The Washington Mystics parted with coach Eric Thibault and basic supervisor Mike Thibault on Wednesday. There are actually 5 teaching openings among the many 13 WNBA groups that can play in 2025, plus two extra for the enlargement groups that can be a part of the league in 2026.
Every of the 4 groups within the Nov. 17 draft lottery (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) are at the moment with out coaches: Washington, the Chicago Sky, the Dallas Wings and the Los Angeles Sparks. The Atlanta Dream, who made the playoffs because the No. 8 seed, are additionally searching for a brand new coach.
Washington and Dallas additionally want to rent basic managers. With the draft lottery looming — to not point out the enlargement draft for the Golden State Valkyries on Dec. 6 — huge choices will should be made for each staff within the subsequent few weeks, together with by some that do not have the usual mind belief in place.
The Mystics’ best success — capped by the 2019 WNBA title — got here throughout Mike Thibault’s time as coach/GM, which started in 2013. His son, Eric, was promoted from an assistant position to go coach in 2023. Mike Thibault was frank earlier than this season began that the Mystics had been in a rebuilding interval, and it wasn’t a shock when Washington missed the playoffs. However an 0-12 begin this season and Eric Thibault’s 33-47 two-season document wasn’t sufficient for Mystics administration.
What do the adjustments imply for the Mystics’ future? What will we make of greater than one-third of head-coaching positions within the WNBA being open? ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel take a look at the league’s teaching scenario.
Was this transfer stunning?
Philippou: Considerably. The Mystics did not make the playoffs this season, and Eric Thibault’s two-year document wasn’t stellar. However the Mystics handled a litany of accidents over the previous two years, and the group was resetting after the departures of Natasha Cloud and Elena Delle Donne. Their 0-12 begin was tough, however they had been nonetheless one recreation out of constructing the 2024 playoffs.
This transfer is extra in regards to the Mystics’ future than single-season outcomes. With each Thibaults gone, it is a full organizational reset meant to maintain the Mystics aggressive and forward of the curve amid the WNBA’s exponential development spurt, a supply near the scenario instructed ESPN. Franchises such because the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm have leveled up with an inflow of expertise and assets, and in some circumstances have adopted NBA kinds of play or employed former NBA personnel. And a bar has been set among the many new enlargement groups, who can have their very own observe amenities and with Warriors/Valkyries possession publicly setting a aim of successful a championship of their first 5 years. That is the usual the Mystics wish to compete with or surpass shifting ahead, they usually’re hoping an aligned philosophy with their new hires will assist them obtain that.
Pelton: Sure, contemplating that I believe the Thibaults left Washington in a reasonably great spot long run with trades and participant growth. Along with the Mystics’ personal lottery decide, additionally they maintain the No. 6 decide through commerce, they usually landed an additional 2026 second-round decide plus Sika Kone within the deadline deal that despatched Myisha Hines-Allen to the Minnesota Lynx.
Kone, nonetheless simply 22 on her third WNBA staff, averaged 8.6 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 10 video games in Washington. Emily Engstler, who’s 24 and likewise on her third staff, put up 9.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.8 APG and a pair of.0 BPG in September because the Mystics’ late push for a playoff spot fell simply brief. Add in current first-round picks Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards, and Washington’s subsequent GM and coach will inherit loads of attention-grabbing younger gamers within the frontcourt.
Who made this determination?
Pelton: The Mystics have an unorthodox administration construction as a part of Monumental Sports activities, which additionally owns the NBA’s Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals. Michael Winger serves as Monumental’s president of basketball, which supplies him oversight of each the Wizards and Mystics. Winger, who was quoted within the staff’s press launch Wednesday, is anticipated to take a bigger position within the Mystics’ basketball operations, particularly if the group hires a younger GM and/or head coach.
That is rather a lot on Winger’s plate. In his extra conventional position working the Wizards, he negotiated an extension for wing Corey Kispert and finalized the staff’s roster for the beginning of the NBA common season earlier this week.
Though there may be some degree of collaboration in different WNBA entrance places of work that share possession with NBA groups, the basketball operations departments universally function independently. Washington is the one staff the place the identical particular person manages each the NBA and WNBA groups.
It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how Winger’s NBA background influences the Mystics’ seek for a basic supervisor and a coach. Earlier than coming to Washington, he hung out with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and LA Clippers. Winger’s community could lead on him to coaches and executives with NBA expertise, as we noticed when new Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren employed longtime NBA assistant Nate Tibbetts as head coach final offseason.
What does this imply for the Mystics heading into 2025?
Voepel: For the final 12 seasons, Mike Thibault has made the personnel choices for the franchise, teaching the Mystics for 10 of these years.
He has many years of expertise in teaching, expertise evaluating and working a enterprise from his days in males’s and girls’s basketball. That is rather a lot to switch. And his substitute won’t have the identical form of energy to form the franchise.
The Mystics additionally must determine whether or not they may proceed to play in 4,200-seat Leisure & Sports activities Enviornment, which appears too small.
Philippou: Washington can have a busy subsequent six weeks all whereas seeking to rent a brand new coach and GM. First up, they’re collaborating within the draft lottery on Nov. 17, the place they’ve a ten.4% probability of incomes the No. 1 decide, which is presumed to be Paige Bueckers. In addition they have the Atlanta Dream’s No. 6 total decide that they acquired through commerce. Constructing via the draft would be the central element to the Mystics’ future roster development, a supply instructed ESPN, and they’re going to have a possibility to additional that aim this April.
Then the enlargement draft for the Golden State Valkyries follows shortly after on Dec. 6, earlier than which the group should shield six of its gamers from being chosen by the Valkyries — and it is unlikely {that a} rent might be made earlier than both of these occasions.
Washington’s roster appears poised for a secure offseason with a core of Ariel Atkins, Brittney Sykes, Stefanie Dolson, Karlie Samuelson, Austin and Edwards all beneath contract. Elena Delle Donne’s profession in Washington and within the WNBA total, although, stays unclear.
Nonetheless, it is a roster that would make the playoffs, particularly if the Mystics have higher well being luck. However then issues will reset in 2026 with nearly all of the league hitting free company — then it’s going to be fascinating to see how Winger and the Mystics entrance workplace can compete with the remainder of the league and try to form the franchise of their imaginative and prescient with a lot primarily ranging from scratch.
With a minimum of six new coaches on the way in which, what’s going to this imply for the league in 2025?
Voepel: On the plus facet, it signifies that franchises are seeing success in different franchises — and the upper profile of the league itself — and wish to get in on it. However fast fixes aren’t simple to come back by.
The 2022/2023 champion Las Vegas Aces’ success was arrange by the franchise’s horrible run (23-79) in its final three seasons in San Antonio. That produced three consecutive No. 1 draft picks (Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Younger) in 2017-2019. Becky Hammon has finished nicely in her three seasons as Aces coach, however she can be the primary to credit score these gamers.
The Liberty additionally cratered in 2018-2020 — going 19-71 — and through that interval obtained new possession (2019) and No. 1 draft decide Sabrina Ionescu (2020), which helped make the franchise a vacation spot staff. That introduced previous MVPs Breanna Stewart in free company and Jonquel Jones through requested commerce to New York. Sandy Brondello was the appropriate coach to tie all of it collectively the final three years, however the bigger level stays: There’s solely a lot a coach can do and not using a successful mixture of expertise.
