Study Aaliyah Edwards’ game in Year One, and it won’t be long before one recognizes her veteran-like knack for hiding in plain sight, only to then use a quick, intuitive move to create a big-time play. Through a season-best performance on June 6, 2024, though, there would be no such blending in on the box score for the Washington Mystics’ No. 6 pick. Already guaranteed a versatile highlight reel by night’s end, Edwards coolly jogs the floor in defensive transition, hanging back just slightly as the unassuming Chicago Sky prepare for a wide-open layup. Like a predator preparing its strike, Edwards, at the last second, rotates into the paint, reaching out to deliver an emphatic swat of Chennedy Carter’s layup, block No. 3 of the unfinished night. Washington didn’t generate a victory, though Edwards provided a historic presence nonetheless, running up 23 points — including 16 on seven-of-seven shooting in the first half — alongside 14 rebounds, two dimes, a steal, and four blocks. Ultimately, it made Edwards just WNBA history’s sixth-ever rookie to record a 20-point, 10-rebound, four-block game or better. · Jun 6, 2024