Flau’jae Johnson was having one of those moments against the Mystics on Sunday. The kind where a player looks at the defensive coverage in front of them and sees something they like. Washington had a plan for her but it did not work. Johnson was quick to read the Mystics, strategize her attack, and made them pay with a massive three-pointer in the third quarter that summed up exactly the energy she was operating with all game.

As shown in a viral clip shared by Zavanté on X, Johnson hit a massive three-pointer that extended the Seattle Storm’s dominant lead over Washington to 60-42, with about 7:51 left on the clock in the third quarter. And coming off that shot, she blew the fans a kiss before proceeding to stare down Mystics coach Sydney Johnson, almost as if to say, “Really?” The commentator could really see the emotions in Flau’jae, in lieu of which he said, “Players can get a little upset at how they are guarded or who they are being guarded by.” 

The commentator specifically pointed out that the Mystics appeared to go under the screen twice against Flau’Jae Johnson. That’s a defensive choice in basketball terms that essentially signals that a team doesn’t consider a player a serious enough shooting threat to fight through the pick. For a player of Flau’jae Johnson’s competitive pride, that kind of message from a coaching staff was always going be a challenge. The stare-down at coach Sydney Johnson after the second three-pointer was her way of sending a message right back.

Whether the Mystics’ read was actually wrong is a fair conversation to have. Johnson actually shot 2-for-7 from beyond the arc in that game. That’s a 28.6% completion rate that falls well below the standard typically associated with a player who demands tight perimeter coverage. Also, across the seven games she has played this season, she is shooting 30.0% from three-point range on 9-of-30 attempts. That figure also sits below the WNBA league average. So, on raw numbers alone, the Mystics’ decision to give her a little more room from deep isn’t entirely without logic.

But regardless of the shooting percentages, Flau’jae Johnson still had a productive outing overall. She finished the night with 17 points and a team-high six rebounds, contributing to the Seattle Storm’s 97–85 victory, their third win of the season. Whatever conversation was happening between her and the Mystics’ defensive scheme, the result went her way.

And the sequel is coming sooner than you can imagine. The Storm and Mystics will face each other again in their immediate next game. This means coach Sydney Johnson now has a decision to make. Does he guard Johnson the same way and invite another stare-down? Or does he tighten the coverage and give her the challenge she clearly wants? Either way, Flau’jae Johnson seems ready for whatever answer comes. The Mystics might as well give her the full test.

Mystics HC Sydney Johnson Acknowledges Mystics’ Three-Point Defensive Struggles

Besides Flau’jae Johnson’s made three-pointers, the Seattle Storm as a whole actually punished the Mystics from beyond the arc throughout the game. Seattle finished the night with a total of 13 made three-pointers. And they did so quite efficiently, shooting a season-high 13-for-28 from deep, which translated to an impressive 46.4%.

In postgame press conference, coach Sydney Johnson admitted that the Mystics did not perform well enough when it came to dealing with Seattle’s perimeter shooting. In fact, according to him, the issue stretches to their previous matchup against the Dallas Wings. As he said, “Obviously these last two games in particular, I thought we haven’t done the job that we want to in terms of guarding the three-point line.”

And just as he pointed out, the Mystics also conceded 11 made three-pointers in that game against the Wings. Specifically, Dallas shot an efficient 11-for-24 from beyond the arc, which came out to 45.8% shooting from three-point range. 

For coach Johnson, teams like the Storm, who currently rank among the top five three-point shooting teams in the WNBA, simply have to be respected more defensively. And in his view, the Mystics have not done that well enough. As he explained, “Your spacing is as good as your three-point shooting, and they’re, percentage wise, I think top five. So, you know, you have to respect that shot.”

Coach Johnson, however, still expects the team to bounce back from these recent defensive struggles. “I also think we’re going to learn and grow…,” he said. He also expressed confidence that the team will improve its reactions and rotations defensively moving forward. Hopefully for Mystics fans, they get to see that reaction in their very next game against the Storm.