There is a singular event every April that marks the calendar turn in female basketball.
While the Transfer Portal continues and the Training Carousel continues to turn, the WNBA annual draft marks the end of the university campaign and the beginning of the season for the best Professional League of Women’s Basketball on the planet.
This draft is interesting. While the UCONN star and the recent national champion Coronado Paige Bueckers is expected to be number 1 in general to the Dallas Wings, which happens after that is a assumption of anyone. The perspectives that could be written in the first round include the Malonga Dominique of 6 feet and 6 of France, Anesah Morow of LSU, Sonia Citron de Notre Dame, Van Lith of TCU and a pair of intriguing and dynamic guards of the state of NC.
Notable, six teams enter Monday night without first round selections, including Atlanta Dream, Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury. Almost half of the league changed its selections or, in the case of the ACES, had tasks of them due to violating the rules of the league.
As the draft progresses Monday night, we will qualify each selection in real time, and then adjust the exchanges and other surprises how they are reported. Follow this page refreshing to obtain an instant analysis in each of the first 12 selections.
Here are the selections:
1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, Uconn
Grade: A+
This was obvious. Bueckers has been projected for a long time as the best choice in this draft and has obtained comparisons with Chelsea Gray and Chris Paul. She is a versatile, complete and change guard that in UConn showed that it could be the main pass, shooter, rebounder and defender of the team. Bueckers can be an elite offensive collaborator with and without the ball in his hands, since he can create shots for herbostar and ether, while also bee capable of flying around the selections and knocking off opportunities for capture and shot. And if that is not enough, she is also a good defender. She leaves the university and enters the WNBA as a national champion, a scorer of three levels and a prospect that cannot be lost.
2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France
Grade: A+
The American public should become familiar with Malonga quickly. They have compared it to Victor Wembanyama and Andraya Carter de ESPN and Chiney Ogmike called her the “robbery” of the draft. Malonga has 6 feet 6 inches and with a wingspan of 7 feet 1 and incredible athletics, he is able to sink the time the ball has in his hands. The 19 -year -old was the MVP in the Eurocup last season and possibly the best player in the French league. WNBA talent evaluators ate The next He identified his roof as “Lisa Leslie with a triple.” Carter also called her “absolute confrontation nightmare.”
3. Washington mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
Grade: A-
Citron had a coast in Notre Dame due to his human reel teammates in Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, but the 6 -foot 1 guard is a prominent cap in the defense and has the ability to make large shots in the offensive. Citron has a versatile offensive package and was a 37 percent 37 -point shooter for Fighting Irish. She is the prototype of three wings and D.
4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, USC
Grade: B-
The 6 -foot 3 -inch striker who spent time at the university playing for Stanford and USC is a fantastic edge corridor and a versatile striker who has made comparisons with Chiney Ogwumike. With the thought of the mystics, he could be struggling to play time with Aaliyah Edwards, whom the mystics took the sixth place in general last year of Uconn. Iriafen’s jumper could be more consistent, but she took the USC offensively when Juju Watkins fell with an injury. Iriafen compensates for what he lacks in the offensive at the other end, where he is an expert in defending multiple positions and was one of the best Ala defenders at the University last season.
5th Golden State Valkyries: JOZE JOCYTE, Lithuania
Grade: C-
There is a lot of unknown with Jocyte, who has played professional in France since 2019. He became the first Golden State draft team, but how much the 19 -year -old is not clear in the first year. Jocyte has been praised for his offensive versatility and domain in the Pick-And-Roll, but there are questions about his defense and durability. The Valkyries could have found their owner of the future here, but they are playing with a young international prospect.
6. Washington Mystics: Georgia Amore, Kentucky
Grade: B+
The advantage of mystics of what the Valkyries did not do at number 5 and grabbed a player who could be his shipowner in the coming years. The Australian owner base quickly developed under Kenny Brooks in a player who has a great vision of the court, was classified among the 10 best in the assists in each of the last two seasons, and some can be a deadly shooter. Amoore promoted Virginia Tech to his first ACO title and appearance in Final Four with Elizabeth Kitley, and then helped Brooks design an incredible one -year change in Kentucky. Mystics expect it to be continuously an improvement catalyst.
7. Connecticut Sun: Anesah Morrow, LSU
Grade: B-
Morrow left the university as the second most excellent rebounder in playing female basketball in the NCAA of Division I, since only Courtney Paris grabbed more tables than her. While Morrow is a large size for a striker with 6 feet 1, he has an unnegible and undeniable engine that helped his average of 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game last season for the Tigers, who advanced to the Eight Elite. Offensively, its consistency in the punctuation department needs some improvement, but you should have the opportunity to work on that as a rookie for a SUN team that needs a lot of help.
8. Connecticut Sun: Saniya Rivers, NC State
Grade: A-
The GM of the Chicago sky called Rivers “perhaps the best athlete” in the draft. She is a great guard with 6 feet 1 with a 6 -foot and 5 -inch wing period, with a good vision of the court, the ability to apply to the edge every time Shey, and a defensive arsenal that allows her to protect multiple positions. Rivers improved every year that was at university, where he helped NC State to go to a Four Four while gaining all-accon honors, but it seems that he is not close to reaching his potential. Rivers’s offensive game needs some development, but his defense will keep it on the court on the WNBA.
9. The sparks: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama
Grade: B-
While it seemed that there were better players on the board here, Barker left a great impression in his last university game, scoring 45 points in a defeat in the NCAA second round tournament in Maryland. She is a reliable and outstanding defender along the wing, she is sharp and has a high engine. Barker is a creator of offensive games with the ability to end on the edge and knock down deep shots consistently.
10. Chicago Sky: Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia
Grade: C+
The 3 – -inch combined striker has a fast release and a special ability to be a solid shooter, but he is also a great pin that has had an inclination to distribute assists that turn in the French league. Although the 19 -year -old projects to be a three and D player, it is not clear if he is ready to defend talented publications in the WNBA. If you continue to improve and develop, you should be a complementary player for the centerpiece of the sky, Angel Reese.
11. Chicago Sky: Hailey van Lith, TCU
Grade: A-
After a summer in which he won a 3×3 team of the US Olympic Bronze Medal., Van Lith had the best university season with TCU, with an average of 17.9 points and 5.4 assists per game while fired 45.2 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from the floor and 33.8 percom. From Lith Plays with unmatched competitiveness and arrogance and this season he brought TCU to a Big 12 title and an ELITE EIGHT appearance for the first time. He played at the Eight Elite every season that was in the university for three different teams, which is remarkable. De Lith will have the opportunity to learn from a great WNBA guard of all time in Courtney Vandersloot, and will meet with Reese, the former LSU teammate.
12. Dallas Wings: Asiaha James, North Carolina state
Grade: A-
In the transmission, Rebecca Lobo de ESPN asked, if you are a defense that faces Dallas with Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and Aziaha James, who do you keep?
In fact, defenders will have to choose their poison with Dallas, because James became an absolute bucket about four seasons in NC State. Last season he averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while fired 44.5 percent from the floor. She is a microwave scorer, a left -handed with a smooth handle and a silky jump, and a player who constantly stuns the minds of her defenders. Apparently, James continues to improve every season and if he continues with that career, Dallas may have given Gods the theft of the draft.
