Thibault has Mystics on track with coaching style all his own

At the beginning of Tuesday’s practice, Eric Thibault set up players for a drill that worked on the Washington Mystics’ sets from the elbow of the court. But before running the play, the 35-year-old sought feedback: He wanted to know what players preferred to do on the backside of the action. What did they feel comfortable with? 

Elena Delle Donne, thinking of Thibault’s predecessor, cracked a smile as she recalled the moment. 

“I love Coach T to death, but it’s different coaching styles,” Delle Donne said. 

The “Coach T,” in this case, wasn’t a reference refer to Eric Thibault. Delle Donne was talking about Thibault’s father, Mike, the team’s general manager who handed the coaching reins over to his son in November.

The younger Thibault has been with the team since 2013, and so far the transition has been a smooth one. 

With Wednesday’s 109-86 rout over the Atlanta Dream, the Mystics are now 9-5 on the season — good for the fourth-best in the 12-team WNBA. The blowout was another positive step for Washington, which has faced a series of challenges early. After all, starting center Shakira Austin is sidelined for at least three weeks with a hip injury, while guards Kristi Toliver (foot) and Li Meng (playing with China’s national team) are also out. 

The younger “Coach T” has calmly steered the team through the turbulence.

“He’s done well,” forward Tianna Hawkins said. “It’s very different — I’m not going to lie. Just because he’s the head coach and I’m used to him being an assistant coach, being more hands-on in terms of skill work and stuff like that. But he’s doing great in his role. He’s very approachable and knows what he wants. And it shows.” 

“(He’s) a little bit more of a player’s coach,” Delle Donne said. 

Eric Thibault had big shoes to fill. His father not only helped lead the Mystics to a championship in 2019, but he also led the Mystics to the playoffs in eight of his 10 seasons with an overall winning percentage of .527. Factor in his time with the Connecticut Sun, and Mike Thibault stepped down as the WNBA’s winningest coach of all time. 

Mike Thibault hasn’t completely retired. As Washington’s general manager, the 72-year-old helped bring in key offseason acquisitions such as defensive stopper Brittney Sykes and center Amanda Zahui B. Recently, the Mystics also appear to have hit on their addition of Abby Meyers — the former Maryland standout who signed on a hardship exception. 

Simply put, Mike Thibault remains invested. As he watched Wednesday’s game along press row, for instance, Mike Thibault slammed his hands loudly on a table after Delle Donne picked up a foul midway through the second quarter. The Mystics were up 15. 

Still, Eric Thibault provides a new voice and his own personality. And he’s had to guide the Mystics in a new era in which they’re now four years removed from winning the title. As part of that, Eric Thibault has adapted to a roster that has required a change in identity. 

The 2019 Mystics were loaded with 3-point shooters who could space the floor. But the strength of these Mystics comes more on the defensive end. Though the Mystics scored 109 points Wednesday, most of their wins this season have been the result of strong efforts on defense. 

The Mystics are holding opponents to just 92.1 points per 100 possessions, giving them the best defensive rating in the league. 

The Mystics rank seventh in offensive rating (97.8).

“Now we have to be a little bit more precise (on offense),” Eric Thibault said. “And that’s OK. It’s a trade-off … for defense. And they can all make shots, but they need to know exactly (where to be).” 

Part of that shift, Eric Thibault said, was the result of how Washington’s roster has evolved. The Mystics drafted Austin, the third pick in the 2022 draft, with the understanding that she was a terrific rim defender whose offense needed development. Then by signing Sykes, Washington further committed to improving defensively by adding a veteran who has made the WNBA’s all-defensive teams three times. 

The end goal, of course, is to compete for a championship. Last season, the Mystics finished 22-14, but were bounced out of the first round by the Seattle Storm. This year, Washington and the rest of the league are chasing the Las Vegas Aces, the defending champions who are a staggering 13-1. 

“It’s a more balanced group on probably both ends of the floor,” Thibault said of his team. “It doesn’t look that way right now, but I think it’s going to be a more balanced group.”