2022 W draft

[Vowelguy]

Dont know the credibility of this source but interesting.

Player Rankings - 2022 WNBA Mock Drafts | Lines.com

Player Rankings for the 2022 WNBA draft

www.lines.com

ONO projected as the lowest (#25) of the 4 UConn players which is impressive (in a bad way) since the pros tend to place a premium on physical attributes. Geno tried to light a fire under her this spring; hope it worked.

She fares better (#11) in this one:

2022 WNBA Draft Version 1.0

Since I’ve released the 2021 WNBA Mock Draft, I’ve thought about releasing future WNBA Mock Drafts as well. There are just so many good and talented college as well as international pla…

wbasketballblog.com

 

[triaddukefan]

Alot of questionable picks. In the first one... they still have Elizabeth Balgoun at Louisville... and Erin Boley at Oregon. Pretty sure Boley graduated and moved on to a life outside of basketball, and Balgoun is now at Duke.

The second one has Dara Mabry as a second round pick. Perhaps her father wrote that mock draft

 

[GoChips20]

Can someone explain to me why in the world you would take Cate Reese over ONO? I’m not even a UConn fan but that is ridiculous to me.

 

[chrissaran]

NaLyssa Smith is number one.

 

[Childhood]

It's too early to say but Westbrook deserves a better ranking.

 

[bballnut90]

Rambled thoughts:
I think this class will be better than last year's but I don't see a ton of high impact players. Smith/Howard are the obvious #1/2 picks right now and seem to have true star potential.

Hillmon is a very good physical forward but lacks range and size. I don't see her game transitioning well to the pros long term at just 6-2, but she'll probably go high.

I don't understand the hype for Carter being a top 5 prospect. Decent player but laughable that she's listed as high as #2 IMO. On the flip side, whoever is making these lists seriously undervalues Queen Egbo who has great length and is turning into a shut down defender. I think Egbo should be a first round lock if she continues playing as well as she did at the end of last year.

Henderson could be a solid pro due to her quickness and ability to knock down perimeter shots. Still needs to improve decision making, but after seeing Te'a Cooper and Crystal Dangerfield find success as a pro, I think Henderson has the chops to do the same.

Rae Burrell and Christyn Williams are two of the better wing prospects. Both have range, are big guards and I think both have decent upside. I'd probably gamble on them over the likes of Joens/Westbrook. Ashley Joens is excellent but I don't think is athletic enough to be a strong player in the W. Westbrook is a good player but has injury issues and doesn't seem like a surefire pick to me.

 

[bballnut90]

Alot of questionable picks. In the first one... they still have Elizabeth Balgoun at Louisville... and Erin Boley at Oregon. Pretty sure Boley graduated and moved on to a life outside of basketball, and Balgoun is now at Duke.

The second one has Dara Mabry as a second round pick. Perhaps her father wrote that mock draft

Bibby listed at Mississippi State too.

 

[Childhood]

Rambled thoughts:
I think this class will be better than last year's but I don't see a ton of high impact players. Smith/Howard are the obvious #1/2 picks right now and seem to have true star potential.

Hillmon is a very good physical forward but lacks range and size. I don't see her game transitioning well to the pros long term at just 6-2, but she'll probably go high.

I don't understand the hype for Carter being a top 5 prospect. Decent player but laughable that she's listed as high as #2 IMO. On the flip side, whoever is making these lists seriously undervalues Queen Egbo who has great length and is turning into a shut down defender. I think Egbo should be a first round lock if she continues playing as well as she did at the end of last year.

Henderson could be a solid pro due to her quickness and ability to knock down perimeter shots. Still needs to improve decision making, but after seeing Te'a Cooper and Crystal Dangerfield find success as a pro, I think Henderson has the chops to do the same.

Rae Burrell and Christyn Williams are two of the better wing prospects. Both have range, are big guards and I think both have decent upside. I'd probably gamble on them over the likes of Joens/Westbrook. Ashley Joens is excellent but I don't think is athletic enough to be a strong player in the W. Westbrook is a good player but has injury issues and doesn't seem like a surefire pick to me.

Even Didi Richards is struggle in getting minutes. I am not sure if Egbo could do better than her.

 

[Bigboote]

NaLyssa Smith is number one.

I agree. This class is deep and good but not great at the top. I think we're seeing how thin the class of 21 was.

I'm another who doesn't get the hype around Rhyne Howard. I also didn't get the hype surrounding Chennedy Carter, but I think she's been pretty good as a pro -- better than when the show was hers at TAMU.

If I were doing the drafting right now, in addition to Smith, the lottery picks would be Cunane and some combination of Joens, Hillmon, Christyn, Henderson, and Juhasz. I see Joens as in the same mold as Collier. Not as long and athletic, but she does all the little things well and just has a nose for the ball. She's also strong and tough and plays within herself.

