2019 WNBA Draft

[asuwish]

My friend and I were talking about the draft and neither of us understand why Jackie Young went number one. Athletic, versatile, but not dominant. Not someone who takes over a game. Doesn't have that something that seperates her from everyone else.

 

[Orangutan]

My friend and I were talking about the draft and neither of us understand why Jackie Young went number one. Athletic, versatile, but not dominant. Not someone who takes over a game. Doesn't have that something that seperates her from everyone else.

That's a quote from the Vegas GM.

In Plum, McBride, and Wilson, they have scorers. And Jackie will score her share. But she'll complement those scorers with her defense, rebounding, and passing. And she can play multiple positions.

Jackie's not as explosive a scorer as Durr. But ask Stanford if she can take a game over. She dominated the second half of that Elite 8 game. And of course there was the 32 point Final Four game in 2018.

 

[bbsamjj]

Sun could have taken Turner, Cunningham, Jackson, Shepard, or Gustafson with first pick and I would have gone for one of them. (And they could have had Anriel Howard with their second pick, who I think might turn out to be the best player in the second round.) I guess it boils down to how good you think Anigwe will be as a pro, or how she fits with the current Sun roster.

Anigwe's rebound stats are impressive – but she was Cal's only rebounder in what was basically a four-guard lineup, and the team was often out-rebounded. Against teams with pro-level posts or defenses (Baylor, CT, Stanford, etc.) Anigwe did not particularly distinguish herself offensively. Her assist numbers were also weak as were her free throw shooting and the number of fouls she committed..

Compare Anigwe with Brianna Turner (who played fewer minutes) and Turner's stats are MUCH better in every category except for total rebounds. (ND played a MUCH tougher schedule than Cal, and ND had three 250+ rebounders on the team.)

I guess that's a double edged sword--when she took on pro-level posts or defenses, she was the SOLE FOCUS of their efforts, since she was Cal's best player by far. Yes, Turner has better FG% stats, but she was also surrounded by four other WNBA draft picks, and most of her scores were on put backs or lay-ups off of drives and assists from the three pro-level guards on her roster. Impossible to know how each would do if their roles were reversed.

Also, Anigwe definitely struggled against Baylor's Cox and Brown (but what post didn't), and somewhat against UConn, but I'd disagree with you on Stanford--she put up 20 and 20 on them in back to back games. Her Stanford averages this year: 19.7ppg, 19.3rpg. The Pac 12 was also the second best conference in the country, so ti wasn't like she was feasting on the sisters of the poor when she became the country's leading rebounder by nearly 3rpg. She's definitely rough offensively, but she reminds me a bit of a Rebekka Brunson coming out of college.

 

[Millenial23]

With all that so called talent, the sun, every year are a big disappointment. They might need a better coach who would get rid of some of the players.

I disagree with this. I'm not a huge follower of the WNBA, but enough to know that Miller brought a team with a losing record and bad attitude under the previous coach to a top 3 team, with the best record in the league a season or two ago, just had tough losses in the playoffs. And they seem to like playing together and for him now - good team chemistry. I see that as a coaching win. All they are missing is a Superstar - a Stewie or Diana or Maya, but there are only so many of those. So yes, there is room to grow, but I would say they have done very well the past few years.

 

[PacoBlaze]

Those are considered agreements between the states and that the person pays taxes in only one state, what I'm talking about is states like NY, CA, IL, etc take taxes out of players that don't live or work in their state, but comes in and plays a game or two and taxes that person's income, while that person is also taxed by the state that they live in. Lets take Gabby Williams, she lives and works in Chicago, but when she is on the road and plays in NY then CA, she pays taxes to NY and CA along with IL. A few years ago when the the NFL played the Super Bowl in NY the winners and losers payed prorated taxes for having the HONOR of playing in the Super Bowl in NY. The taxes were prorated off of the players yearly income and some of them actually paid more in taxes then what they made for playing in the Super Bowl, that's wrong.

