Basketball <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a singular event each April that marks the turn of the calendar in women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n
While the transfer portal rages on<\/a> and the coaching carousel keeps spinning<\/a>, the annual WNBA<\/a> Draft marks the end of the college campaign and the start of the season for the best professional women\u2019s basketball league on the planet.<\/p>\n This draft is an interesting one. While UConn<\/a> star and recently crowned national champion Paige Bueckers<\/a> is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings, what happens after that is anyone\u2019s guess. Prospects that could be drafted in the first round include the 6-foot-6 Dominique Malonga from France, LSU\u2019s Aneesah Morrow<\/a>, Notre Dame<\/a>\u2019s Sonia Citron, TCU\u2019s Hailey Van Lith<\/a>, and a pair of intriguing and dynamic guards from N.C. State<\/a>.<\/p>\n Notably, six teams enter Monday night without first-round picks, including the Atlanta Dream, Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and the Phoenix Mercury. Nearly half the league either traded their picks away, or \u2014 in the case of the Aces \u2014 had it taken from them due to violating league rules.<\/p>\n As Monday night\u2019s draft goes on, we\u2019ll grade each pick in real time, and then we\u2019ll adjust for trades and other surprises as those are reported. Keep refreshing this page to get instant analysis on each of the first 12 selections.<\/p>\n Here are the picks:<\/p>\n Grade: A+<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This was a no-brainer. Bueckers has long been projected as the top pick in this draft and has garnered comparisons to Chelsea Gray and Chris Paul. She\u2019s a versatile, well-rounded and shapeshifting guard who at UConn proved that she could be the team\u2019s top passer, shooter, rebounder and defender. Bueckers can be an elite offensive contributor with and without the ball in her hands, in that she can create shots for herself and others, while also being capable of flying around picks and knocking down catch-and-shoot opportunities. And if that isn\u2019t enough, she\u2019s a fine defender too. She leaves college and enters the WNBA as a national champion, a three-level scorer and a can\u2019t-miss prospect.<\/p>\n Grade: A+<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n American audiences should get familiar with Malonga quickly. She\u2019s been compared to Victor Wembanyama and ESPN\u2019s Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogumike called her the \u201csteal\u201d of the draft. Malonga is 6-foot-6 and \u2014 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and incredible athleticism \u2014 is capable of dunking whenever she has the ball in her hands. The 19-year-old was the MVP in the EuroCup this past season and arguably the best player in the French league. The WNBA talent evaluators at The Next<\/em> identified her<\/a> ceiling as \u201cLisa Leslie with a 3-pointer.\u201d Carter also called her an \u201cabsolute matchup nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n Grade: A-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Citron was often overshadowed at Notre Dame because of her head-turning human-highlight reel teammates in Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, but the 6-foot-1 guard is a standout stopper on defense and has the ability to make big shots on offense. Citron has a versatile offensive package and was a 37 percent 3-point shooter for the Fighting Irish. She is the prototypical three-and-D wing. <\/p>\n Grade: B-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The 6-foot-3 forward who spent time in college playing for Stanford and USC is a fantastic rim-runner and a versatile forward who has drawn comparisons to Chiney Ogwumike. With the Mystics though, she could be battling for playing time with Aaliyah Edwards, who the Mystics took sixth overall last year out of UConn. Iriafen\u2019s jumper could be more consistent, but she carried USC offensively when JuJu Watkins went down with an injury. Iriafen makes up for whatever she lacks on offense on the other end where she is adept at defending multiple positions and was one of the best wing defenders in college this past season.<\/p>\n Grade: C-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of unknown with Jocyte, who has played professionally in France since 2019. She becomes Golden State\u2019s first-ever draft pick, but how much the 19-year-old will contribute in Year One is unclear. Jocyte has been lauded for her offensive versatility and mastery in the pick-and-roll, but questions remain about her defense and durability. The Valkyries could have found their starting point guard of the future here, but are gambling on a young international prospect instead. <\/p>\n Grade: B+<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The Mystics took advantage of what the Valkyries didn\u2019t do at No. 5 and grabbed a player that could be their point guard for years to come. The firecracker Australian point guard developed quickly under Kenny Brooks into a player who has great court vision \u2014 she ranked in the top 10 nationally in assists in each of the past two seasons \u2014 and someone who can be a deadly shooter popping around screens. Amoore powered Virginia Tech to its first-ever ACC title and Final Four appearance with Elizabeth Kitley, and then helped Brooks engineer an incredible one-year turnaround at Kentucky. The Mystics are hoping she can continue to be a catalyst for improvement.<\/p>\n Grade: B-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Morrow left college as the second-greatest rebounder to ever play Division I NCAA women\u2019s basketball, as only Courtney Paris grabbed more boards than her. While Morrow is undersized for a forward at 6-foot-1, she has an unstoppable and undeniable motor that helped her average 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game this past season for the Tigers, who advanced to the Elite Eight. Offensively, her consistency in the scoring department needs some improvement, but she should get the chance to work on that as a rookie for a Sun team that needs a lot of help.<\/p>\n Grade: A-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The GM of the Chicago Sky called Rivers \u201cmaybe the best athlete<\/a>\u201d in the draft. She\u2019s a big guard at 6-foot-1 with a 6-foot-5 wing span, with good court vision, the ability to get to the rim seemingly whenever she wants to, and a defensive arsenal that allows her to guard multiple positions. Rivers got better each year she was in college \u2014 where she helped N.C. State go to a Final Four while earning All-ACC honors \u2014 but it feels like she isn\u2019t close to reaching her potential. Rivers\u2019 offensive game needs some development, but her defense will keep her on the court in the WNBA.<\/p>\n1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn<\/h2>\n
2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France<\/h2>\n
3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame<\/h2>\n
4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, USC<\/h2>\n
5. Golden State Valkyries: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania<\/h2>\n
6. Washington Mystics: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky<\/h2>\n
7. Connecticut Sun: Aneesah Morrow, LSU<\/h2>\n
8. Connecticut Sun: Saniya Rivers, N.C. State<\/h2>\n
9. LA Sparks: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama<\/h2>\n