Free agent moves, trades and major college performances continue to influence Sportzshala’s 2023 WNBA draft tryout. And thanks in part to recent trades involving draft picks, our fourth update comes just a week after our previous forecast.
We still don’t know how many high school four-year-olds might return for a fifth season due to the pandemic-affected 2020-21 school year, so there’s no guarantee that all players in this dummy draft will win. they themselves have the right to call.
Most players have publicly stated that they will make this decision after the end of their college season, in which case we considered inclusion. Senior postal player Mackenzie Holmes of the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers didn’t say for sure she would return to college, but told Sportzshala she’s leaning very strongly in that direction. At the moment, we have not included it in the consideration of the project. Also, as of now, no draft-eligible juniors have publicly stated they will announce, so they weren’t included either.
Top Pick Alia Boston was the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks’ single first round pick in our first three tryout drafts. But this time, Gamecocks defense specialist Brea Beal joins Boston in the first round, while another South Carolina defenseman, Zia Cooke, also received consideration.
The three-round draft will take place on April 10.
First round
1 Indiana Fever: Alia Boston
South Carolina Gamecocks | forward | 6 feet 5 | older
Boston is ready not only from a game point of view, but also from a leadership point of view. And she won’t be shy about having Fever put a lot on her shoulders, hoping to finally return to the franchise they used to be. Boston’s stats (13.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg) are down from last season due to Gamecocks depth, but she’s even better overall as she’s studied the WNBA and knows what she needs to add and improve to the next level.
2 Minnesota Lynx: Diamond Miller
Maryland Turps | security | 6 feet 3 | older
Miller’s size, speed and ability to manage the floor could be a big advantage for the Lynx team rebuilding after the retirement of Sylvia Fowles. Minnesota may be arguing between Miller and Hayley Jones in this selection. If the Lynxes pick Miller, who is averaging 19.8 points and 6.6 rebounds, she will give them an explosive transition player who is difficult to defend and seems to have a high ceiling.
3. Dallas Wings: Haley Jones
Stanford Cardinal | security guard | 6 feet 1 | older
The Wings may see Jones as a potential elite playmaker who doesn’t necessarily need to score a lot to make a big impact in a game. She’s averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists for Stanford, which demands a lot from her. Jones’ lack of three-point shots — 3 of 29 this season and 23 of 102 in her Stanford career — may not be a big deal for Dallas.
4 Washington Mystics: Maddie Sigrist
Villanova Wildcats | forward | 6 feet 2 | older
Siegrist is moving up in the rankings in part because her numbers continue to rise: she leads Division I basketball in scoring (29.4 points per game), while shooting 53.8% from the field and averaging 9.3 rebounds. The Mystics are a strong defensive team that can get an offensive boost from Siegrist, who scored 50 points on 20-of-26 shots on Feb. 11. Washington can see Siegrist as a part of Elena Delle Donne, even if she’s not as tall.
5. Dallas Wings: Ricky Jackson
Lady Tennessee Vols | forward | 6 feet 2 | older
Jackson, who averages 18.2 points per game, has always been a reliable scorer who fit the rim well. She’s averaging 5.9 rebounds and has some enticing defensive growth opportunities that new Wings coach Latricia Trammell specializes in and teaches well.
6. Atlanta Dream: Jordan Horston
Lady Tennessee Vols | security | 6 feet 2 | older
Horston is averaging 15.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists and may be Dream’s “best available player” at this stage of the draft. Her size, length and push should also match the style Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright hopes to play.
7 Indiana Fever: Brea Beal
South Carolina Gamecocks | security guard | 6 feet 1 | older
General manager Lyn Dunn’s preference for great quarterbacks may be coupled with Beal’s reputation as one of the most elite quarterbacks in college. Beal averages just 5.6 points per game, along with 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, but the Gamecocks don’t need her to score. Indiana could keep Beal and his South Carolina teammate Boston together in the WNBA.
8. Atlanta Dream: Elizabeth Keatley
Virginia Tech University | center | 6 feet 6 | older
Keatley has been running like clockwork: 18.0 points per game, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 points per game this season, the same as in the previous two years. She would give Dream a serious big player inside who showed that she could run the court, which she would need to do well to make it to the WNBA.
9 Seattle Storm: Charisma Osbourne
UCLA | security | 5 feet 9 | older
Osbourne is a tireless guard who also averages 15.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She could help the Storm move on after the retirement of legendary point guard Sue Bird. Osbourne hit 212 3-pointers in her career with the Bruins and held a senior position at UCLA.
10. Los Angeles Sparks: Ashley Joens
Iowa Cyclones | attacker/guard | 6 feet 1 | older
Joans, one of the top scorers in Big 12 history, has scored 167 points under 3,000 in her career. She made 317 3-pointers at Iowa State, shooting nearly 36 percent from behind the arc, but also never shying away from fighting inside. With 20.2 points per game and 9.1 rebounds, Joens is highly motorized and never stops moving, the type of player new Sparks coach Kurt Miller can appreciate.
11. Dallas Wings: Madi Williams
Oklahoma Sooners | forward | 6 feet 0 | older
Williams is the top scorer (16.0 ppg) and second most rebounds (6.2 rebounds) on a Big 12 contending Oklahoma team. She shoots 53.0% from the field and could get a shot at a WNBA team. in his native Texas. A hitter the size of Williams needs heart, hustle and ball sense, traits she possesses.
12 Minnesota Lynx: Dorca Juhas
UConn Huskies| forward | 6 feet 5 | older
Juhas has performed well for the Huskies since a thumb injury earlier in the season, averaging a double-double of 14.4 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Her size, production and UConn pedigree could make her a good fit for the Lynx, which is being built around former Huskies star Napheesa Collier.
Source: www.espn.com
