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The 2023 WNBA Draft is upon us! It’s an exciting time for women’s basketball and there will be a lot of young talent entering the league.
DRAFT ORDER
- Indiana Fever
- Minnesota Lynx (from Sparks)
- Dallas Wings (from Dream)
- Washington Mystics (from Lynx)
- Dallas Wings (from Mercury)
- Atlanta Dream (from Liberty)
- Indiana Fever (from Wings)
- Atlanta Dream (from Mystics)
- Seattle Storm
- Los Angeles Sparks (from Sun)
- Dallas Wings (from Sky)
- Minnesota Lynx (from Aces)
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Atlanta Dream
- Minnesota Lynx
- Indiana Fever (from Mercury)
- Seattle Storm (from Liberty)
- Dallas Wings
- Washington Mystics
- Seattle Storm
- Connecticut Sun
- Chicago Sky
- Minnesota Lynx (from Aces)
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Phoenix Mercury (from Dream)
- Minnesota Lynx
- Phoenix Mercury
- New York Liberty
- Dallas Wings
- Washington Mystics
- Seattle Storm
- Connecticut Sun
- Chicago Sky
- Las Vegas Aces
TOP PROSPECTS
- ALIYAH BOSTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
- DIAMOND MILLER, MARYLAND
- MADDIE SIEGRIST, VILLANOVA
- HALEY JONES, STANFORD
- STEPHANIE SOARES, IOWA STATE
- JORDAN HORSTON, TENNESSEE
- ZIA COOKE, SOUTH CAROLINA
- GRACE BERGER, INDIANA
- DORKA JUHASZ, CONNECTICUT
- LO LOPEZ SENECHAL, CONNECTICUT
- BREA BEAL, SOUTH CAROLINA
- ASHLEY JOENS, IOWA STATE
- TAYLORR MIKESELL, OHIO STATE
- ALEXIS MORRIS, LSU
- LAETICIA AMIHERE, SOUTH CAROLINA
- RICKEA JACKSON, TENNESSEE
- CHARISMA OSBORNE, UCLA
- TAYLOR ROBERTSON, OKLAHOMA
- JESSIKA CARTER, MISSISSIPPI STATE
- LEIGHA BROWN, MICHIGAN
- CELESTE TAYLOR, DUKE
- MONIKA CZINANO, IOWA
- DYAISHA FAIR, SYRACUSE
- HANNAH JUMP, STANFORD
- KAYANA TRAYLOR, VIRGINIA TECH
- MACKENZIE HOLMES, INDIANA
- KEISHANA WASHINGTON, DREXEL
- JACY SHELDON, OHIO STATE
- ASHLEY OWUSU, VIRGINIA TECH
- ABBY MEYERS, MARYLAND
- HONESTY SCOTT-GRAYSON, AUBURN
- ELENA TSINEKE, SOUTH FLORIDA
- DIAMOND BATTLES, GEORGIA
- JAKIA BROWN-TURNER, NC STATE
- MYAH SELLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
- SHAYLEE GONZALES, TEXAS
- QUINESHA LOCKETT, TOLEDO
- KK DEANS, FLORIDA
- LAUREN EBO, NOTRE DAME
- KIKI JEFFERSON, JAMES MADISON
STORYLINES
POWER SCHOOLS
Teams like South Carolina, Connecticut, Stanford, and Maryland will all have multiple players selected; often times such programs just reload with more top tier talent, but losing several players of this caliber could cause them to take a step back. The real question is if any of these players that benefitted from having such talented teammates and being part of specific systems will struggle to have an impact in a league where every player was a top college star.
THE FUTURE
With New York and Las Vegas building super teams, the focus of the teams who have accumulated picks in this year’s draft is on finding building blocks to set themselves up for sustained success in the future. None of these teams are one player away from the elite stratosphere occupied by the Liberty and the Aces.
REBUILDING QUICKLY
11 of the top 19 picks belong to the Fever, Wings, and Lynx. If any of these teams strike gold on multiple picks, they could escalate their rebuilding process. The converse is also true, however. Completely striking out on so many high picks could set a franchise back for a couple of years.
THE FEVER
Indiana has struggled for years, but this is the 1st time they’ve had the #1 pick. Boston could turn their franchise around and make them relevant. After ending the season on an 18-game losing streak, the organization is embracing the opportunity to add a franchise cornerstone player and move forward.
LIMITED OPPORTUNITY
The way WNBA rosters are currently structured limits the number of slots that are actually available. Many of the players drafted my not make an opening day roster and may never even play a minute in the league. As the talent pool expands, it will be interesting to see if the league decides to expand rosters or add new teams.
QUICK TURNAROUND
The WNBA does not have the extended gap between the draft and opening day that the NBA does. Training camps open in less than 3 weeks and the season starts in 7 weeks, on May 19th.