Austin’s future after injury-plagued 2024 season remains bright
Coming into the 2024 season, one of the major storylines for the Washington Mystics was the return of emerging star forward Shakira Austin coming off hip surgery.
Back in April, Austin was in the midst of rehab, getting back to full health, and she showed some glimpses of what Mystics fans have been waiting for after an impressive rookie season two years ago.
However, a setback in rehab and later subsequent ankle injury limited her playing time even further after injuries derailed her 2023 season.
"I know it's hard to be injured," Mystics forward Stefanie Dolson said. "I was injured for 6-8 weeks last year, so it's really hard to get a rhythm. ... I can't imagine the mental struggles that she's had all season and it's just been unfortunate that we haven't been able to have her with us."
Through the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs of the past two years, she's remained resilient, as has the team, and her presence on the bench has helped tremendously throughout this process.
"You want it for her," Mystics head coach Eric Thibault said. "You want it to go well. ... For a young player like her to go through an injury and major surgery like she did, you really have to attack rehab with a diligence like she did."
In the time that she was able to play, Austin put up her best numbers of her three years in the WNBA in less action on average.
Across 12 games and just under 20 minutes of action per game, she was scoring 12 points a game and racking up seven rebounds a game, along with an assist and a block per contest.
"I think we were starting to see real glimpses after the break of her looking like her explosive self, really starting to move well," Thibault said.
As she was getting back to full health, a misstep during Washington's Aug. 26 matchup against the Seattle Storm as planted her left ankle on the foot of Storm center Ezi Magbegor saw her leave the contest and miss the final 10 games of the season.
It was a killer blow for someone who had seemingly been back to as full health as the team has seen her since the start of the 2023 season.
Austin's stop–start nature in the 2024 season provided inconsistencies across the board, but her teammates have done what they could to continue to support her through the process.
Likewise, Austin hasn't drifted far away from the team. She became an integral member of the bench mob that has formed, the undisputed backbone of this Mystics team through the second half of the season.
"It's hard when someone's injured just because they're not able to be around us as much," Dolson said. "She's done a great job of staying around us as much as she can, staying connected. She's been traveling with us. She's always on the bench. She's always speaking in the locker room. It's been nice to have her around even while she's injured."
Austin is currently under contract with Washington through next season as the Mystics picked up her fourth-year team option in late April. After that point, the Fredericksburg native will become a restricted free agent in 2026, not fully knowing what her future with this team will be.
Next year is a big year for her, not just for her future with the franchise, but showcasing the ability to stay healthy and put together an All-Star-caliber season.
That remains to be seen, but knowing how hard she attacked the rehab process coming into 2024, that's the standard set going into 2025.
"Sometimes with injuries, when you go through it, you need to get through that first year," Thibault said. "Beyond that, you can take off, and we'll start to see what she can be."
Alex Murphy:
Sports reporter
