WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 When Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were drafted by a rebuilding Washington team, it was clear they’d have a chance to make a quick impact.<\/p>\n
It turned out to be a historic one.<\/p>\n
Citron and Iriafen were both WNBA All-Stars last weekend<\/a>, becoming the first pair of rookie teammates to achieve that since 1999. Their inclusion was an acknowledgement of how quickly they’ve established themselves in the league \u2014 and the way they’ve helped improve the Mystics’ outlook.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning, Slim (guard Brittney Sykes) told me like, \u2018You\u2019re not a rookie. We drafted you for a reason, we drafted Kiki for a reason, so you guys just go out and do what you do,'” Citron said.<\/p>\n That’s not something rookies \u2014 even first-round picks like Citron and Iriafen \u2014 can take for granted. The WNBA is a famously tough league to break into. For every immediate rookie star like Paige Bueckers, there’s another high pick facing a slower adjustment timeline.<\/p>\n Bueckers, Citron and Iriafen were all All-Stars, the first time three rookies made it since 2011. But they’re the only rookies averaging over 10 points per game this year.<\/p>\n Some of that comes down to opportunity. After finishing 14-26 last year, Washington brought in<\/a> Jamila Wideman as its general manager and Sydney Johnson as its coach. Then the Mystics took Citron out of Notre Dame with the third pick in the draft and Iriafen out of Southern California with the next pick. Having both become All-Stars was pretty much the best-case scenario.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Especially since both had a chance to go to Indiana and spend time with some of the game’s biggest stars.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s another couple of jumps that they\u2019re looking to take, and I think they were rubbing elbows with some of those players that they aspire to be like, to outperform,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-3 Iriafen scored 17 points in the game and Citron, a 6-1 guard, added 11. Citron also took part in the 3-point contest<\/a> \u2014 and the winner, Sabrina Ionescu, said she’d give half her winnings to the Washington rookie.<\/p>\n Johnson said observing how players like Ionescu go about their business is valuable.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cSabrina put on a show with the 3-point contest. Sonia knows how good of a shooter she is \u2014 Sonia is \u2014 and then you look, and there’s like a whole other level there with Sabrina,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThat’s respecting Sonia, but that’s calling it what it is. Just seeing pro habits, how they approach the game, how competitive they are, how they’re on all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Now the challenge for Citron and Iriafen is to maintain their level of production. Citron is averaging 13.8 points per game, second on the team behind Sykes, another Washington All-Star. Iriafen is averaging 12 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds.<\/p>\n