Sonia

Citron

After shooting 11-of-17 from the field in her first two WNBA games, Citron struggled on Wednesday. However, she wasn’t the only one, as the Mystics shot 37.9 percent from the field and the Valkyries were even worse at 31.9 percent. However, Golden State won the free throw battle, outscoring Washington by a 23-17 margin in a game they won by two points. Going back to Citron, she still recorded a complete stat line and played 35 of a possible 40 minutes. While there will be offensive hiccups, as is the case for most rookies, her all-around value makes the first-round pick out of Notre Dame a must-roster player in most fantasy leagues.

Citron was in foul trouble early as she was tasked guarding Sun combo guard Marina Mabrey, which led to her picking up three fouls within the first half of the second quarter. She scored 13 of her 15 total points in the second half including nine in the final frame. With 5:54 left in the fourth quarter, Citron put together an elite two-way sequence to give the Mystics momentum; she swatted a shot from Mabrey and then assisted on a Stefanie Dolson transition three on the other end to get them within a point. Citron’s poise, even when she didn’t play her best in the first half, helped the Mystics grind out their come-from-behind win.

Citron had quite the start to her WNBA career, tallying the second-most points for Washington in just 24 minutes of action. The rookie appeared comfortable throughout and made the most of her opportunities by displaying extreme shooting efficiency both inside and beyond the arc. Four fouls likely limited Citron’s playing time on Friday, but staying out of foul trouble moving forward could be key in opening more opportunities, minutes, and potentially unlocking success throughout her rookie campaign. Overall, she had a very positive debut.

The Mystics will start both of their healthy first-round picks in Friday’s season opener. While Citron being a starter is unsurprising, as she was during the preseason, Iriafen came off the bench in those contests. She’ll start against the Dream, with Emily Engstler being dropped into a reserve role. The lineup change raises Iriafen’s fantasy ceiling, especially with the Mystics embracing a rebuild this season.

Sure, it may “only” be the preseason, but Citron was impressive in her unofficial Mystics debut. The former Notre Dame standout can fill multiple roles on offense and defend multiple positions, and those skills were on display Saturday afternoon. The lone negative for Citron was the three turnovers, but that’s to be expected of a rookie playing in their first game. With Georgia Amoore suffering a season-ending ACL tear earlier in training camp, the Mystics may need Citron to do more playmaking once the regular season begins.

Amoore spent her four seasons at Virginia Tech before following head coach Kenny Brooks to Kentucky for his final college campaign. A two-time Associated Press All-American and an All-SEC selection in her lone season at Kentucky, the 5-foot-6 guard averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.5 three-pointers per game. Amoore is one of three players in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to record at least 2,300 points and 800 assists in a career, joining Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlin Clark. Holding three of the first six picks in Monday’s draft, the Mystics clearly needed backcourt help. The selections of Amoore and third-overall pick Sonia Citron undoubtedly help, and they’ll have the opportunity to earn rotation minutes immediately.

If you watch college basketball, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Citron, who started over 100 games for four Notre Dame teams that each reached the Sweet 16. She proved to be one of the country’s top-tier 3-and-D wing players during her four seasons with the Fighting Irish, averaging nearly 2.0 steals per game and knocking down 37 percent of her three-pointers. Citron led her team in scoring as a sophomore and logged a career-high 17.3 points per game as a junior. As a two-time All-ACC First Team performer and All-ACC Defensive team member, it’s feasible that Citron’s game will translate to the professional ranks, where she’ll join 2024 first-round pick Aaliyah Edwards to help the Mystics retool. As she enters the WNBA, she leaves Notre Dame as the only player in program history with 1,700 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists.