The 2023 WNBA season was a tough one for the Washington Mystics. The suffered through a season chalk full of injuries during which Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin and Kristi Toliver all missed significant time this year with Austin and Toliver unavailable for the playoffs. But despite that, the Mystics managed to keep afloat and make the playoffs where they put up a fight against the New York Liberty. One of the main reasons why the Mystics were able to stay in the mix was the consistency of Natasha Cloud. Cloud made her presence felt especially on the defensive end which is why she dropped an NSFW reaction on social media when the WNBA announced their All-Defensive teams and her name did not appear.

Natasha Cloud has played her entire career to this point with the Mystics and she was named to the WNBA's All Defensive First Team twice in her career in 2019 and 2022. With Cloud and backcourt partner Brittney Sykes in the lineup, the Mystics were a top five defensive team in the league this year despite all their injuries. She was consistently among the Mystics top players in various defensive metrics.

Cloud's defensive intensity was on full display in Game 2 of the Mystics playoff series against the Liberty when she rose to the challenge of slowing down Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.

The All-Defensive teams were heavily slanted towards forwards and bigs with Sykes, the Los Angeles Sparks' Jordin Canada and the Liberty's Betnijah Laney being the only guards who made either first or second team.