Recapping the WNBA Draft
Aliyah Boston with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
New York City, NY (PSF) — Monday night, the WNBA hosted their 28th draft. The draft resulted in few surprises, but the excitement was clear. The University of South Carolina presented five draftees, the most by any school this year. Each team was looking for something a little different, and most found that.
Indiana Fever:
The Fever had the first pick in the draft, and they chose South Carolina’s star center Aliyah Boston. This was absolutely the right choice. The Fever have not made the playoffs since 2016 and have been struggling recently. Boston’s talents on both sides of the ball could be the start of a great rebuild for the Fever. The Fever also drafted Grace Berger (7th, Indiana), Taylor Mikesell (13th, Ohio State), LaDazhia WIlliams (17th, LSU), and Victoria Saxton (25th, South Carolina). The Fever are already a young team, so it will be interesting to see how they mesh and grow.
Minnesota Lynx:
Coming off the retirement of star Sylvia Fowles, the Lynx are in need of a center. The team has been kind of middle of the pack recently, so they are looking to return to the playoffs. They haven’t been in the Finals since winning the 2017 championship. With the second pick of the draft, they took Maryland guard, Diamond Miller. She’ll definitely add some fire, especially when paired with Napheesa Collier. They also drafted Maia Hirsch (12th, France), Dorka Juhasz (16th, UConn), Brea Beal (24th, South Carolina, and Taylor Soule (28th, Virginia Tech). Beal was the steal of the draft. It was shocking that she was still on the board at the end of the first round, let alone at the end of the second.
Dallas Wings:
The Wings have been in the midst of a rebuild the last couple of years. This off-season has not been great to them, so they needed some good draft picks. And they got that with Villanova forward Maddy Siegrist and Iowa State center Stephanie Soares. They had four total first round picks, with six total picks. They also drafted Lou Lopez Senchal (5th, UConn), Abby Meyers (11th, Maryland), Ashley Joens (19th, Iowa State), and Paige Robinson (31st, Illinois State).
Washington Mystics:
They did not have a pick until the second round, where they took University of South Florida guard, Elena Tsineke. With their only other pick, they drafted Txell Alarcon, a guard from Spain, 32nd. The Mystics draft class is nothing incredibly special. They are mainly keeping their team from last year, and focusing on Elena Delle Donne. It will be interesting to see how and if these two fit with the team.
Atlanta Dream:
The Dream picked up Haley Jones, a guard from Stanford with the 6th pick. It was absolutely the best choice for them. She doesn’t have a super strong outside shot, but she’s versatile. They also picked up Laeticia Amihere (8th, South Carolina) and Leigha Brown (15th, Michigan). The Dream is a young team, with a fantastic coach, so these rookies will fit in well.
Seattle Storm:
The Storm lost a lot of their top players this off-season, so they’re due for their first rebuild in a long time. Sue Bird and Briann January retired. Breanna Stewart and Stephanie Talbot both left in free agency. They picked up Jordan Horston (9th, Tenneesse), Madi Williams (18th, Oklahoma), and Jade Loville (33rd, Arizona). They didn’t pick up a point guard, which could hurt them this season. They’re definitely going to look very different this year.
Los Angeles Sparks:
The Sparks successfully re-signed a lot of their stars, including the Ogwumike sisters. They drafted Zia Cooke (10th, South Carolina), Shaneice Swain (14th, Australia),and Monika Czinano (26th, Iowa). Czinano proved her talents with Iowa’s March Madness dominance this year, and its going to be fun to watch at the pro level.
Alexis Morris with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert
AP Photo/Adam Hunger
Connecticut Sun:
The Sun may not have been able to win a championship last year, but they drafted a champion. They picked up LSU guard, Alexis Morris (22nd). She is going to be a great addition to the team, especially given the loss of Jonquel Jones. They also picked up Asten Prechtel (34th, Stanford).
Chicago Sky:
The Sky are also in a midst of a major rebuild. Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot both left the team for Las Vegas and New York, respectively. They drafted Kayana Traylor (23rd, Virginia Tech) and Kseniya Malashka (35th, Middle Tennessee). It’s not totally clear what is next for the Sky or how well they’ll do this year, but they definitely have a lot of work to do and both Traylor and Malashka have a chance to shine.
Phoenix Mercury:
The Mercury are doing well. They have not been dominant, but they’re not failing either. Last season was plagued by injury and controversy. Brittney Griner was imprisoned in Russia and Skylar Diggins-Smith made some controversial statements and showed some concerning behaviors. Diana Taurasi also dealt with a lingering hamstring injury. Griner is returning, Diggins-Smith is questionable (due to pregnancy), and Taurasi has signed a contract extension. The Mercury only had one draft pick, picking up Kadi Sissoko from USC. It will be interesting to see how or if she fits in with the team. A lot of eyes will be on the Mercury this year.
New York Liberty:
The Liberty were building a super team this year, adding Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot, and Breanna Stewart. They only had one draft pick, adding USC’s Okako Askia (30th). A lot of people will be paying attention to the Liberty, and it’s not clear if Askia will get a whole lot of playing time, but she’ll be surrounded by some of the current best players in the WNBA, and have a ton of learning opportunities.
Las Vegas Aces:
The Aces are already a super team. The reigning champs are boasting the likes of A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and new addition Candace Parker. They have no real need for a lot of rookies, and only drafted one person. With the final pick in the draft, they picked up Alabama guard, Brittany Davis. Davis may not get a ton of minutes this season, but she’ll have the opportunity to learn from some of the current greats of basketball.
