OT: 2023 Wnba mock draft

[WFFL]

Brink doesn’t declare early — she’ll want to finish her coursework at Stanford. Especially if there are rumblings of an expansion team in the Bay Area.

Cooke will go above Amihere, but I think Amihere will have a better rookie season.

And can we talk the comedy that is Lauren Park-Lane early in the second round? And Jordan Horston late in the third?

This list is looking purely at stats.

Cooke will not go before Amihere....Amihere will get drafted highly based off untapped potential. Cooke is a low % shooter she will be Top 10 but not before Amihere but we can agree to disagree

 

[Dillon77]

Brink doesn’t declare early — she’ll want to finish her coursework at Stanford. Especially if there are rumblings of an expansion team in the Bay Area.

This paralleled with a thought I had, as well: what if the Bay Area and/or Portland gets a franchise for 2024?
Maybe the Liberty do take Paige (if she comes out), with an idea of sending Ionescu to Portland or the Bay Area new franchises for some serious draft capital.

Why not Boston? Well, I happen to be watching the Liberty as I type and if Han Xu continues the growth I've seen with her, combined with Stewie being there. Well, maybe Boston isn't needed. Take Paige, then trade Sabrina and one of the other posts.

(Caveat: I just drove five hours from a mid-week wedding in Syracuse, so I might not be all there....)

 

[bballnut90]

Brink doesn’t declare early — she’ll want to finish her coursework at Stanford. Especially if there are rumblings of an expansion team in the Bay Area.

Cooke will go above Amihere, but I think Amihere will have a better rookie season.

And can we talk the comedy that is Lauren Park-Lane early in the second round? And Jordan Horston late in the third?

This list is looking purely at stats.

I'd take Amihere over Cooke. I dont see Zia lasting as a pro unless she drastically improves her shooting and develops a stronger all around game. Her numbers this year were awful across the board for being a player hyped up a lot of the year as a top 20-25 player. Amihere is probably the best athlete in the class with good upside still. I dont see either as a first round pick based on this season though.

 

[bballnut90]

Boston is the top pick in this draft and it’s not close (I’m operating with confidence that Paige stays in).

Haley Jones will be a lottery pick.

Cameron Brink won’t exit early, but the same statement above holds true, just delayed a year.

Jordan Horston anywhere beyond the first round is laughable.

Diamond Miller is also going to go high. She just looks like a pro to me. I’ve actually always thought she was better than Rhyne Howard.

I’m most curious where Beal and Saxton go and if they can stick in the league. I wouldn’t quite say they are offensive liabilities but scoring the ball certainly is not either’s calling card.

Miller has all the tools to be a top rate pro. I could see her flourishing in a go to role this year and going as high as #2 overall. I also think people are sleeping on Owusu after a mediocre junior year. She's extremely skilled and crafty with a big strong pro ready frame. I still think the Chelsea Gray comparison is accurate.

 

[GoChips20]

Other teams may emerge as the top threats in 23/24, but if Paige doesn't get a national championship this season, she may have even more incentive to return to a season where SC loses Boston and Stanford loses Jones. I still hope we get another 2023 recruit that could be a freshmen contributor beyond our two so far, because that is the last class to presumably play with Paige, Aaliyah and Nika.

If she doesn’t get one this coming year (and FWIW I don’t think she will - I think Stanford or SC will reign supreme this season), I see UConn as the overwhelming favorite in 2024 after the departures of Jones and Boston.

 

[GoChips20]

I'd take Amihere over Cooke. I dont see Zia lasting as a pro unless she drastically improves her shooting and develops a stronger all around game. Her numbers this year were awful across the board for being a player hyped up a lot of the year as a top 20-25 player. Amihere is probably the best athlete in the class with good upside still. I dont see either as a first round pick based on this season though.

SC has one of the better reputations for player development but if Amihere does become a good pro, a lot of people will raise their eyebrows at her college career, which has been alright but nothing to write home about. I can’t really think of a great comparison for someone who was average in college but became excellent in the pros. (I don’t think Ariel Atkins was average in college although her development in the league has been outstanding).

 

[eebmg]

This paralleled with a thought I had, as well: what if the Bay Area and/or Portland gets a franchise for 2024?
Maybe the Liberty do take Paige (if she comes out), with an idea of sending Ionescu to Portland or the Bay Area new franchises for some serious draft capital.

Why not Boston? Well, I happen to be watching the Liberty as I type and if Han Xu continues the growth I've seen with her, combined with Stewie being there. Well, maybe Boston isn't needed. Take Paige, then trade Sabrina and one of the other posts.

