Mystics’ Kiki Iriafen gets real on rookie wake-up call vs. vets like Breanna Stewart

The Washington Mystics are 11-11 heading into the WNBA's All-Star break. Washington sits just behind the Indiana Fever in seventh place in the standings. However, the most impressive thing about Washington's turnaround is that the team's catalysts are rookies. Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have held their own against Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, and the rest of the league.

Iriafen's efforts have impressed WNBA legend Sue Bird, who interviewed the rookie forward ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game. While the former USC Trojan spoke about the transition from the NCAA game to the professional world, one thing stood out. According to her, the biggest jump has been in the basketball IQ of her opponents, not their speed or skill.

Stewart and Wilson are two of the better bigs in the WNBA, but the position as a whole is one of the best. For a rookie navigating her first season, Iriafen has experienced her fair share of growing pains. She spoke to Bird about what she has learned through the first 22 games of her WNBA career.

“I think it’s how smart people are, like the basketball IQ,” Iriafen said. “And for me obviously my position is like some of the best players. So just like going against Stewie. Like she would literally tell me like, ‘I’m able to get you on this every single time because of A,B,C, and D.’ and I’m like, I’m not even thinking about that and she’s already able to see all of that. And going against BG and A’Ja. So I would say the biggest thing is just how smart. The level that I want to get to you and the level they are at is how smart they are. They don’t have to be the fastest on the floor but they're able to play at a pace, or see everything before it happens. So the biggest difference is the level of IQ that they have.”

Iriafen has her work cut out for her if the Mystics are going to make it into the playoffs. However, she has started to close the gap between her and players like Stewart and Wilson. If she continues to grow at the rate she is, Iriafen could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them as the Rookie of the Year.