Isn't that what I stated in my reply?
And how can another state take out taxes of the paycheck of an out of state person if that person has not filed a State W-4 for the state that they "worked" in?
I guess I can understand why NY, CA, and MA (for other non WNBA sports) would attempt this but any other State would kinda shock me.
But it doesn't matter, it has no effect on me or my life....

 

[MSUFan2003]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

 

[wallman]

The real story of the draft should be the fact that Baylor beat a team that had 3 top 10 and 5 top 20 picks in the draft, I mean c'mon, if that is not blowing it, I don't know what is. It will be the same situation for OR next year as they should be expected to win it all. Maybe some of these reporters who put together a mock draft that was terrible and then tried to make excuses for themselves should be spending time on how well Baylor did, along with the fact that they lost a player mid game. That is some heroics and saved ND from getting their butt handed to them.

As far as Cal goes, did you all forget the talent that they had hitting shots? Cal had players at each spot, now did they gel every game, NO. But ask yourself why the assists are so low.

As far a Young is concerned, Stanford did not adjust in the second half and were basically letting her get open shot after open shot. Not one of Taras better halves.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

ESPN's Mechelle Voepel just posted this article:
Notre Dame and Baylor still the story at WNBA draft
NCAA runner-up Notre Dame became the first team to get all five starters drafted, while two players from champion Baylor went in the top 15 picks.
I guess Baylor getting 2 players drafted in the top 15 overshadows UCONN having 2 players drafted in the top 6 picks. ESPN, why the bias against UCONN??

Maybe because Baylor won the NC and UConn didn't?

It is true that both teams had just played in the national championship game.

As an aside, this is what Voepel had to say about UConn players when she gave her WNBA Draft grades:

Minnesota Lynx: A+
Collier is a high-energy post player who will expand her game. Shepard can do a lot as a post, too. Rivals at UConn and Notre Dame the past two seasons, Collier and Shepard now could be the post duo of the future for Minnesota.

Chicago Sky: B
Samuelson as a lottery pick [top 4 pick] was a bit of a surprise. By the same token, there's no question she can score and gives Chicago another 3-point threat. And drafting UConn players high is always a good bet.

Not only were these accurate assessments (I, too, was surprised that Samuelson was taken ahead of Collier and that she was taken by Chicago, as she fit the needs of other teams -- e.g., New York, Dallas, LA, etc. -- more readily), but the last statement demonstrates the belief in and the analysis of UConn/Geno Auriemma in terms of developing players and preparing them for the WNBA/professional level.

WNBA draft grades: Phoenix and Minnesota score A-plus marks

 

[Jlong231]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

I think it depends on the team they are drafted to, if ur drafted to a veteran type of team then I’m sure it’s harder, because there’s only 12 spots, but if ur drafted to a team that needs help it’s probably easier to make the team. That’s basically what happened to Katie sister karlie last season, la felt she was good enough to make the team at first, but they didn’t have the room to sign her at first.

 

[MilfordHusky]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

It depends the specifics of the fit, but I'm pretty sure most second rounders don't make the rosters.

 

[j66kicker]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

I believe, on average, About 20 new draftees make rosters each year. First round usually a lock, 2nd round ~50/50, third round the odds are against you.

 

[maccca3232]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

Some stats from last year

 

[ocoandasoc]

I guess that's a double edged sword--when she took on pro-level posts or defenses, she was the SOLE FOCUS of their efforts, since she was Cal's best player by far. Yes, Turner has better FG% stats, but she was also surrounded by four other WNBA draft picks, and most of her scores were on put backs or lay-ups off of drives and assists from the three pro-level guards on her roster. Impossible to know how each would do if their roles were reversed.

