Updated WNBA simulation draft 2023

The lottery balls are finally on the right track, and without a doubt, players Indiana Fever will choose with WNBA’s #1 Draft Pick next April.

The Fever has the highest odds (44.2%) to get the #1 pick, something the organization has never had before. That changed on Friday when Fever won the WNBA draft lottery, followed by Minnesota Lynxthe Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics.

Tamika Catchings, No. 3 pick in 2001, is the greatest player in Fever history and one of the all-time greats of women’s basketball. But Indiana hasn’t made it to the knockouts since Catchings retired after the 2016 season.

The Fever enjoyed draft success during that time period with Kelsey Mitchell (No. 2 of 2018), Victoria Vivian (No. 8 of 2018), NaLyssa Smith (No. 2 in 2022) and Queen Egbo (No. 10 in 2022). But Indiana is still looking to get back to being truly competitive. This year, Fever had a change of coach at the start of the season and a youth team finished 5-3.

Seniors still have the option to return for the fifth season due to the pandemic-affected 2020-21 school year, so there’s no guarantee all of these players will qualify for the draft. But with the information we have currently, here is an early prediction of the first round of the draft, scheduled for April 10, 2023.

First round

South Carolina fighting cock | forward | 6 foot-5 | elder

She is the player that Fever desperately needs. Boston is the draft for sure, as long as she doesn’t surprise her and chooses to stay for a fifth season in college. That is not expected at this point. Boston was national player of the year last season and is a repeat priority, as is the Gamecocks, as national champions. She is the most professional ready college player, with stellar finishing skills, footwork, defensive ability and understanding. With a general manager and a new coach focused on defense, Fever could land a rookie spot in Boston who already has elite pro-level defensive abilities.

Cardinal Stanford | protection | 6 feet-1 | elder

The Lynx missed last season’s playoffs for the first time since 2010, and they have to adjust to life without retired midfielder Sylvia Fowles. NCAA Player of the Year in 2021, Jones could be a brilliant player to the next level, along with becoming a more dynamic goalscorer than she was at Stanford. It’s not fair to compare anyone to greats like Seimone Augustus or Maya Moore, both of which are Minnesota’s #1 picks. But Jones can be a big wing/guardian who makes her own legacy with the Lynx.

Tennessee Lady Vols | forward | 6 foot-2 | elder

After great protection Rhyne Howard with last season’s #1 pick – she was the WNBA Rookie of the Year – Dream might want to pick an active card player. Jackson is entering her first season in Tennessee and will likely greatly influence how far Lady Vols will go. She was the SEC’s top scorer when she left Mississippi State last January after two coach changes. During her time with the Bulldogs, she averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 bounces, and 1.4 steals. If she can get similar numbers this season, that would be good for Lady Vols and her draft stock.

Maryland Shoals | protection | 6-foot-3 | elder

Mystics can stay close to home with this option and get the great protection of Maryland. She left the Terps opener with an injury on Monday, and she also had injury problems last season. But if Miller has had a healthy overall season, she could be a strong offensive player in transition with Washington, capable of developing defensively. Mystics led the WNBA in defensive ratings last season, so her progress there is important. Her injury status will be a key issue, but Miller’s talent and potential is beyond doubt.

UCLA Bruins | protection | 5 foot-9 | elder

Osborne went somewhat unnoticed when the Bruins missed the NCAA tournament last season, even though they advanced to the WNIT semifinals. A solid attacking player, Osborne led the Bruins with 16.4 PPG last season. But she’s even better defensively, and Sky could see her as a key addition in the outer ring after a disappointing end to their 2022 season with a playoff loss to Connecticut. .

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Jordan Horston got and-1 fell

Tennessee Lady Vols | protection | 6-foot-2 | elder

Horston had a very good junior year cut short due to an elbow injury, and expectations were high for her and Tennessee. She has great size and defensive instincts on the wings, which could make her valuable to Liberty. While rotation and shot selection were issues for Horston, she averaged 16.2 points last season, along with 9.4 rebounds. She suffered a leg injury in Tennessee’s win on Thursday that forced her to leave that match, but she has since been judged to be getting better and better.

Baylor Bears | forward / protect | 5-foot-11 | elder

Blackwell is an outstanding counter-player, averaging 13.0 last season and 10.2 in her three years at Missouri. She is agile, strong and has good instincts in both attack and defense. Can she adjust to playing more of the outer ring, as she will need in the pro game? Having former WNBA coach Nicki Collen guide her this season at Baylor would be good preparation.

Virginia Tech Hokies | center | 6-foot-6 | elder

There is no guarantee that centers can actually make the transition from college to WNBA today. But Kitley, last season’s ACC Player of the Year, has things in her favor. Last season, she averaged 18.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks; she got four or more blocks on nine occasions. Kitley has to get stronger and maybe a bit more aggressive to be a low-level legitimate threat and rim guard in the WNBA, but she’s slowly progressed during her time with the Hokies.

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Jacy Sheldon makes a sweet treat

Ohio State Buckeyes | protection | 6 foot-2 | elder

Any defender in the same conference as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is likely to be overshadowed. But keep an eye on Sheldon: She has an interesting fearlessness in her dribbling and opportunistic defense. Doing these things is a lot harder in the WNBA. But last season, she averaged 19.7 PPG while shooting 50.4% away and scoring nearly two steals per game.

Iowa State Tornado | forward / protect | 6-foot-1 | elder

The fifth-year senior has won the Cheryl Miller Award for the past two seasons and prides himself on being a hard-working player who would do anything to help his team. Iowa State doesn’t have many former WNBA successes (defence is often an issue), although former Joes teammate, Bridget Carleton (Lynx), found a location. Jones has been playing 3v3 a lot this summer and what she learned there could help her turn pro.

Oklahoma Sooners | forward | 6 pins-0 | elder

The five-year senior competed sublimely last season in the attack system of new coach Jennie Baranczyk, with an average of 18.0 points. In fact, Williams has been on the offensive throughout her Sooners career and she has a great motive. Defense is not her strong point as well as Oklahoma’s, but she is a reliable counter-attacker (7.5 RPG last season).

Duke Blue Devil | protection | 5 foot-11 | elder

After spending his first two seasons at Texas, Taylor transferred and averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Blues. Learning to defend under Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer helped her, and that’s what she brought to Duke. Taylor has a lot of areas where she can improve as a senior — declining sales is one of them — and if she does, she could make it to the first round.