The Washington Mystics draftee has been a consistent contributor for the Cats, who are on track to win a second straight continental title.
Women’s EuroBasket 2025 is currently going on with no active Washington Mystics players. But one of their recent draftees, power forward Nastja Claessens, plays for Belgium, where she will try to help the Cats get to their second straight Women’s EuroBasket gold medal.
Given that former Mystics star Emma Meesseman is Cats’ top player (and is the best player in this tournament) and plays power forward herself, Claessens is a rotation player who won’t get 30 minutes a game. But Claessens has also averaged a respectable 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Her best performance was a 14 point performance e against Montenegro where she shot 3-of-4 from the field and made 5-of-6 free throws.
Overall, Claessens has received consistent minutes, even with the Cats now facing tougher competition now that they are in the semifinals. They will play Italy on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET in Greece. After, the Cats will be in a medal game against the winner or loser of the France vs. Spain semifinal on Sunday. Hopefully we’ll see one more strong performance from her before it’s all said and done.
It’s early to say what kind of a role Claessens could have on the Mystics, and I’ll be honest. She would be in a crowded rotation with the current squad since Kiki Iriafen, Aaliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin are all in the post. But the WNBA is expanding and Claessen’s development, whether for the Cats or on the international professional stage, could make her a trade target for other teams in the future.