Two Mystics starters have injuries that will keep them out until August
2024-06-26T16:52:26.183ZKarlie Samuelson (44) and Brittney Sykes (not pictured) will not return to the Mystics until after the Olympic break. (Jess Rapfogel for The Washington Post)An already challenging season just got even more difficult for the Washington Mystics, who announced Wednesday that starters Brittney Sykes and Karlie Samuelson will be out with injuries until after the Olympic break that runs from July 21 to August 14.“I ain’t going to lie — it sucks,” Mystics guard Ariel Atkins said. “I want my teammates back.”Sykes has already missed all but three of the Mystics’ games this season. The veteran point guard suffered a left high ankle sprain in the second game of the year on May 17. She returned June 11 and helped the Mystics break an 0-12 start to the season with 18 points, four assists and three rebounds against the Atlanta Dream, but she left the game in the fourth quarter with what was later diagnosed as a left foot sprain and has not played since. The team said she would be reevaluated in two weeks, and that timeline matched up with Wednesday’s announcement.Samuelson injured a finger on her non-shooting hand against the Chicago Sky on June 14, but she played the next three games without issue. The same finger, however, was hit and broken against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.The team is expected to add a player to its roster under the WNBA’s hardship exemption before its next game Thursday night against the Connecticut Sun. Coach Eric Thibault said the Mystics plan to have Sykes and Samuelson back available at the start of the Olympic break and intend to use the break to ramp them back up to be ready when games resume.“It’s not ideal, obviously,” Thibault said. “Kind of depending on who we have, DiDi [Richards] might see more perimeter minutes. She might see more post minutes. She’s kind of our swing person at the moment. We will most likely have a perimeter player as a hardship once we’re eligible for it.“We’re thin, obviously, at guard. We’ve kind of powered through all the adversity so far of people being out, and I think our mind-set is good. We’d rather not be in this situation, but we are. And I think the ones we have that are able to play are up for the challenge.”The news comes as the Mystics (4-13) are in the midst of their best stretch of the season, having won four of their past five games as the offense has begun to click. Samuelson was a big part of that, averaging 14.5 points per game during that stretch and scoring in double figures in four consecutive games for the first time in her career.Atkins already had to adjust her game with Sykes out, having the ball in her hands more than normal. Thirty-one-year-old rookie Julie Vanloo has been a pleasant surprise starting at point guard, and reserve guards Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and rookie Jade Melbourne are likely to pick up additional minutes. If the Mystics employ bigger lineups, Myisha Hines-Allen and Richards more naturally slot into the ‘3′ spot Samuelson held.“I know the ‘bench mob,’ we try to preach just the approach that we take each game as if we’re going to play 40 minutes,” Walker-Kimbrough said, “so that if something does happen and we do need to play more minutes or play a different role, we don’t really to have to change [much] because we’ve already been establishing in that approach.”Meanwhile, Aaliyah Edwards was fully back in practice Wednesday, but her status remains uncertain after she missed the past two games with a lower back injury. Starting power forward Shakira Austin, who is still dealing with a hip injury that has kept her out of all but six games, did not practice Wednesday because of an illness. Edwards has started in place of Austin, and Hines-Allen started when Edwards was also out. Emily Engstler has shined off the bench in extended minutes the past two games without Austin and Edwards.Injuries have been a continual issue for the organization in recent years with key players such as Elena Delle Donne, Atkins, Austin, Hines-Allen and Kristi Toliver all missing significant stretches.“It doesn’t just make life easier, but it definitely gives you some sense of precedence as far as like how to deal with it mentally more than anything,” Atkins said. “I think physically, obviously, it’s different. We’ve had different type of players be out over the course of the years. But this season is just so compact. We aren’t the only team dealing with injuries.”“So we can hang our heads about what we said about it or we can do what we’ve been doing all year long and just go on with what we have and putting our best foot forward every day.”The upcoming schedule doesn’t do the Mystics any favors: They host the Sun (13-3) on Thursday and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces (8-6) on Saturday before a week-long road trip that includes the Los Angeles Sparks (4-13), Aces and Minnesota Lynx (13-3), who just defeated the first-place New York Liberty on Tuesday to win the Commissioner’s Cup.