Also, Anigwe definitely struggled against Baylor's Cox and Brown (but what post didn't), and somewhat against UConn, but I'd disagree with you on Stanford--she put up 20 and 20 on them in back to back games. Her Stanford averages this year: 19.7ppg, 19.3rpg. The Pac 12 was also the second best conference in the country, so ti wasn't like she was feasting on the sisters of the poor when she became the country's leading rebounder by nearly 3rpg. She's definitely rough offensively, but she reminds me a bit of a Rebekka Brunson coming out of college.

She made some free throws, but in the three Cal/Stanford games Anigwe was 17 for 44 (38%) from the floor and committed 14 fouls (yep, she fouled out twice). Cal lost by 25 and 18 points in the second and third games after winning by one in the first. Turner, in her one game against Stanford, shot 70%. She shot 57% against UConn, 70% in two games against Louisville, she shot only 36% against Baylor, but had 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Turner's season stats were better and she played in the BEST conference in the country and on a team with a tougher OOC schedule.

I'm not putting down Anigwe. She's a good player. I'm just saying that the Sun could have done better – and Turner is an example. If you were drafting, would you have taken Anigwe over Turner?

 

[maccca3232]

How hard is it for a 2nd round draft pick to make a roster?

Based on the last 9 years better than 50-50.

 

[Britt87]

She made some free throws, but in the three Cal/Stanford games Anigwe was 17 for 44 (38%) from the floor and committed 14 fouls (yep, she fouled out twice). Cal lost by 25 and 18 points in the second and third games after winning by one in the first. Turner, in her one game against Stanford, shot 70%. She shot 57% against UConn, 70% in two games against Louisville, she shot only 36% against Baylor, but had 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Turner's season stats were better and she played in the BEST conference in the country and on a team with a tougher OOC schedule.

I'm not putting down Anigwe. She's a good player. I'm just saying that the Sun could have done better – and Turner is an example. If you were drafting, would you have taken Anigwe over Turner?

Anigwe is not a good offensive player but she's a beast on the glass. I would take Turner over her in a heartbeat. Turner is also a better defender.

 

[Carnac]

Anigwe is not a good offensive player but she's a beast on the glass. I would take Turner over her in a heartbeat. Turner is also a better defender.

I'm bias. I'm a HUGE Turner fan since she arrived at ND, so of course I agree with you on this one.

 

[VA Huskie]

I'm bias. I'm a HUGE Turner fan since she arrived at ND, so of course I agree with you on this one.

Turner does have a pretty bad injury history though.

 

[Carnac]

Turner does have a pretty bad injury history though.

No argument there. Let's hope she leaves the injury bug behind when she leaves South Bend after graduation.
The climate in Phoenix is not conducive to injury bugs, or so I hear.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Anigwe dropped 50 in a game I believe during her Fr. year. How the hell does someone who is not a good offensive player manage that? Stats aren't everything but Anigwe's scoring and rebounding numbers are way better than Turner's throughout both of their careers.

 

[ocoandasoc]

Anigwe dropped 50 in a game I believe during her Fr. year. How the hell does someone who is not a good offensive player manage that? Stats aren't everything but Anigwe's scoring and rebounding numbers are way better than Turner's throughout both of their careers.

Anigwe's shooting percentage is way below Turner's. She has good rebounding numbers but she was the ONLY rebounder on the CAl team where ND had three with over 250 rebounds this year. (I think the highest number on Cal next to Anigwe was just over 100, and even with Anigwe Cal was frequently out-rebounded. Turner also played against better competition. Also, check out the assist and personal foul numbers. Turner is clearly superior to Anigwe.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Anigwe's shooting percentage is way below Turner's. She has good rebounding numbers but she was the ONLY rebounder on the CAl team where ND had three with over 250 rebounds this year. (I think the highest number on Cal next to Anigwe was just over 100, and even with Anigwe Cal was frequently out-rebounded. Turner also played against better competition. Also, check out the assist and personal foul numbers. Turner is clearly superior to Anigwe.

