Why Mystics are Georgia Amoore's perfect fit

• Georgia Amoore was selected with the sixth pick in the WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics
• She averaged career-highs for Kentucky with 19.6 points and 6.9 assists per game this past season
• Amoore will team up with former Vic Country teammate, Jade Melbourne, in Washington

For a couple of years now, it’s been abundantly clear to anyone who has watched Georgia Amoore at the US collegiate level, she was destined to be a first round pick in the WNBA Draft.

On April 15, 2025, that came to fruition as the Australian guard was selected at No.6 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics.

She was the second point guard selected, behind No.1 pick Paige Bueckers and became the highest-selected Australian since Liz Cambage in 2011, who was selected second.

Amoore joins a young and emerging Washington squad, who hope to have kickstarted their rebuild with three selections in the top six; Sonia Citron (#3), Kiki Iriafen (#4) and Amoore. Those three join rising stars Shakira Austin, a player I believe will be an All-Star this coming season, and Aaliyah Edwards, as well as veterans Brittney Sykes and Stefanie Dolson.

Most excitingly for fans of Aussies in the WNBA is the fact two former junior Victoria Country stars are set to join forces in Washington DC, with Amoore set to share backcourt minutes with Australian Opals point guard Jade Melbourne, who really announced herself to WNBA fans last season and starred for the Opals in a starting role at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris.

The pair played together in juniors for Australia at the 2017 FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup, winning gold, and at the 2018 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup where they claimed a memorable bronze medal.

Seven years later, they will be reunited in the WNBA and it’s going to provide a glimpse into the future for Opals fans.

Amoore is an elite scorer and facilitator, averaging career-highs for Kentucky with 19.6 points and 6.9 assists per game in the 2024-25 NCAAW season and was one of only two players in the nation to average at least 15 points and 6 assists per game.

The knock-on Amoore has always been her height, 168cm (5’6”), but at every level she has played in, she’s found ways to not only be effective but thrive.

Obviously, the WNBA is a step up in athleticism and physicality but the development of her step-back jumper has been a game-changer with that move creating so much space for her to operate in.

You get the feeling her step-back is going to create plenty of highlight reel plays over the course of her career.

Amoore’s superior ability to finish at the rim amongst the height and length of bigger defenders is also going to be vital in the WNBA. There’s no doubt she’s going to keep driving hard to the bucket, just as she has done for years in college, and while the defenders will be stronger, I have no doubt her IQ will lead her to make the right decision — finish strongly, find the big or kick it out to a teammate — more times than not.

Amoore said it best to Holly Rowe on the broadcast at the draft.

"For as long as people have called me too short, I’ve been working on how to counteract that,” Amoore said.

"It’s not a shock to me, I know I have to work in different ways, use my brain a little bit more. With my competitive background, I think I have a little bit of that dog in me and that’s going to keep me fighting."

Washington drafted Amoore to be their point guard of the future and with the Mystics no longer having four of the six players that averaged at least two assists per game last season, she’s going to have plenty of opportunities in the present too.

Of guards that played at least 14 minutes per game last season for the Mystics, only two remain — Brittney Sykes and Jade Melbourne — which further points to plenty of minutes being up for grabs over training camp and pre-season games.  

It’s exciting to think of the role Amoore is going to have immediately and the opportunity to play alongside promising young bigs in Austin, Edwards and Iriafen is going to be fruitful for all involved.

Amoore is at her best when she has a quality big alongside her. Think back to her time at Virginia Tech where Amoore and Liz Kitley led the Hokies to the 2023 Final Four.

Amoore just makes life easier for bigs with her high IQ and ability to get out and run. If you’re a big playing with Amoore, get up and down the court with purpose and she will reward you; the good news for Washington fans is that the three aforementioned bigs will do just that.

With a young and athletic core of players, Washington will want to push the pace. This is going to suit Amoore and Melbourne perfectly as both are deadly in the open court, have speed to burn and create opportunities for their teammates with impressive vision.

While Amoore and Melbourne will ultimately be battling against one another for playing time, the thought of them developing together and playing key roles on a rebuilding Washington team is an exciting prospect for Australian basketball fans.  

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.