(Caveat: I just drove five hours from a mid-week wedding in Syracuse, so I might not be all there....)

Sabrina has come alive again and alot of evidence points to Crystal taking over the PG duties allowing her to come out shooting in cleaner environments. I think Sabrina will stay and be the fixture in NY.

 

[jchusky]

There's more than basketball involved here. The W is an entertainment business and Bueckers is the most entertaining player in wcbb.
But I'll join the no camp. Why should she risk herself in a league that not only can't pay her worth but a league that allows maniacs like Ogunbowale to play?

Her latest meltdown:




I'm all for passion and a will to win but this woman has snapped, taking out her frustration on equipment and as UConn players are well aware of, on opposing players. But ESPN loves her.

Demar Derozan threw a basketball at a ref, which was worse? Every sport there is a meltdown, has nothing to do with the league.

 

[bballnut90]

SC has one of the better reputations for player development but if Amihere does become a good pro, a lot of people will raise their eyebrows at her college career, which has been alright but nothing to write home about. I can’t really think of a great comparison for someone who was average in college but became excellent in the pros. (I don’t think Ariel Atkins was average in college although her development in the league has been outstanding).

I dont think anyone expects her to make a jump similar to Atkins (who was an Olympian), but I think she could be a serviceable role player in the league given her athleticism and versatility.

 

[darrell]

Anyone who honestly thinks thinks Haley Jones isn't going top 5 this draft doesn’t watch enough basketball.

This is what I was coming to say. She could easily be #1 depending on a team’s need, but I don’t see her falling lower than #3.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I have some reservations about Jones. She's good at a lot of things, but not great at anything. I can't help but think of former Stanford star Nicole Powell. IMO she was a better overall player than Jones. Didn't really parlay into a memorable pro career. I guess we'll see.

Stats aren't everything of course, and Powell wasn't surrounded by remotely as much talent as Jones has been, but Powell's production was massively higher than Jones across the board, not to mention she was actually a good 3 point shooter.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Agreed. That is a silly mock draft. There has not even been a whisper that Paige might leave college early for the WNBA. She makes more from her NILs than she would in the W. She has lots of unfinished business and wants to win multiple NC's.

I'm no expert on this, but wouldn't many of the folks that pay players through NIL deals continue to pay them through endorsements as pros? Not so much the local folks (like the car dealer in Tuscaloosa who uses an Alabama football player) but the national organizations like Gatorade?

 

[socal613ws]

I'm no expert on this, but wouldn't many of the folks that pay players through NIL deals continue to pay them through endorsements as pros? Not so much the local folks (like the car dealer in Tuscaloosa who uses an Alabama football player) but the national organizations like Gatorade?

yes and the shoe deals are large amounts for pros, I don't think players can get that in college due to team commitments to sponsor.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Anyone who honestly thinks thinks Haley Jones isn't going top 5 this draft doesn’t watch enough basketball.

+1. Something will have gone horribly wrong if Jones gets drafted lower than her former teammate Lexie Hull, and if Ashley Joens gets drafted higher.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I have some reservations about Jones. She's good at a lot of things, but not great at anything. I can't help but think of former Stanford star Nicole Powell. IMO she was a better overall player than Jones. Didn't really parlay into a memorable pro career. I guess we'll see.

Stats aren't everything of course, and Powell wasn't surrounded by remotely as much talent as Jones has been, but Powell's production was massively higher than Jones across the board, not to mention she was actually a good 3 point shooter.

Jones needs to work on her outside shooting, which Powell was much stronger at. But Jones can create from anywhere and she dishes as well as anyone over 6'0" I've seen. Honestly, she has a little bit of Rhyne Howard in her - has a tendency to get lazy and sloppy game in, game out, but has the natural ability to excel if she just really commits to it.

My big worry for her is that she may suffer from tweener syndrome. If I were her, I'd used Jackie Young (as well as Howard) as my role model. Young is a bit more of a classic guard than Jones, but Young rebounds way above her height and has really developed her outside range since going pro. If Jones can improve her defense and her outside shooting, she, like Young, can play 1-4 seamlessly.

 

[socal613ws]

Jones needs to work on her outside shooting, which Powell was much stronger at. But Jones can create from anywhere and she dishes as well as anyone over 6'0" I've seen. Honestly, she has a little bit of Rhyne Howard in her - has a tendency to get lazy and sloppy game in, game out, but has the natural ability to excel if she just really commits to it.