Well, it really depends on how you define things. Anigwe was option 1, 2 and 3 for Cal. Defenses routinely collapsed on her. Turner was option 4 or 5 for the Irish. How often did she face a double team? Her FG% was definitely better than Anigwe's, but I'm willing to bet she got more easy looks at the bucket than Anigwe did. I'll give Turner is more well rounded (passing, defense). I don't know about better though. Switch the 2 players and I don't think Turner is anywhere near as productive (point and rebounding) for Cal as Anigwe was. Of course impossible to prove, just my opinion.

 

[Dokey]

She made some free throws, but in the three Cal/Stanford games Anigwe was 17 for 44 (38%) from the floor and committed 14 fouls (yep, she fouled out twice). Cal lost by 25 and 18 points in the second and third games after winning by one in the first. Turner, in her one game against Stanford, shot 70%. She shot 57% against UConn, 70% in two games against Louisville, she shot only 36% against Baylor, but had 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Turner's season stats were better and she played in the BEST conference in the country and on a team with a tougher OOC schedule.

I'm not putting down Anigwe. She's a good player. I'm just saying that the Sun could have done better – and Turner is an example. If you were drafting, would you have taken Anigwe over Turner?

PAC-12 is best conference top to bottom.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Anigwe is not a good offensive player but she's a beast on the glass. I would take Turner over her in a heartbeat. Turner is also a better defender.

Well, subjective assessments can differ, but it was Anigwe, not Turner, who won Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. And that's especially impressive considering that Anigwe was not on a team getting lots of national press attention, unlike Turner. (Incidentally, Turner had 109 blocks to Anigwe's 57, and Anigwe had 353 defensive rebounds to Turner's 201. And of course, Turner played in three more games than Anigwe.)

I think they're similar players but hard to compare because Turner had so much more help than Anigwe did. Turner attempted 353 shots this year; Anigwe attempted 547. Of course Anigwe's shooting percentage will be lower. That's simply a much heavier load to carry throughout a season. And Anigwe ended up in the top 10 in scoring and #1 in rebounds despite being basically double and sometimes even triple-teamed all season. Turner having another big like Shepard meant that she had so many more open looks to the basket than Anigwe ever got - many, many more clean shots.

(And BTW: the only player in the country who was among the top 25 in total FG attempts and also top 25 in FG shooting % was Megan Gustafson, a big who was taken 17th overall/5th in the second round. So apparently neither of those statistics is, on its own, overly important to sizing up WNBA potential.)

I do think Turner is a bit more agile and versatile as a scorer than Anigwe, but I definitely don't think it's right to say that she's a better defender than Anigwe, and I think it's a reasonable toss-up as to who I'd take if I were a WNBA coach.

 

[maccca3232]

How about you view it from another angle.

Given Turner was traded for Gulich. Who is better: Gulich or Anigwe?

 

[Robin]

she deferred so much to her in the final that ND lost by 1. Actually, rather than deferred, I'd say she disappeared. she had one more point than turnovers.

JY's best attribute is driving to the basket. Do you think that is really possible against Cox and Brown? She is not a three point shooter like Arike and Mabrey and she doesn't post up in the paint. This was a game that was not going to favor JY's strengths. ND fans, who watched every possible game, know that JY was the best overall player on the team. Everyone was good but she just had a little extra and is a more versatile player. If she had a bad game, everyone had a bad game, and she could energize the team more than any other.

 

[Britt87]

Well, subjective assessments can differ, but it was Anigwe, not Turner, who won Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. And that's especially impressive considering that Anigwe was not on a team getting lots of national press attention, unlike Turner. (Incidentally, Turner had 109 blocks to Anigwe's 57, and Anigwe had 353 defensive rebounds to Turner's 201. And of course, Turner played in three more games than Anigwe.)

I think they're similar players but hard to compare because Turner had so much more help than Anigwe did. Turner attempted 353 shots this year; Anigwe attempted 547. Of course Anigwe's shooting percentage will be lower. That's simply a much heavier load to carry throughout a season. And Anigwe ended up in the top 10 in scoring and #1 in rebounds despite being basically double and sometimes even triple-teamed all season. Turner having another big like Shepard meant that she had so many more open looks to the basket than Anigwe ever got - many, many more clean shots.

