Mystics enjoying larger traveling party as injured players near returns
Mystics enjoying larger traveling party as injured players near returns originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
They may not be playing yet but the presence of the four injured Washington Mystics is being felt on a two-game road trip to Phoenix and Las Vegas. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin, Ariel Atkins and Kristi Toliver all made the trip out west this week as they each approach a return to the court.
Last week head coach Eric Thibault hinted that some might travel for this pair of road games. The medical staff felt that with the five-day trip between two cities relatively close to one another, there would be time to do some rehab work as a team. They've progressed enough in their recovery to have them on the court and around the greater group.
However, the act of making the trip is separate from being available. The anticipated return of just one of their injured stars might not occur during this trip even though they traveled.
Nonetheless, being with the Mystics on the road is a notable step forward for all four players.
"It's good," Thibault said on Tuesday. "One, it's just nice having more people around. I kind of said on the last trip, we were- it's a little bit of a small pack and we were all together and sometimes just, during a game, it's helpful to have those guys just to kind of provide another little wave of energy when you come to the bench and you got somebody there to pick you up.
"They're all good voices for the group in different ways and so it's nice to have them and then just it's hard to avoid the eagerness and the energy of them to want to come out and play and I think that provides a good boost for everybody as well, myself included."
Knowing that help is not far off might be exactly what the team needs as they enter one of the toughest stretches of the season. Washington has lost 10 of their last 14 games and five of their last six. They've fallen from fourth place at 9-5 to seventh at 13-15.
Anything that can be used as a lift is welcome at this point. That's especially true on the road where the Mystics have lost eight straight.
"It may sound like a joke, but I mean, it looks pretty damn awesome to look at the bench and even though they're not available, just to see bodies on the bench," Brittney Sykes said. "Like we were at a point where we only had three people or two people on the bench and the rest were empty seats. So it's a bit of a tease. But we know that they've been busting their [explective] to come back and be with us and we've been doing our absolute best to hold it down and push through this stint where we don't have them."
Monday evening provided insight into who of the quartet is the closest to playing. There's been no official timeline given for any of them over the past two weeks other than what's been viewed during the media section of practice and minor workout updates. Austin, Delle Donne and Toliver are nearly a month beyond when their re-evaluation date was set to.
But Monday's injury report offered positive news when it changed for the first time since July 18. Delle Donne (left ankle sprain) was upgraded to 'doubtful' to play after being listed as 'out' for the previous nine games.
As a result, the Mystics released Abby Meyers who was filling a roster spot on a hardship contract. Neither of those moves is made without a return on the horizon.
"We wanted to keep the door open (for Delle Donne) but not quite yet," Thibault said. "She's come a long way, but we're not quite there in terms of feeling comfortable throwing her out there five-on-five, live in a game."
Based on practice observations in D.C. the others may not be too far off either. Atkins (left ankle sprain) was the most active, wearing full-practice gear and getting shots up. Toliver (right plantar fasciitis) told teammates last week she is no longer in any pain and was seen getting a workout in during shootaround in Phoenix. Austin (left hip) has increased her workload to do some three-on-three work.
Each of them could come back one after another in the near future.
"I don't think the vibe has changed," Myisha Hines-Allen said on what it's like having them on the road trip. "They've been with us through this every road trip. Whether they're not there physically, they're there like talking to us through text message in our group chat or texting us one-on-one. So it's just like, they're always going to be there, they're always in our ear. But to have them there to see stuff, I mean, it feels like a like a home game to have them on the bench."
Twelve contests remain on the schedule including three against the first-place Aces and nine contests against current playoff teams.
It's simple at this point: get healthy and start winning games.
'"When we get back together we'll figure that out when that time comes but for right now it's baby steps. They weren't on the road, now they're on the road and soon we'll have them on the court," Sykes said.