the court. S. to fifth straight World Cup title2dAlexa PhilippouSpain beats Germany to win bronze at women's FIBA World Cup2dU. France in '24 Olympic rematch3dAlexa PhilippouWilliams leads France past host Germany to reach World Cup finalGolden State Valkyries3d'Gonna let them do them': Cunningham ignoring Kanter Freedom, WhiteIndiana Fever4dKatie BarnesWho are the potential candidates to be the next WNBA commissioner?
Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesKareem CopelandSep 15, 2026, 09:00 AM ETMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWASHINGTON D. Rookies Lauren Betts and Cotie McMahon instantly start to rock when Tyler, The Creator's "Sticky" plays at practice, mouthing the lyrics as they stand on the sideline. The next day at shootaround, it's Betts and assistant coach Barb Turner shaking to Blac Youngsta's "Booty.