(And BTW: the only player in the country who was among the top 25 in total FG attempts and also top 25 in FG shooting % was Megan Gustafson, a big who was taken 17th overall/5th in the second round. So apparently neither of those statistics is, on its own, overly important to sizing up WNBA potential.)

I do think Turner is a bit more agile and versatile as a scorer than Anigwe, but I definitely don't think it's right to say that she's a better defender than Anigwe, and I think it's a reasonable toss-up as to who I'd take if I were a WNBA coach.

That's a fair assessment but numbers will always be higher when you're the best player on a bad team.

 

[asuwish]

How about you view it from another angle.

Given Turner was traded for Gulich. Who is better: Gulich or Anigwe?

Turner is a great athlete that until this year wasn't guarded if she went out to the foul line (where she use to be a horrible foul shooter). She basically shoots from 3 feet in. I have not been her biggest fan but during the end of the year her foul shooting was solid and she even made a couple of mid range shots. Any offensive out put will make her team thrilled, but with Griner they form a tough defensive back line.

 

[CajunHusky]

A lot has been written recently about how 5 ND players were drafted this year and that is only the second time that has happened. While that is certainly memorable it also brings to mind that in order for that to happen the team must have at least 5 draft eligible players to do this. That is a small subset. I am reminded that UConn had the top three picks (the other two starters were a Fr and a So) in one draft class, and I believe one class that had 4 of the top 5 picks.

Also makes me wonder.... who was the last regular starter for a UConn team that did not get drafted?

 

[boontonbomber]

JY's best attribute is driving to the basket. Do you think that is really possible against Cox and Brown? She is not a three point shooter like Arike and Mabrey and she doesn't post up in the paint. This was a game that was not going to favor JY's strengths. ND fans, who watched every possible game, know that JY was the best overall player on the team. Everyone was good but she just had a little extra and is a more versatile player. If she had a bad game, everyone had a bad game, and she could energize the team more than any other.

well, she's probably going to encounter some bigs in the WNBA. then what? I agree that she was their best player, but in that role, and as the #1 pick in the draft, I would have expected more than 4 points in their biggest game of the year. she certainly has shown other ways to score outside of taking the ball to the hoop, like that nice 15-foot jump shot of hers. she showed none of it.

 

[bbsamjj]

Well, subjective assessments can differ, but it was Anigwe, not Turner, who won Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. And that's especially impressive considering that Anigwe was not on a team getting lots of national press attention, unlike Turner. (Incidentally, Turner had 109 blocks to Anigwe's 57, and Anigwe had 353 defensive rebounds to Turner's 201. And of course, Turner played in three more games than Anigwe.)

I think they're similar players but hard to compare because Turner had so much more help than Anigwe did. Turner attempted 353 shots this year; Anigwe attempted 547. Of course Anigwe's shooting percentage will be lower. That's simply a much heavier load to carry throughout a season. And Anigwe ended up in the top 10 in scoring and #1 in rebounds despite being basically double and sometimes even triple-teamed all season. Turner having another big like Shepard meant that she had so many more open looks to the basket than Anigwe ever got - many, many more clean shots.

(And BTW: the only player in the country who was among the top 25 in total FG attempts and also top 25 in FG shooting % was Megan Gustafson, a big who was taken 17th overall/5th in the second round. So apparently neither of those statistics is, on its own, overly important to sizing up WNBA potential.)

I do think Turner is a bit more agile and versatile as a scorer than Anigwe, but I definitely don't think it's right to say that she's a better defender than Anigwe, and I think it's a reasonable toss-up as to who I'd take if I were a WNBA coach.

100% agree here. Reasonable people can prefer Turner over Anigwe, but pointing to Turner's FG % as a reason for that preference doesn't quite check out given the very different circumstances and teams they were on this year.