My big worry for her is that she may suffer from tweener syndrome. If I were her, I'd used Jackie Young (as well as Howard) as my role model. Young is a bit more of a classic guard than Jones, but Young rebounds way above her height and has really developed her outside range since going pro. If Jones can improve her defense and her outside shooting, she, like Young, can play 1-4 seamlessly.

yep, I think Jones is more hurt by her position, she is not a true pg and her position I feel you can find many players. Teams right now are desperate for sg/pg combo and centers.

 

[Drew8]

Amihere made great strides last year. Two years ago she was a highlight machine, either with a brilliant offensive play or an ugly turnover that went the other way.

Last year she was a floor manager point guard.

Her defense is elite elite.

Hope Dawn keeps developing her.

 

[hoophuskee]

Last year she was a floor manager point guard.

She had 37 assists (which would amount to slightly above 1 assist per game) vs 57 turnovers. There were 6 other teammates that had more assists than her including Rivers who averaged about 4 minutes less than her per game.

While she is 4th on the team in offensive rebounds.

One helluva "definition" you have there for a "floor manager pg."

 

[DICKG]

Who says Paige will go to be drafted in 2023? I believe she will stay in UConn for full 4 years.

Actually she could stay five years.

 

[Drew8]

She had 37 assists (which would amount to slightly above 1 assist per game) vs 57 turnovers. There were 6 other teammates that had more assists than her including Rivers who averaged about 4 minutes less than her per game.

While she is 4th on the team in offensive rebounds.

One helluva "definition" you have there for a "floor manager pg."

I tuned in to see her play pg. I could see her control the pace of the game offensively and defensively, as well as get Boston more involved (and rolling after a slow start to the season). That is more what I meant.

Henny added an explosive element to the offense and they went on a lot of runs, and other teams as well.

That was my definition of floor manager pg.

 

[hoophuskee]

I tuned in to see her play pg. I could see her control the pace of the game offensively and defensively, as well as get Boston more involved (and rolling after a slow start to the season). That is more what I meant.

Henny added an explosive element to the offense and they went on a lot of runs, and other teams as well.

That was my definition of floor manager pg.

What teams did she play pg against and control the pace, and how close was the game? Since when could SC not control the pace and needed Amihere to do it?

And Boston didn't get as well involved with any of the other pg's? If she didn't then why wasn't Amihere playing more pg?

 

[shiverz45]

Boston is the top pick in this draft and it’s not close (I’m operating with confidence that Paige stays in).

Haley Jones will be a lottery pick.

Cameron Brink won’t exit early, but the same statement above holds true, just delayed a year.

Jordan Horston anywhere beyond the first round is laughable.

Diamond Miller is also going to go high. She just looks like a pro to me. I’ve actually always thought she was better than Rhyne Howard.

I’m most curious where Beal and Saxton go and if they can stick in the league. I wouldn’t quite say they are offensive liabilities but scoring the ball certainly is not either’s calling card.

I can see Beal coming back for a fifth year. She needs to show or develop a consistent shot. Saxton needs to show she can hit that mid-range jumper consistently.

 

[shiverz45]

Brink doesn’t declare early — she’ll want to finish her coursework at Stanford. Especially if there are rumblings of an expansion team in the Bay Area.

Cooke will go above Amihere, but I think Amihere will have a better rookie season.

And can we talk the comedy that is Lauren Park-Lane early in the second round? And Jordan Horston late in the third?

This list is looking purely at stats.

I think Amihere will go before Cooke. Amihere will be a better pro than college player. Amihere is still kind of raw, but you can't teach what she has. Dawn stated that the court is too congested in college for Amihere to showcase her full skills. Amihere also graduated and will start grad school. She might stay a fifth year to be the focal point after Boston leave and finish grad school.

 

[shiverz45]

Paige wont leave next year... but even if she did I think New York would take Boston over Paige.

I think the only reason Paige would leave is to challenge herself against the best women basketball players in the world. Especially if she wins a title next year.

 

[eebmg]

Fun little article on whether the Lynx should tank this season in the tiny hope to get Paige.

Tank for Paige Bueckers? No, and here's why the Lynx shouldn't let the losses pile up on purpose

Among the reasons: A rotten record wouldn't ensure they could draft Paige Bueckers; opportunity remains to salvage the season; Sylvia Fowles deserves a fitting send-off.

www.startribune.com

At the end, 2024 may be the better season to tank Paige and Caitlyn (any others?)