I shouldn't have said "now" above, because I'm projecting that Juhasz improves somewhat under Geno/CD/Jamelle's tutelage. Doesn't have to be a lot, as she's for sure a first-round pick right now.

 

[bballnut90]

Even Didi Richards is struggle in getting minutes. I am not sure if Egbo could do better than her.

I'm not convinced either but Egbo is a first round draft pick IMO rather than 2nd or 3rd round. Her and Richards are also very different players so I dont think it's an apt comparison.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Alot of questionable picks. In the first one... they still have Elizabeth Balgoun at Louisville... and Erin Boley at Oregon. Pretty sure Boley graduated and moved on to a life outside of basketball, and Balgoun is now at Duke.

The second one has Dara Mabry as a second round pick. Perhaps her father wrote that mock draft

Since she’s on your team now, the spelling is Balogun.

Also, Mabrey.

 

[wolfe613]

It's too early to say but Westbrook deserves a better ranking.

no she doesn't, she has been inconsistent same as Olivia

 

[Drew8]

My top 5 are Williams, Smith, Hillmon, Cunane, and Howard.

Fit would make the difference in the order.

 

[Dokey]

Dont know the credibility of this source but interesting.

Player Rankings - 2022 WNBA Mock Drafts | Lines.com

Player Rankings for the 2022 WNBA draft

www.lines.com

ONO projected as the lowest (#25) of the 4 UConn players which is impressive (in a bad way) since the pros tend to place a premium on physical attributes. Geno tried to light a fire under her this spring; hope it worked.

She fares better (#11) in this one:

2022 WNBA Draft Version 1.0

Since I’ve released the 2021 WNBA Mock Draft, I’ve thought about releasing future WNBA Mock Drafts as well. There are just so many good and talented college as well as international pla…

wbasketballblog.com

Very strange list. I see Mya Hollingshed at 15 on one list and not even listed on this one when she is easily a better choice than either Westbrook (injury) or ONO (not beefy enough to survive in pros), just to mention UConn players. I would take a chance on CW, who I think is underrated even on the Boneyard, but cross my fingers. All and all, a weak draft class.

 

[ucbart]

Shakira Austin might be the best pro prospect in the class.

Naz is a great college player, but there is no way she is 6'2" and I think she will struggle in the W.

 

[MooseJaw]

I agree. This class is deep and good but not great at the top. I think we're seeing how thin the class of 21 was.

I'm another who doesn't get the hype around Rhyne Howard. I also didn't get the hype surrounding Chennedy Carter, but I think she's been pretty good as a pro -- better than when the show was hers at TAMU.

If I were doing the drafting right now, in addition to Smith, the lottery picks would be Cunane and some combination of Joens, Hillmon, Christyn, Henderson, and Juhasz. I see Joens as in the same mold as Collier. Not as long and athletic, but she does all the little things well and just has a nose for the ball. She's also strong and tough and plays within herself.

I shouldn't have said "now" above, because I'm projecting that Juhasz improves somewhat under Geno/CD/Jamelle's tutelage. Doesn't have to be a lot, as she's for sure a first-round pick right now.

I was going to post pushing for Joens until I read the above. I think you nailed it. I never compared her to Collier in my mind until I read your words, spot on. Every game Of hers I watched I just was amazed with hers skills. She could play for my team any day.

 

[Vowelguy]

I was going to post pushing for Joens until I read the above. I think you nailed it. I never compared her to Collier in my mind until I read your words, spot on. Every game Of hers I watched I just was amazed with hers skills. She could play for my team any day.

Hopefully she doesnt end up in Chicago or Minnesota so her crazy dad cant come to all the games.

 

[eebmg]

I was going to post pushing for Joens until I read the above. I think you nailed it. I never compared her to Collier in my mind until I read your words, spot on. Every game Of hers I watched I just was amazed with hers skills. She could play for my team any day.

Are we mixing up Colliers?

 

[bbsamjj]

Joens reminds me a lot of another ISU alum, Bridget Carleton, who's found a decent spot in the Lynx.

I'm a big fan of Hillmon, but she needs to model her game off of Collier to make an impact in the pros. If she hasn't spent her summer developing a 3-point shot, she's doing a disservice to her future career.

There are so few true wings in the league right now that Howard should find a spot. I feel like she's a taller/more physical Deshields.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I wonder how many will take up the extra year. Most were sure there would be little to no interest in 2021-22 and that list is certainly bigger than most thought as its well over a 100 kids not to mention the ones that are graduate transferring.
2 things I want to note.
(a) unless the roster size is increased or 1-2 teams are added its going to be hard to make a roster even for top players.
(b) how much will the NIL factor into this. Some of these kids could make more off playing an extra year in college than getting drafted and bonced in the WNBA.

Lots of things to keep an eye out for.

