The Washington Mystics have a new regime and three lottery-pick rookies from the 2025 WNBA Draft, but they also have a sleeping giant from last season. Second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards (back) is more confident than ever after getting to the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament Final this past offseason.

The UConn alum opened up about incorporating the skills she honed during the competition, via Bullets Forever's Marco Gacina.

“I'm not looking to do an iso matchup every time I get the ball, or craving that one-on-one backdown, but I think elements that I gained from the one-on-one is just my confidence,” she said on Media Day. “Knowing that I'm capable of doing the things that I can, that I have those skillsets in my bag, and when the time and place comes, I'll know that I can hit that fadeaway jump shot. Or if it's a matchup mismatch in the post and there's five second left on the shot clock, then I know that I've done it so many times. I know where to get to my spots and how I can make the bucket.”

Edwards averaged 7.6 points on 49 percent shooting across 21.8 minutes as a rookie last season. The 22-year-old is known for her physicality around the rim, but her continued development from the midrange and post could help her break out this year.

“I think it's more thinking of it in that way than ‘Oh, everyone clear out, let me get in my bag,'” she continued. “But I think just elements from the one-on-one really boosted my confidence. I'm here, I've been here before, and I gained so much respect from all the vets around the league. I think they're a little scared now, so we'll see how that turns out.”

Edwards defeated two-time WNBA MVP and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart 12-0 in the first round before beating two-time All-Star Allisha Grey 12-6 in the quarterfinals.

Then, the Canadian international bested four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale 11-2 in the semifinals before falling two-time All-WNBA First Teamer and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier 2-1 in the best-of-three final. She won the first game 9-6, lost the second 9-4, and lost the third 8-0.

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The fact that Edwards scored three-pointers in the tournament shows her offensive growth, as the 2024 second-team All-American was 0-of-7 from beyond the arc for Washington last season. Don't expect her to be a sniper right away, but she'll be even better inside if she makes defenses respect her on the perimeter. A player that can score from all three levels is the hardest to guard, as defenders can't slack off at any moment when checking them.

Aaliyah Edwards seen at Mystics practice despite injury

Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards (24) reaches for the ball against the LA Sparks in the second half.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Edwards suffered a lower back contusion at the start of training camp and will miss Wednesday's preseason bout with the Atlanta Dream. The Olympian also missed Saturday's contest against the Indiana Fever. However, she still has 10 days to heal ahead of Washington's regular-season opener vs. the Dream on May 16.

Edwards is progressing, as she was seen with a ball in hand at Mystics practice on Tuesday, via The Washington Post's Kareem Copeland. However, the team won't rush her back. Caution is imperative at this time of year, and it can't afford for her to have a setback before the season even starts. Washington is already without Shakira Austin (leg), Georgia Amo0re (ACL), and Sika Koné (overseas commitment) for the time being.

On the bright side, these injuries allow the Mystics' coaching staff to give extended minutes to the backups on Wednesday as they slowly cuts their roster to 12 players.