Sonia Citron had her wind knocked out in a classic ‘Welcome To The WNBA’ moment. In the Mystics-Dream preseason game last year, Citron ran into a screen set by none other than 6’9” veteran center Brittney Griner. And it took more than a minute for a 21-year-old Citron to get up. She has been a woman on a mission ever since. By 2026, she already seems to have progressed. Citron has now revealed how she has adapted to the physical W.
The Washington Mystics All-Star had a career night against her twin, Caitlin Clark. She dropped a career-high 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 10-14 from the field. But importantly, she attacked the paint and embraced the physicality of the WNBA rather than getting knocked off her shot. Citron has announced that she has truly arrived in the league and is aiming for more.
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“Everybody knows how physical the W is. Coming in as a rookie, it’s so fast and physical, and everybody is so strong. This year I knew what to expect, but I didn’t just want to handle it — I wanted to be able to give it back, especially in the paint,” Citron said. “Just like they use their body, I can use mine to leverage and get my shot off. That was a big focus in the offseason, and even now I practice my post moves all around the paint, just trying to be more like Kiki.”
It’s important to note that she actively worked on fighting fire with fire rather than maneuvering around it. Like many shooters like Citron do, they improve their body manipulation, footwork and just the ability to take contact. While that is an acceptable route, it can make their game too limited down the line.
Citron’s development shows that she wants to be elite and not just good. And her peers have done the same as well, with Caitlin Clark hitting the gym after her first year and even Paige Bueckers adding muscle mass.
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And the metrics prove that she has gotten better, albeit in a small sample size. Last year, she shot at 67.5% from within five feet, this year, she is shooting at 92.3%. She has made 17 of the 18 shots in the paint. In addition, Citron has faced some elite front courts like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones and Aliyah Boston. This improvement makes her a genuine three-level scorer that can hurt teams from anywhere on the court. It could also improve her defense, inspiring a major year 2 jump.
But for the Mystics, it’s not all about Sonia Citron or Kiki Iriafen, as they are a young team full of rookies. As Citron continues evolving into a more complete scorer, the Mystics may have uncovered another rookie capable of embracing the WNBA’s physicality just as quickly.
Sonia Citron Impressed With Cotie McMahon After Delayed Debut
The Washington Mystics were missing some extra punch. No one apart from Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron had scored in double digits in the first two games. Rookies Lauren Betts, Rori Harmon, Angela Dugalic and Cassandre Prosper haven’t yet adapted to the league. However, Cotie McMohan proved otherwise as she scored 13 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and assisted 2 in her WNBA debut.
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“She brings a sense of toughness and just energy to this team,” Citron said, via Jarrett Spence of Sports Illustrated. “She’s very aggressive. She’s a great downhill player and she just adds that little bit of fire that just really helps this team, and obviously, it’s her first game. She is a rookie, so she’s just gonna learn, and she’s gonna keep getting better.”
The former Ole Miss star suffered a partial tear of her left UCL (elbow) in the team’s preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on May 3. It was the reason for her delayed debut. However, now that she is back, McMahon can give the Mystics some valuable minutes and play to their identity, which is attacking the paint. Her physicality and defensive ability could match up to the WNBA standards. It is still early, but the signs are encouraging for Washington’s young core.
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The post “Wanted To Give It Back”: Sonia Citron Explains How She’s Embracing the Physical Nature of the WNBA appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
