UConn phenom\u00a0Paige Bueckers<\/a>\u00a0will be off the board at No. 1 overall \u2013 she\u2019s considered a \u201cgenerational offensive talent\u201d and a franchise-changing player. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMany also expect 19-year-old French center\u00a0Dominique Malonga\u00a0to be snatched up by the time Washington picks (she\u2019s widely regarded as the top post player in this class). In fact, one mock draft initially projected the Mystics to land Malonga at No. 3, noting that\u00a0\u201c6-foot-6 centers with her athleticism and on-ball skills are extremely rare.” If Malonga somehow fell to No. 3, the Mystics would likely jump at the chance to grab such a unique talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assuming the consensus top prospects like Bueckers and Malonga are gone by pick 3, Washington will have its choice from a deep pool of next-tier prospects. The front office has indicated they plan to\u00a0draft the best players available\u00a0to become the foundation of a new core. Here\u2019s one possible scenario (mock-draft style) for how the Mystics could use their three first-round picks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. No. 3 overall \u2013 Sonia Citron (G\/F, Notre Dame):<\/strong>\u00a0A smart, versatile wing, Citron could step in and contribute on both ends. She\u2019s a 6\u20191\u201d guard\/forward who can shoot from outside and defend multiple positions. Some analysts feel\u00a0Citron is a perfect fit for Washington, noting she \u201cfeels like a lock to wind up in D.C.\u201d thanks to her defensive versatility and spot-up shooting ability. While she may not be a flashy pick, she\u2019s viewed as\u00a0WNBA-ready<\/em>\u00a0and \u201cdestined for a long pro career\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u2013 the kind of high-floor player who can help anchor the Mystics\u2019 perimeter for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. No. 4 overall \u2013 Kiki Iriafen (F, USC):\u00a0<\/strong>Iriafen is an athletic 6\u20193\u201d power forward who had a breakout senior season at USC. She averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds, showcasing a smooth face-up game and efficient finishing around the rim. Washington\u2019s roster isn\u2019t\u00a0desperate<\/em>\u00a0for another forward, but at this spot Iriafen might be the\u00a0best player available. She\u2019s a good athlete with mobility and a soft touch, traits that could complement the Mystics\u2019 existing frontcourt. Importantly, Iriafen brings interior scoring that the team lacked last season. If she can extend her range outward (an area scouts note she\u2019s still developing ), she has the upside to become a well-rounded offensive threat. Adding Iriafen would give Washington a young frontcourt duo (paired with 2022 pick Shakira Austin) to build around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. No. 6 overall \u2013 Aneesah Morrow (F, LSU):<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t be surprised if the Mystics grab the best rebounder in the draft with this pick. Morrow is a 6\u20191\u201d forward who\u00a0averaged a monster 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game\u00a0last season at LSU . She is a double-double machine with a high motor \u2013 something Washington could use to energize its offense and clean the glass. There are questions about her size (a bit undersized for a pro power forward) and efficiency, but at the sixth pick her upside is hard to ignore. Morrow\u2019s production in college was undeniable, and her physical, hard-nosed style would quickly make her a fan favorite in D.C. If Washington adds Morrow, they\u2019d inject serious scoring and rebounding punch to the lineup. It\u2019s the kind of high-upside swing that\u00a0could pay off big\u00a0if she adapts to the WNBA level.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOther names to watch include local Maryland guard\u00a0Shyanne Sellers, a 6\u20192\u201d playmaker who can do a bit of everything (and who greatly improved her three-point shooting this past year), and dynamic guard\u00a0Hailey Van Lith\u00a0from LSU \u2013 one of the most recognizable college players, known for her fiery scoring ability. Depending on how the draft unfolds, the Mystics could target a backcourt talent like Sellers or Van Lith with one of their picks, especially if they prioritize boosting an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is that with\u00a0three early selections, Washington has the flexibility to address multiple needs (wing, post, guard) or even package picks in a trade if a can\u2019t-miss opportunity arises. As it stands, though, Mystics leadership seems inclined to\u00a0keep all three picks\u00a0and stockpile young talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roster Impact and Fan Excitement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLanding three first-rounders in one night could\u00a0reshape the Mystics\u2019 roster overnight. For a team that has entered a full rebuild \u2013 with the departure of nearly every key player from their 2019 championship run \u2013 this draft is a chance to construct the franchise\u2019s future foundation in one fell swoop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to those top-six picks, Washington also holds the\u00a0No. 23 and No. 32 picks\u00a0in later rounds, which shouldn\u2019t be overlooked. The Mystics famously found Finals MVP Emma Meesseman at pick #19 , and while lightning may not strike twice, having extra swings in the 2nd and 3rd round gives them a shot to unearth another hidden gem or role player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a rare luxury to hold this many high picks, and it arrives at the perfect time. The Mystics\u2019 front office has done the work to acquire these assets; now it\u2019s about\u00a0capitalizing on them. If they nail their selections on draft night, the payoff could be a fast-tracked return to WNBA contention in the coming years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Washington Mystics are heading into the 2025 WNBA Draft holding three of the top six picks. Here’s how they plan to reshape their future in a single night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[67],"tags":[110,114,29,113,111,112,102],"class_list":["post-2992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mystics","tag-2025-wnba-draft","tag-aneesah-morrow","tag-features","tag-kiki-iriafen","tag-paige-buekers","tag-sonia-citron","tag-washington-mystics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MysticsDraft-scaled-e1744651276861.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2992"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3001,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions\/3001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}