Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne will miss at least two weeks with a left thumb injury and will need surgery on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mystics star, Elena Delle Donne, injured her thumb on July 30 during the Atlanta Dream game. Delle Donne was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the left thumb, which occurred during the first quarter of the game. Surgery is expected to be performed on Wednesday and she will be sidelined possibly till the end of the regular season.
Washington Mystics have been plagued with injuries including Delle Donne, who had an ankle injury earlier in the season. Tayler Hill is currently out for the season and Nastasha Cloud is out for a few games as well. Head coach Mike Thibault knows his team will persevere and get through it all.
“We have had numerous injuries this year and have gotten through them,” Thibault said. “We will do the same for the next couple of weeks and look forward to having Elena back for the playoffs.”
Delle Donne had a similar injury last season when she injured her right thumb last season when she was with the Chicago Sky and needed surgery for that as well.
The loss of Delle Donne for the remaining regular season comes heavy as she averages 18.8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. All the attention and pressure may transfer over to Belgium native Emma Meesseman, who scored 30 points in the Atlanta Dream game.
The biggest obstacle for the Mystics will be merging Delle Donne back into the lineup in time for playoff action. With 10 regular season game remaining, we may not see Delle Donne until September. The fight in Washington to get a high seed in the playoffs will be determined in these last games. All that remains is who will step up and take charge.
