NEW YORK — There isn’t any doubt who’s going first within the WNBA draft subsequent Monday with UConn’s Paige Bueckers the consensus high decide. After that it will get attention-grabbing with Olivia Miles’ resolution to go away Notre Dame and enter the NCAA switch portal as a substitute of the draft. The Washington Mystics, with a brand new coach and normal supervisor, management the route of the draft with the third, fourth and sixth picks. 5 groups haven’t got picks within the opening spherical as New York, Indiana, Phoenix and Atlanta all traded away their picks. Las Vegas forfeited its decide following an investigation by the league in 2023 that discovered the franchise violated league guidelines relating to impermissible participant advantages and office insurance policies.
This is a take a look at how the primary spherical might look on Monday:
1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn
A generational participant who averaged 20.0 factors and shot 42.4% from behind the 3-point line this season. Bueckers is among the best gamers in faculty basketball and can pair with Arike Ogunbowale within the Wings’ backcourt.
2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France
The 6-foot-6 heart performed for the French Olympic staff final yr and has a vivid future within the WNBA. She averaged 15.0 factors and 10.3 rebounds to date this season whereas taking part in for Lyon. Whereas Seattle has a stable frontcourt with Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike, it is exhausting to move up on this proficient 19-year-old.
3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
She averaged 14.3 factors and 5.8 rebounds throughout her profession at Notre Dame and in addition improved her defence to develop into one of many high defenders on the staff. She could be the primary of three first-round picks for a rebuilding Washington staff and is in want of a stable wing. Citron has shot over 90% from the free-throw line the previous two seasons, the most effective percentages within the nation.
4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, Southern California
Was a star at Stanford earlier than heading to USC for her final season. She’s risen her recreation since JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear and helped get the staff to the Elite Eight. She averaged 18.2 factors and eight.3 rebounds this season and shall be one other good addition to a rebuilding Mystics staff.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Morrow led the nation in double-doubles, averaging 18.7 factors and 13.5 rebounds a recreation. She is second in that class for a profession, behind solely Oklahoma nice Courtney Paris, having greater than 100 in her profession at LSU and DePaul.
The 6-foot-1 Morrow has a toughness and nostril for the basketball.
6. Washington Mystics: Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
The Mystics may have had a variety of possibilities to see Sellers play in faculty with the Terrapins proper up the street. She has measurement at 6-foot-2, but additionally performs the guard and wing spot. Her versatility makes her a sexy decide for the Mystics. She was the primary participant in Maryland historical past to have 1,500 factors, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in her profession.
7. Connecticut Solar: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania
Jocyte showcased her scoring abilities with a 22-point effort towards Belgium within the EuroBasket qualifiers. She’s a flexible participant who can play any of the guard positions and is absolutely efficient on the decide and roll. Has a toughness about her and is essentially sound. Solar coach Rachid Meziane, who has frolicked teaching within the French league, is nicely conscious of her skills.
8. Connecticut Solar: Sania Feagin, South Carolina
Daybreak Staley has produced a plethora of proficient publish gamers over the previous couple of years, from A’ja Wilson to Aliyah Boston to Kamilla Cardoso. The South Carolina coach believes Feagin could possibly be the following one to have an effect within the WNBA, predicting over the weekend that she’ll be a lottery decide. At 6-3, Feagin has measurement and shoots over 60% from the sector.
9. Los Angeles Sparks: Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame
Westbeld missed the primary half of this season whereas recovering from a foot damage, and with Miles and Hannah Hidalgo getting nearly all of the photographs, it was troublesome for the 6-3 ahead to get again to the numbers she put up the yr earlier than. Westbeld averaged 14.4 factors, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 2023-24.
10. Chicago Sky: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
The Sky might pair Amoore with veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot to assist the Australian be taught the professional recreation. She averaged 19.6 factors and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season after transferring from Virginia Tech to play for Kenny Brooks, her former Hokies coach earlier than he took the job in Lexington.
11. Minnesota Lynx: Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Van Lith turned the primary participant to play on three totally different groups within the Elite Eight after seeing her faculty profession revitalized at TCU. She averaged 17.7 factors and 5.5 assists to assist the Horned Frogs attain the Elite Eight for the primary time at school historical past. She additionally has some professional expertise serving to the U.S. win a bronze medal in 3-on-3 ultimately yr’s Paris Olympics.
12. Dallas Wings: Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia
Sivka is a multilevel scoring ahead with environment friendly shot-making skill. She remodeled 42% from the 3-point line. At 6-4, she is a troublesome matchup to defend.
Different gamers to be careful for who could possibly be taken within the first spherical or early within the second embody: Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina; Sedona Prince, TCU; JJ Quinerly, West Virginia; Aziaha James, N.C. State; Sania Rivers, N.C. State and Makayla Timpson, Florida State.
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