Alexa Philippou, ESPNAug 17, 2023, 09:19 PM ET
CloseCovers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne is probable to make her return for the Washington Mystics on Friday against the Indiana Fever after missing nearly all of July and August with a left ankle sprain, the team announced Thursday.
A 6-foot-4 forward, Delle Donne has appeared in 15 contests for the Mystics this season, averaging 18.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in what she was hoping would be her first fully healthy season after dealing with back issues over the past three years that largely kept her off the court. She missed a handful of games after suffering an ankle sprain June 30, and then upon making her initial return July 9, re-injured the same ankle early in the contest against the Connecticut Sun.
Despite being named an All-Star Game reserve, Delle Donne was unable to participate in the event and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert named Rhyne Howard as her replacement.
Editor’s Picks
1 Related
By bringing back so many experienced pieces, the Mystics had fairly high expectations entering the season but have been without multiple key players this summer due to injuries. Aside from Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins (ankle sprain), Shakira Austin (hip sprain) and Kristi Toliver (plantar fasciitis) have all missed at least a month.
Atkins, who was part of Washington’s 2019 championship team and won a gold medal with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, is also listed as probable for Friday, having last played on July 11. Second-year pro Austin returned to the court Sunday for the first time since June 25, playing 14 minutes, and is listed as questionable for Friday. Two-time champion Toliver (also part of the 2019 Mystics title run) remains out, last appearing June 16.
Struggling with all the absences, Washington tumbled in the rankings and dipped below .500, currently sitting at 14-16. But the Mystics remain in the playoff picture at No. 7 in the standings, with eighth-place Chicago Sky and ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks lurking in the shadows two games back of D.C.