What a difference a year makes. The Washington Mystics won the 2019 WNBA title with arguably the most dominant offense in basketball history and an average defense. This year, they’re missing key players and they’ve slipped to below average on both ends.
Before digging into the team’s current struggles, let’s take a moment to savor what the Mystics did in 2019. The team’s offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) was 115.9 — the highest mark in WNBA history. Washington’s offense was 15.0 points per 100 possessions better than league average, the best relative offensive rating in WNBA history by nearly four points per 100 possessions and better than the best relative offensive rating in NBA history by nearly five points per 100 possessions.