{"id":1280,"date":"2026-05-23T12:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1280"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:35:00","slug":"lauren-betts-is-off-to-a-slow-start-the-mystics-arent-worried","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1280","title":{"rendered":"Lauren Betts is off to a slow start. The Mystics aren\u2019t worried."},"content":{"rendered":"

With a deep frontcourt, Washington doesn\u2019t have to rush the No. 4 pick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Lauren Betts hasn’t had much playing time to start the season, but she was a bright spot in Monday’s loss to the Wings. (Sam Hodde\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Lauren Betts finally got to unpack.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-7 rookie\u2019s boxes of belongings from Los Angeles have arrived, nearly six weeks after the Washington Mystics chose her with the No. 4 pick in the WNBA draft. It\u2019s been a whirlwind couple of months for Betts, who led UCLA to its first NCAA championship April 5, was drafted by the Mystics April 13, opened training camp April 19 and made her WNBA debut May 8.<\/p>

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After playing 12 minutes against the Toronto Tempo in the Mystics\u2019 opener, then 18 against the New York Liberty two days later, Betts added another adventure into the mix: a trip to New York to be onstage at Disney and ESPN\u2019s up-front presentation to advertisers.<\/p>\n

Alongside Connecticut\u2019s Sarah Strong and ESPN\u2019s Christine Williamson, Betts introduced Billie Jean King for a look at the tennis legend\u2019s upcoming documentary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really thankful that I got to go and meet all the faces there. I didn\u2019t even realize how many celebrities were going to be there, so I was kind of starstruck just walking around,\u201d Betts said Friday. \u201cIt was super cool just to show support for women\u2019s basketball and women\u2019s sports and just continue to spread the message that we\u2019re here to stay. We\u2019re just going to continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth is this year\u2019s theme for Betts \u2014 and for the Mystics, who are the WNBA\u2019s youngest team. Betts, a center, is playing behind the dynamic frontcourt duo of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin. Each of them is averaging more than 16 points per game, and the 22-year-old Iriafen is leading the WNBA in rebounding average (12.8).<\/p>\n

While waiting her turn in the Mystics\u2019 rotation, Betts, also 22, has done a lot of learning already.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a different level,\u201d Betts said. \u201cThese are all pros who have played for a really long time and have established themselves, so just trying to get better every day and focus on my process. Just constantly taking in new information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Betts, right, was one of three Mystics first-round picks this year, along with her UCLA teammate, Angela Dugalic. (Hannah Foslien\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve thrown a lot at her. It\u2019s not a situation where we\u2019ve said, \u2018Sit over there and wait for it to come,\u2019\u201d Mystics Coach Sydney Johnson said. \u201cShe\u2019s faced really good matchups, good defensive players. She\u2019s faced the pace of play. She has been asked to be engaged in ball-screen defense against world-class players \u2026 Considering all of that, I\u2019m really thrilled.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Auckland FC beats Sydney FC 1-0 to become 1st New Zealand team to win Australian league title<\/a><\/p>\n

In Monday\u2019s blowout loss to the Dallas Wings, Betts\u2019 11-point performance on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench was one of the few bright spots for Washington. It was her most productive game offensively, and she picked up only one foul in the 15 minutes she played.<\/p>\n

\u201cLauren\u2019s doing a fantastic job. The physicality in the W is like no other \u2026 That last game against Dallas was really phenomenal for her,\u201d guard Georgia Amoore said. \u201cShe went to her spots. She found her touch off her little over the shoulder baby hook. I think she\u2019s finding her groove. She\u2019s finding her flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adjusting to being a rookie and starting again from the bottom after being the centerpiece of a title-winning college team can be a challenge. It\u2019s an expected part of the progression to the professional ranks, but that doesn\u2019t always make it easy to swallow for elite players who are used to instant success.<\/p>\n

Betts, though, has impressed Johnson and her teammates with her understanding of the development process \u2014 while still flashing the competitive drive that made her the fourth overall pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, she\u2019s not the best player in our league like she was arguably the best player in the country last year,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd she wants to close that gap. I like how competitive she is. She\u2019s not just kind of sitting there going, \u2018I\u2019ve got all the time in the world.\u2019 She wants it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Amoore: \u201cHer personality and her attention to detail and her grit and just the way she wants to work at it, it never wavers. Anyone can come here and get disappointed at kind of the cards they\u2019ve been dealt, but she hasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Bruno Fernandes wins the Premier League player-of-season award<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a deep frontcourt, Washington doesn\u2019t have to rush the No. 4 pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nLauren Betts is off to a slow start. The Mystics aren\u2019t worried. - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1280\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lauren Betts is off to a slow start. 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