 

[Vowelguy]

I wonder how many will take up the extra year. Most were sure there would be little to no interest in 2021-22 and that list is certainly bigger than most thought as its well over a 100 kids not to mention the ones that are graduate transferring.

who is this “most”?
it seemed pretty clear to me that a bunch of players were not going to pass up another year of free education. I’m surprised the number hasn’t been higher.

 

[donalddoowop]

I agree. This class is deep and good but not great at the top. I think we're seeing how thin the class of 21 was.

I'm another who doesn't get the hype around Rhyne Howard. I also didn't get the hype surrounding Chennedy Carter, but I think she's been pretty good as a pro -- better than when the show was hers at TAMU.

If I were doing the drafting right now, in addition to Smith, the lottery picks would be Cunane and some combination of Joens, Hillmon, Christyn, Henderson, and Juhasz. I see Joens as in the same mold as Collier. Not as long and athletic, but she does all the little things well and just has a nose for the ball. She's also strong and tough and plays within herself.

I shouldn't have said "now" above, because I'm projecting that Juhasz improves somewhat under Geno/CD/Jamelle's tutelage. Doesn't have to be a lot, as she's for sure a first-round pick right now.

I've read that Juhasz is going to play two years for UConn which means she won't be coming out this season.

 

[triaddukefan]

Since she’s on your team now, the spelling is Balogun.

Also, Mabrey.

I don't care if I misspell players from other teams.... but that was unacceptable I could call her #4, but Baolgun it is.

 

[Vowelguy]

I've read that Juhasz is going to play two years for UConn which means she won't be coming out this season.

lol

If she's a really good player and has a chance to go high in the W draft, I'm sure she will.

And given that she's a foreigner who is already 21.5 yrs old, she doesnt even need to go that high in the W -- she can go play back home (see Makurat, Anna). She may very well stay. But anyone saying they know already that she's here for 2 years is krazy.

 

[donalddoowop]

lol

If she's a really good player and has a chance to go high in the W draft, I'm sure she will.

And given that she's a foreigner who is already 21.5 yrs old, she doesnt even need to go that high in the W -- she can go play back home (see Makurat, Anna). She may very well stay. But anyone saying they know already that she's here for 2 years is krazy.

Crazy with a "k" is way out there.

 

[nuna23]

we can't know until the season start, Im not impressive with ryhne Howard she's overrated....she didn't deserve to be in the top 5 like did u guy's see her in the tourm.... if CW play as she should ...She could be number1

 

[AmeriConn]

I've read that Juhasz is going to play two years for UConn which means she won't be coming out this season.

Where did you read that?

 

[AmeriConn]

we can't know until the season start, Im not impressive with ryhne Howard she's overrated....she didn't deserve to be in the top 5 like did u guy's see her in the tourm.... if CW play as she should ...She could be number1

I don’t think she goes higher than Rhyne Howard.

 

[Reypl21]

we can't know until the season start, Im not impressive with ryhne Howard she's overrated....she didn't deserve to be in the top 5 like did u guy's see her in the tourm.... if CW play as she should ...She could be number1

I wasnt impressed with Howard when she got eliminated by Iowa last year. She didnt show any heart, but she got her average Points per Game once the game was over. Caitlin Clark had the passion and audacity to take over that game. However, there are traits to her game that would be appealing to WNBA teams.

First and foremost, it is becoming more and more difficult for rookies to stick. Now that veterans and superstars can be paid more, there is less cap space for as many players. But the rookies will be cheaper? Yes they are, but so will players from some of the previous draft classes as well, and they will be more experienced. Having said that, I think Howard brings more to the table than most players I'm her class do.

She is the main option at Kentucky. If she got drafted, I would predict she would come off of the bench and learn. She has a lot of one on one skills, which are very important in the W. She can hit tough shots, and she is physical. No GM is thinking that they are going to get a starter caliber of player from this next draft. It's all about building their draftee. Howard has more potential than most.

 

[bballnut90]

I wasnt impressed with Howard when she got eliminated by Iowa last year. She didnt show any heart, but she got her average Points per Game once the game was over. Caitlin Clark had the passion and audacity to take over that game. However, there are traits to her game that would be appealing to WNBA teams.

First and foremost, it is becoming more and more difficult for rookies to stick. Now that veterans and superstars can be paid more, there is less cap space for as many players. But the rookies will be cheaper? Yes they are, but so will players from some of the previous draft classes as well, and they will be more experienced. Having said that, I think Howard brings more to the table than most players I'm her class do.

She is the main option at Kentucky. If she got drafted, I would predict she would come off of the bench and learn. She has a lot of one on one skills, which are very important in the W. She can hit tough shots, and she is physical. No GM is thinking that they are going to get a starter caliber of player from this next draft. It's all about building their draftee. Howard has more potential than most.

Howard definitely has starter potential from the get go. She's a fantastic scorer from anywhere and has great size and athleticism. She reminds me a lot of a young Sheryl Swoopes in that regard. Smith has starter potential if she improves her perimeter shot this year.