Natasha Cloud will be good for playoffs, fresh off historic season originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
There are no injury concerns for Natasha Cloud and her knee as the Mystics gear up for the WNBA Playoffs. The point guard said she will be good to go on a personal Instagram Live broadcast this Monday.
Tuesday, that news was re-affirmed by head coach and general manager Mike Thibault.
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"She did about two-thirds of the practice today," Thibault said. "A lot more than we thought she might. We were going to try to rest or a little bit more but she felt good enough to do more. So she is good to go."
Leaving Sunday's game against the Indiana Fever definitely had many Mystics fans holding their breath. While the team said it was for 'precautionary' reasons, right before the playoffs isn't necessarily when you want players taking their foot off the gas.
On top of the injuries that have piled up on this team over the past two seasons - from Elena Delle Donne to Myisha Hines-Allen to Cloud to Alysha Clark - the wait for a prognosis was daunting. All season the team had weathered minor setbacks, would this be the first at the worst possible time?
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For Game 1 in Seattle, expect her to be the one bringing the ball up the court.
A huge sigh of relief for Washington. Of course, any team would want their starting floor general available for the playoffs, but Cloud is in the midst of a historic season. No one, ever, in Washington Mystics history has recorded more assists than Cloud did with her 239 assist mark.
She surpassed her own franchise record that she set in 2019 by recording 190 assists.
Equating to an average of 7.0 assists per game, she also led the league this season to earn the WNBA's Peak Performer honor. Each season the league recognizes the top statistical leaders in points, rebounds and assists. It was the first time Cloud has been named a Peak Performer and she did so with the 12th-best assist average in league history, per Basketball Reference.
Only Courtney Vandersloot, Ticha Penicheiro and Sue Bird have averaged more assists in a year. That's pretty good company.
Upon the announcement, Cloud simply said "thank you to my shooters."
These record-book entries and honor come during a season where Cloud was looking to reshape her identity. Everyone knew that the Saint Joseph's product was one of the premier distributors in the WNBA. This year, she instead wanted to be also known for her shooting and gain more respect from the league.
While she increased her volume, her field-goal percentage (39.9%) was the second-best of her seven-year career. Her 3-point percentage (31.9%) was just her fourth-best. Both were notable improvements from 2021, a year removed from sitting out an entire season.
In the process and focus of doing all of that, Cloud put together an incredible season setting up her teammates and guiding the Mystics to the playoffs.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series begins on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m.
