Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin didn’t go to the WNBA’s All-Star weekend festivities to play basketball, even though she won the league’s “Shooting Stars” event with Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne and local youth player Jezelle “GG” Banks.
She went to Chicago to celebrate her birthday. The All-Star spotlight and hardware were a bonus.
“I had a big separation from basketball outside of the one event,” said Austin, who was not selected to play in the All-Star Game itself. “I really just went there for my birthday and to have my friends around. That was fun, but it really should be my last time not being an All-Star.”
Washington’s 26-year-old center is posting career-best averages in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and double-doubles through the first half of the season. But her biggest leap hasn’t been in her shooting stroke or rebounding aggression, according to coach Sydney Johnson.
“Her vocal presence in terms of not only speaking up, but engaging with her teammates and the coaching staff,” he said of Austin’s most notable improvement this season. “She’s fiery and she’s competitive — and we don’t want that to go away at all — but she is also able to balance bringing people along with her.”
Austin has become one of the elder stateswomen for a Mystics roster that ranks as the youngest in league history. Eleven of the franchise’s 13 players are rookies or in their second year.
“She’s trying to lead, really meeting people where they’re at and pulling them with, putting her arm around them — literally and figuratively,” Johnson said. “That’s been a major growth for her.”
Austin honed her leadership skills during the offseason, playing in China. The Virginia native watched Washington bring in more and more young players as she led the Shanxi Flames to a finals appearance in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association.
Four years after Delle Donne took Austin under her wing, the Mystics’ new leading veteran was ready to return the favor after the team matched a qualifying offer for her in free agency.
“It was definitely a focus,” Austin said of her new role. “I think just knowing the aspect of it, if D.C. had matched the offer, I was probably going to be with a lot of young players. I just had that in the back of my head, for sure.”
Less than three months later, Austin’s young Mystics find themselves in the thick of the WNBA playoff hunt.
Washington (14-12) enters the second half of the season with a grip on the eighth and final postseason spot.
The early success is widely attributed to the second-year duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, who both made their second All-Star Game appearances over the weekend.
But the young group is looking to maintain momentum for the final two months of the regular season.
“For us, it’s just our daily habits. It’s not something that’s just words we’re throwing out there,” Johnson said after Monday’s practice. “We really poured into our first day back yesterday; it was just all about our skill development. … That’s our focus, not getting too far down the road.”
Most of his players haven’t experienced a season like this before. With 26 games already played, the Mystics have 24 games left.
But the energy hasn’t faltered. Mystics practices are still filled with joy, words of encouragement and mutual support between players and coaches. The group’s youth has helped foster a level of connection typically reserved for college squads.
In Washington, it’s become a strength.
“This is a resilient group. To see that and to know it is a really good feeling,” Johnson said. “The other thing I’ve learned is how much fun they like to have. That’s very palpable. … But I do appreciate the balance of it. I want them to be joyful, but there’s a time to work. So far, we’re handling that pretty well.”
The Mystics post-break schedule begins with a five-game homestand. It’s a welcome midseason reprieve for the blossoming squad.
“Our last couple of runs were tough. We had six games in 11 days,” Austin said. “To have this little break and now to be home, to build some consistency on top of how we finished before the break, I think it’s going to be great for us.”
Washington will host the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday before consecutive home games against the Dallas Wings on July 31 and Aug. 5.
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