+15000—Those were the Washington Mystics’ odds of winning the championship prior to the season starting. That ranked 12th out of the 13 teams, only above the new franchise, the Golden State Valkyries. Which effectively puts the Mystics last out of all the seasoned teams in the league. With Georgia Amoore out for the season and Aaliyah Edwards also injured, it was not looking good.

Those long odds reflected skepticism from analysts, with preseason power rankings placing the Mystics 13th, citing their youth and lack of proven stars.

Their odds would have improved severely after their opening day performance against the Atlanta Dream, which saw them take the 94-90 win. A game that saw new stars rise and the oldies show their mettle. Eight-year veteran Brittney Sykes looked uncomfortable for the majority of the game but showed her class when it was time to shine, eventually getting 22 points. The absolute star of the show was undoubtedly the rookie on debut, Sonia Citron, who had the best WNBA debut any rookie has ever had.

Citron was nearly perfect. She shot 6-for-7 from the floor to score 19 points in 24 minutes, along with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Her efficiency stood out compared to other high-profile rookies, like Paige Bueckers, who struggled against the Minnesota Lynx’s tough defense, going 3-for-10 for 10 points. Her teammate, Aliyah Edwards, was quick to silence the Mystics doubter as she tweeted out just two words. She wrote, “13th who? #ballonourterms ,” referring to the fact that many experts and fans put the Mystics dead last in their power rankings, even below the extremely raw  Dallas Wings. Edwards is currently sidelined with a lower back injury and her return date is currently unknown.

Brian Martin of the WNBA wrote, “The Mystics are in rebuild mode and had three of the top six picks in the 2025 Draft, selecting Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore to begin laying a new foundation alongside Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards.”

While their offseason moves may signal that, the youngsters on the Mystics are in no mood to take this season lightly. They want to win, as showcased by their opening night performance. Sonia Citron also overshadowed Paige Bueckers’ debut, who scored 10 points against the Lynx. Bueckers scored the first points of the season for the Wings but missed both of her 3-point attempts and was 3 of 10 shooting with seven rebounds and two assists.

Fellow UConn alum on the Lynx, Napheesa Collier, scored 34 points, leading them to a 99-84 win over the wings spoling the No. 1 pick’s debut. Bueckers’ debut was underwhelming to say the least, especially when you saw Citron put up the performance she did.  She herself admitted that it was tough out on the hardwood in her first game on the big stage.

“The first one’s always the hardest, usually,” Bueckers said. “Not to say that it won’t get harder, but just being able to have a starting point and continuing to build off that. And then there are no more questions about what it is going to be like for your first WNBA game. Now you have to move on past that.”

Meanwhile, Citron joined an elite list of rookies who have scored at least 19 points in their first game. The most recognizable name in the list is Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Citron was termed a “versatile, pro-ready player” and not one with more upside  by CBS Sports. It was not a diss but a slight signal that Citron is more of a mature player who will do her job on the down low. Citron has shown that she can be the one who turns the game.

Kiki Iriafen’s debut goes under the radar

It was not all about Citron for the Mystics against the Dream, as they had another rookie debutant on the court in Kiki Iriafen. The No. 4 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft scored 14 big points for the Mystics along with 2 assists and four rebounds. Which means 33 of the 94 points, more than 1/3, for the Mystics came from the hands of two rookies.

Iriafen, a Stanford standout who averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds in college, brought her trademark grit, fighting for loose balls and drawing fouls to disrupt Atlanta’s flow.

It was not all good for Iriafen on her debut, as she went 4-10 from the field and did not even go for a three-pointer. Her finishing is certainly scratchy for now but it will improve as the season goes along.  Iriafen is that gritty workhorse who will fight for every ball and rebound. Her gritty nature had its rewards in this game as she went to the free throw line four times.

Both Iriafen and Citron were troubled with fouls in this game, as the heightened physicality of the WNBA will be something they will have to adapt to. Citron picked up her fourth foul early in the second half, limiting her minutes in the third quarter, while Kiki Iriafen fouled out with under two minutes remaining in the game.

When asked what he saw from Sonia Citron & Kiki Iriafen in their first WNBA starts, head coach Sydney Johnson said,“I saw what I see from them every day in our gym.”

To translate your ability from practice to the game is a challenge for many. There are tons of people who are Kobe Bryant in practice but can’t perform at the same level in the actual game. But they will need to be consistent; this performance should not be an outlier if the Mystics want to achieve something meaningful this season.

The rookie duo has successfully announced their arrival in the big leagues with their win over a previously perceived superior opponent, the Atlanta Dream, which had the likes of Britney Griner. Iriafen will meet a very familiar face in their next game against the Connecticut Sun: former USC teammate Rayah Marshall.