Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were both named All-Stars in their rookie seasons.
While Citron participated in the 3-point contest, Iriafen became the youngest player to record a double-double in a WNBA All-Star game. The special seasons that these young stars are having are not going unnoticed.
This group of rookies is already becoming stars in this league, which shows that the Mystics are going in the right direction with their rebuild process.
The Stats
Citron and Iriafen have been two of the driving forces to help the Mystics fight for a playoff spot right now. Washington is currently in eighth place with a record of 11-12.
Citron is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points. She is seventh in the league in minutes per game (33.3), fourth in minutes played (766), and tenth in free throw percentage (.896).
Iriafen is fourth on the team in scoring with 12 points per game. She leads the team in rebounds per game, with 8.3, which is also good for fourth overall in the league. Her 190 total rebounds rank third in the league.
These rookies are already making amongst the leaderboards in the league, and it has only been halfway through the season.
One thing that these rookies talked about is how they push each other to be great, which is a sign that they want to see each other thrive.
The Rookies’ Records
Irafen has already set the franchise rookie double-double record this season. She has been dominant on the glass.
https://twitter.com/washmystics/status/1944547220793245799?s=61
Irafen’s elite rebounding entered the record books once again after becoming the fourth rookie in Mystics history to reach 50 offensive rebounds before her 20th game.
Citron and Irafen became the second All-Star rookie duo in WNBA history.
Citron (two) and Irafen (seven) have combined for nine double-doubles this season. This mark is the most from multiple rookies in franchise history.
https://twitter.com/washmystics/status/1940878287317647584?s=61
These rookies already making waves around the league and going at it with the best.
Many players and coaches have sung their praises about Special K and Megatron. This was supposed to be the start of a rebuild for the Mystics.
Making the right draft picks and possibly pushing for the postseason, it seems the rebuild is way ahead of schedule. Georgia Amoore will miss her entire rookie season with an ACL injury. Lucy Olsen also has shown flashes this season as well, scoring 19 points in 17 minutes against the Minnesota Lynx back on July 3rd.
These four rookies can become the core for Washington’s future.
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