The Rise of Ariel Atkins’ Reign as the Washington Mystics’ Leader » Winsidr

In the dynamic world of WNBA basketball, leadership isn’t just about calling plays or tallying points—it’s about setting the tone, rallying the team, and leading by example. For the Washington Mystics, Ariel Atkins has been the behind-the-scenes tone-setter for much of her career. But this season, with usual vocal leaders in Elena Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud gone, that leadership baton has been passed to Atkins, one of the longest-tenured Mystics players. 

With a blend of skill, determination, and undeniable charisma, Atkins has emerged as the guiding force behind the Mystics’ journey. Her steady presence on the court, as well as her ability to elevate the play of those around her, make her a standout player and a true leader in every sense of the word.

Atkins knows her leadership strength lies in her individual moments with her teammates. 

“I’m probably more of like a tap on the shoulder like ‘hey, you good’ type of thing,” Atkins said on media day about her leadership style. 

Atkins was quick to note that it won’t just be her who leads the team this year, but young players like third-year center Shakira Austin and her “rah-rah in-your-face XYZ” leadership style, as Atkins framed it, to other vets like Myisha Hines-Allen and Brittney Sykes. Because of Atkins’ lengthy history with the Mystics, she understands that to be a leader, it will take more than those quiet conversations. 

“I think a lot of the times when you get into a season with new people you want to be like the nice guy, you want to be like ‘oh, like no like that’s fine,” Atkins explained. “I think actually intentionally pushing everybody every single day. I think it’s going to be really important for setting the tone.”

Almost prophetically, rather than spending her offseason playing overseas, Atkins worked as an assistant coach on the University of Michigan’s women’s basketball team under the tutelage of Kim Barnes Arico. To her credit, Atkins isn’t fully aware of how her time in Ann Arbor will help her as a player.

 “I think the biggest thing that I’ve seen is like the game has slowed down more because I’ve had to watch it,” Atkins admitted. “But as far as making different adjustments within games and being able to see those things quicker, I think it will be able to help me, and I hope it does, but I really just don’t know yet.”

Drawing from her coaching experience, Atkins has come to appreciate the significance of establishing a tone and ensuring accountability among her teammates. She believes these lessons will be instrumental in her role as a guide for the Mystics this season. 

“Coaching at Michigan, I had to figure out what the coaches wanted, basically helping me and talking about [finding]my coaching voice,” Atkins reflected. “Picking and choosing my spots. I was pretty much like the fifth assistant or the fourth assistant at that point, so being able to know like ‘hey, this kid can’t handle this much right now’… just finding those quick pockets, those quick moments holding our players accountable. 

“But also in the same breath, making sure that they know we’re encouraging them in the same sense, and I definitely think that’s going to help me with our team this year and being able to not be afraid to make that quick yell or that quick call.”

Before engaging in those discussions and motivating her teammates, Atkins recognizes the need to build rapport and camaraderie with the fresh faces. How she and Hines-Allen, the two longest-tenured players on the Mystics, do that will be the story of the season.

 “I mean, we’re just going to have to do it,” Atkins said bluntly. “We’re going to have to figure it out together. Obviously there’s going to be bumps in the road; some days are going to be tougher than others, [but]we’re just going to have to handle the heat together and make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure everybody’s good on any other day.”

Part of that work will come from spending time with her teammates and getting to know them beyond the court. 

“Yeah I mean the basic stuff like dinner any night just to get to know people,” Atkins said. “We obviously haven’t had a ton of time together yet, but just finding different ways to kind of get to know each other even if it is like oh, so and so is getting an ice bath, I’ll get an ice bath with them today. Just be able to have those little conversations and get to know people for who they are at their core.”

Atkins’ poised and pragmatic comportment will serve as a pivotal factor in nurturing a robust rapport with second-year Head Coach Eric Thibault. This association is indispensable for the prospective triumph of the Mystics this season. 

While Atkins may not possess the commanding presence of a league MVP like Delle Donne or the impassioned leadership akin to Cloud’s, her lead-by-example, no-nonsense demeanor has engrossed her teammates for years, rendering her an innate choice for guiding this team. How she navigates the augmented responsibilities both on and off the court will be a focal point throughout the season.

Two things are for sure—one, she’s excited for the expanded range this team has offensively. 

“It’s really exciting this year because we probably have more [outside shooting]than we’ve had in a little while, and so for me it’s super exciting because it opens our floor up and it allows some of our players to get to the rim,” explained Atkins. “It’ll give them more opportunity to get there… I don’t want to say with ease but it’ll open up our offense more.” 

And the second is the tight-knit nature of the players, led by her. 

“What excites me the most probably [is]that I think we’ll be able to play through anything. I think this is the type of team that even [when]we’ve had some slip-ups, just getting together our ability to have kind of like quick and concise communication, like ‘hey try the backdoor right there’ will be really helpful with our pace and push the ball,” said Atkins. “We haven’t had the opportunity to [do that]in a couple of years, so I’m excited about that, too.”