Washington Mystics WNBA Title Odds: 2023 Preseason Betting Analysis & Preview

Washington Mystics WNBA Title Odds

The Washington Mystics enter the 2023 WNBA season with the third-shortest title odds at +1400, according to FanDuel. This is an interesting season to be in the third spot (with two superteams in the fold), but there could be value on the Mystics as a team on the outside looking in.

Here’s a look at their notable moves over the offseason and analysis on how to approach betting the Mystics before the WNBA season tips off.

Notable Offseason Transactions

Additions: Brittney Sykes, Kristi Toliver, Amanda Zahui B., Elena Tsineke (No. 20 pick in 2023 WNBA Draft).

Departures: Alysha Clark, Elizabeth Williams.

Betting Analysis

With so much focus on the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, the Mystics enter the 2023 season as the forgotten child. However, when looking over the state of the league, the Mystics are clearly in a tier of their own — just below the Big Two but above the rest of the league.

Washington brings back mostly the same roster that went 22-14 and finished as the fifth seed last season. In Alysha Clark and Elizabeth Williams, the Mystics lost a pair of excellent role players, but the incoming Brittney Sykes brings an offensive punch that's been missing at times. Maybe the biggest factor for this team, however, is Elena Delle Donne being in her best shape since 2019.

Delle Donne was on a partial schedule in 2022 after missing the entirety of the 2020 season and almost all of the '21 season. When Delle Donne played last year, the Mystics were 18-7, a .720 winning percentage that basically matches the exact winning percentage of the Aces (.722).

EDD says she should be available for a full schedule this season, and that's massive news. I still struggle to see a path to the title for the Mystics, but in a game-to-game basis, there's a lot to like betting the Mystics this season.

Shakira Austin is arguably the pivot point for the ceiling of this team. In her rookie season, she was outstanding, causing me to cook up some takes about how I'd rather have her than Aliyah Boston(!). If Austin can maintain her defensive presence — which played a big role for the Mystics' elite interior defense — and add more offense to her game, this team gets really interesting.

As is, I have this team projected for a 27-13 record, which is a bit higher than their preseason win total at FanDuel (24.5), so I likely will be betting this team until the market adjusts.

Washington was also one of the best teams to bet unders on last season, going under in 23-of-36 games. The Mystics have a new head coach (technically), but it's Eric Thibault taking over for his father, Mike Thibault, so it will be interesting to see how far the (Pace) apple falls from the tree.