WNBA Shootaround: Don’t dismiss Tina Charles and the Washington Mystics

In the latest WNBA Shootaround, a look at Tina Charles and the Mystics refusing to fall off, the Olympic roster controversy, the surging Chicago Sky and more.

After an 87-83 upset win against the reigning champion Seattle Storm on the road, it’s time we seriously discuss the overachieving Washington Mystics. The franchise most limited by injuries and absences is — once again — finding ways to come out on top.

What made the Mystics’ win on Tuesday night so impressive wasn’t just that they knocked off a previously 2-loss team, or that they led by as many as 15 points in the first half. It’s that they limited the three-headed beast of Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, and Sue Bird without five of their key players.

The Mystics now hold a 7-6 record, good for fifth in the WNBA.

So how are the Washington Mystics doing this?

Tina Charles is firmly in the MVP conversation.

She might not win it, but Tina Charles’ revamped game is putting her in another echelon of competitors. She’s bringing it every single night to the tune of 25.3 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 34.8 percent from the 3-point line.

Charles matched her season-high 34 points against Seattle on an unbelievable 14-of-25 shooting including five 3-pointers. While that stat line is impressive for any player, it’s remarkable for a seven-time All-Star and former MVP who made a Hall of Fame career doing things other than shooting from distance over the last decade. In 2019 — the last season she played in — Charles connected on just 11 3-pointers in an entire 33-game season.

The 6-foot-4 veteran has embraced the new reality of how to maintain All-Star status as a forward in 2021 and is shattering her previous shooting efficiency numbers by cutting out a portion of her long-range two-pointers and converting them to 3-point tries. She’s shooting 5.5 triples per night this season, which is more than triple the number she took in her final season in New York.

It isn’t that simple, though. Charles is doing everything else really well, too. She’s running the floor as quick as ever, rebounding terrifically, finding cutters out of double-teams, and making a career-high 85.5 percent of her free throws. She’s getting to the line at a personal-best rate, too.

Charles has posted 30+ points and 15+ rebounds in consecutive games. She’s undeniably the most important piece to Washington’s success.

Olympian Ariel Atkins is a helluva second punch.

Credit to Atkins for blowing all of us away in just four seasons. Remember, she was called a surprise No. 7 pick in 2018 (she wasn’t invited to attend the draft in person). Fast-forward a bit and she’s part of Dawn Staley’s Olympic team and one of the leading scorers and defenders on a playoff team.

The 24-year-old bothered Bird and Loyd all night on Tuesday while scoring 10 points with six assists on the other end. That mark was well below Atkins’ season average, too. She’s scoring 18.3 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 44.3 percent shooting from 3-point range on 6.1 attempts.

The Mystics would be a shell of themselves without her ascension to clear-cut All-Star.

If the Mystics ever get healthy, there’s no reason to leave them out of the championship conversation.

They’ll likely have to play in single-elimination games, but even still, Washington has the talent to hang with anyone if the bulk of its roster heals.

We’re eagerly awaiting 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne’s return, which now seems to be after the Olympic break in August. We’ll see if 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman plays after her overseas commitments, too. Natasha Cloud and Myisha Hines-Allen are also elite starters recovering from ailing injuries.

When Washington’s lead players are ready to play, the rest of the rotation will be more than ready to back them up. Leilani Mitchell, who scored a season-high 19 points in the win over Seattle, Theresa Plaisance, Sydney Wiese, and Shavonte Zellous have starred in their roles this season.

The Sky are undefeated when Candace Parker plays

Remember when we started panicking about the 2-7 Chicago Sky? They’re 8-7 now, and back to fifth place in the overall standings.

Parker can’t take all the credit. She’s averaging 13.1 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range with 8.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, which is solid. But her teammates have stepped up since her return, too.

Courtney Vandersloot is finding her rhythm, Kahleah Copper is picking up where she left off last season, and Ruthy Hebard is emerging in her second season.

The Sky were always inevitable.

Hey, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic roster was announced. Here’s the team.

Guards:

• Ariel Atkins
• Sue Bird
• Skylar Diggins-Smith
• Chelsea Gray
• Jewell Loyd
• Diana Taurasi

Forwards:

• Tina Charles
• Napheesa Collier
• Breanna Stewart
• A’ja Wilson

Centers:

• Sylvia Fowles
• Brittney Griner

The women’s basketball tournament is set to start on July 26.

There’s one name missing from that list: Nneka Ogwumike

Every Olympic cycle someone deserving gets cut. That’s what happens when there are only 12 spots for a team everyone wants to play for. But for the second time in five years, there was a glaring omission. In 2016, it was Candace Parker, and now it’s Nneka Ogwumike.

The 10-year Sparks forward is the only WNBA MVP not to make an Olympic team, and it feels cruel for her to have dedicated her time to Team USA, including winning MVP at the FIBA qualifiers in 2020 and playing in the college tour in 2019, only for her to get told “no” a month before Tokyo. While the program deflects blame onto her knee sprain, it’s clear she’s on pace to recover in time for that to be a non-factor.

Here’s what the rest of the league had to say:

https://twitter.com/ericaogwumikee/status/1406974153165508618

Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jazmine Jones had BEEF

It’s been a month of drama in the WNBA, and it hit its peak when Liberty guard Jazmine Jones and Mercury All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith went at each other after a seemingly harmless post from Bleacher Report appreciating a Diggins-Smith play.

If you missed it, here’s a brief recap:

See you in two weeks!