Indiana Fever at Washington Mystics 5/6/22 - WNBA Picks & Predictions

On Friday, the Indiana Fever visits the Washington Mystics in the opening game of the 2022 WNBA season for both games. Last season, Indiana won six games, but the Fever are expected to have a more successful season in 2022. Guards Aaliyah Wilson and Danielle Robinson return as the foundation that team officials are building the club around. Indiana drafted seven players in the 2022 WNBA draft and several will see action from the start.

NaLyssa Smith was the second overall pick in the draft and will give Indiana a strong front court presence. The former Baylor star has been impressive during training camp and should make the leap to the WNBA seamlessly. However, the play of backcourt duo Robinson and Wilson will be the key to Indiana success as the other players including the rookies will need time to come up to speed.

Washington has gone from a WNBA-title winning squad to one that struggles to find consistency, but looks to turn that around in 2022. In 2020, Elena Delle Donne and Tina Charles did not play, while last season Charles carried the Mystics, but is no longer with the club and Delle Donne played sporadically. Delle Donne is 100% healthy and scored 21 points in just 18 minutes of action during a preseason game against Minnesota.

While the return to action of Delle Donne will be the biggest story for Washington this season, a few additions were made by Washington during the offseason to improve the squad. Washington re-signed Myisha Hines-Allen and signed free-agent center Elizabeth Williams. Washington improved its backcourt by drafting Shakira Austin out of Ole Miss with the third overall pick in the draft. Ariel Atkins is one of the league’s most consistent spot-up shooters and is a key once again to the Mystics’ success this season.