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An already challenging season just got even more difficult for the Washington Mystics, who announced Wednesday that starters Brittney Sykes and Karlie Samuelson will be out with injuries until after the Olympic break that runs from July 21 to August 14.
“I ain’t going to lie — it sucks,” Mystics guard Ariel Atkins said. “I want my teammates back.”
Sykes has already missed all but three of the Mystics’ games this season. The veteran point guard suffered a left high ankle sprain in the second game of the year on May 17. She returned June 11 and helped the Mystics break an 0-12 start to the season with 18 points, four assists and three rebounds against the Atlanta Dream, but she left the game in the fourth quarter with what was later diagnosed as a left foot sprain and has not played since. The team said she would be reevaluated in two weeks, and that timeline matched up with Wednesday’s announcement.
Samuelson injured a finger on her non-shooting hand against the Chicago Sky on June 14, but she played the next three games without issue. The same finger, however, was hit and broken against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.
The team is expected to add a player to its roster under the WNBA’s hardship exemption before its next game Thursday night against the Connecticut Sun. Coach Eric Thibault said the Mystics plan to have Sykes and Samuelson back available at the start of the Olympic break and intend to use the break to ramp them back up to be ready when games resume.
“It’s not ideal, obviously,” Thibault said. “Kind of depending on who we have, DiDi [Richards] might see more perimeter minutes. She might see more post minutes. She’s kind of our swing person at the moment. We will most likely have a perimeter player as a hardship once we’re eligible for it.
“We’re thin, obviously, at guard. We’ve kind of powered through all the adversity so far of people being out, and I think our mind-set is good. We’d rather not be in this situation, but we are. And I think the ones we have that are able to play are up for the challenge.”
The news comes as the Mystics (4-13) are in the midst of their best stretch of the season, having won four of their past five games as the offense has begun to click. Samuelson was a big part of that, averaging 14.5 points per game during that stretch and scoring in double figures in four consecutive games for the first time in her career.
Atkins already had to adjust her game with Sykes out, having the ball in her hands more than normal. Thirty-one-year-old rookie Julie Vanloo has been a pleasant surprise starting at point guard, and reserve guards Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and rookie Jade Melbourne are likely to pick up additional minutes. If the Mystics employ bigger lineups, Myisha Hines-Allen and Richards more naturally slot into the ‘3′ spot Samuelson held.
“I know the ‘bench mob,’ we try to preach just the approach that we take each game as if we’re going to play 40 minutes,” Walker-Kimbrough said, “so that if something does happen and we do need to play more minutes or play a different role, we don’t really to have to change [much] because we’ve already been establishing in that approach.”
Meanwhile, Aaliyah Edwards was fully back in practice Wednesday, but her status remains uncertain after she missed the past two games with a lower back injury. Starting power forward Shakira Austin, who is still dealing with a hip injury that has kept her out of all but six games, did not practice Wednesday because of an illness. Edwards has started in place of Austin, and Hines-Allen started when Edwards was also out. Emily Engstler has shined off the bench in extended minutes the past two games without Austin and Edwards.
Injuries have been a continual issue for the organization in recent years with key players such as Elena Delle Donne, Atkins, Austin, Hines-Allen and Kristi Toliver all missing significant stretches.
“It doesn’t just make life easier, but it definitely gives you some sense of precedence as far as like how to deal with it mentally more than anything,” Atkins said. “I think physically, obviously, it’s different. We’ve had different type of players be out over the course of the years. But this season is just so compact. We aren’t the only team dealing with injuries.”
“So we can hang our heads about what we said about it or we can do what we’ve been doing all year long and just go on with what we have and putting our best foot forward every day.”
The upcoming schedule doesn’t do the Mystics any favors: They host the Sun (13-3) on Thursday and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces (8-6) on Saturday before a week-long road trip that includes the Los Angeles Sparks (4-13), Aces and Minnesota Lynx (13-3), who just defeated the first-place New York Liberty on Tuesday to win the Commissioner’s Cup.
