Top 3 Picks in 2019 WNBA Draft?

[Shades]

Ogunbowale has to be #2. She's a game-changer and a winner. Who wouldn't want her in the backcourt?

If I was drafting for team, I’d rather get a prominent post or forward in the first round and hope for a bargain guard in the second round.

 

[Carnac]

If she's able to play a full college season. Remember, the pro season is far more taxing on an athletes body. If she can't play a college season she's an iffy 2nd rounder. If she has a very good year she could sneak into the 1st. Maybe.

The most important ability any athlete can have is availability. As mentioned by other posters, Turner's career has been rife with injuries. If she can get and stay healthy the entire season, she will be a first rounder. Because of the presence of Shepherd, Turner won't have to play as many minutes as she did her sophomore year, but as Jordy said, she does need to prove she can play a full college season at a high level before teams in the W will seriously consider drafting her. It can be done.

Gabby Williams did it. She suffered a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament and partially-torn meniscus in her right knee her junior year in high school. Gabby played 4 years of elite level WCBB without further injury or a knee brace (credit the UConn trainers and medical staff).

 

[Dillon77]

If she's able to play a full college season. Remember, the pro season is far more taxing on an athletes body. If she can't play a college season she's an iffy 2nd rounder. If she has a very good year she could sneak into the 1st. Maybe.

Jordy (and Scoop):
Brianna missed the 17-18 season due to an ACL, which is usually a season-ender for anyone (if not more).
However, before that, she was very resilient in dealing with her injuries. She had a serious shoulder injury her sophomore year. Rather than have immediate surgery, she played through it (wearing a brace), had surgery in the off-season and came back in time for her junior year, albeit with not a lot of practice time. She's a gamer.

I'm adding in some of her season highlights because its' been a year since we've seen her name in boxscores. she can play. Well. If she's makes it through this year, she's a first-round draft choice.

Hopefully, MM will able to ease her into minutes as the season progresses. Playing with her buddy, Jessica Shepard, will help, as will the return of Mik Vaughn, who interestingly both looks and plays a bit like Bri.

BTW, I noted she shared a stat with Stewey, which I found interesting given I thought of pairing them together in Seattle!

Freshman Year (2014-2015)
• Started in 35 of 36 games played, averaging 25.6 minutes
• Averaged 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game with 10 double-doubles, leading team in all categories except scoring and steals
• Led nation and ACC in field-goal percentage (.652), becoming the third freshman in NCAA history to lead nation in field-goal percentage

Sophomore Year (2015-2016)
• Started all 29 games played (missed six games with shoulder injury)
• Led ACC in both field-goal percentage (.593 - fifth in nation) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg - 13th in nation)
• Scored in double figures 25 times (including four 20-point games)
• One of two players to rank in the top 13 in nation in field-goal percentage and blocked shots per game (along with one Breanna Stewart)

JUNIOR SEASON (2016-17)
• Started all 35 games, averaging 28.7 minutes per game
• Had a career high 38 assists
• Was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, standing ninth in league history in blocks (263)
• Saw less than 20 minutes of action only four times
• Scored in double figures 29 times and recorded seven double-doubles

 

[Carnac]

Jordy (and Scoop):
Brianna missed the 17-18 season due to an ACL, which is usually a season-ender for anyone (if not more).
However, before that, she was very resilient in dealing with her injuries. She had a serious shoulder injury her sophomore year. Rather than have immediate surgery, she played through it (wearing a brace), had surgery in the off-season and came back in time for her junior year, albeit with not a lot of practice time. She's a gamer.

I'm adding in some of her season highlights because its' been a year since we've seen her name in boxscores. she can play. Well. If she's makes it through this year, she's a first-round draft choice.

Hopefully, MM will able to ease her into minutes as the season progresses. Playing with her buddy, Jessica Shepard, will help, as will the return of Mik Vaughn, who interestingly both looks and plays a bit like Bri.

BTW, I noted she shared a stat with Stewey, which I found interesting given I thought of pairing them together in Seattle!

Freshman Year (2014-2015)
• Started in 35 of 36 games played, averaging 25.6 minutes
• Averaged 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game with 10 double-doubles, leading team in all categories except scoring and steals
• Led nation and ACC in field-goal percentage (.652), becoming the third freshman in NCAA history to lead nation in field-goal percentage

Sophomore Year (2015-2016)
• Started all 29 games played (missed six games with shoulder injury)
• Led ACC in both field-goal percentage (.593 - fifth in nation) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg - 13th in nation)
• Scored in double figures 25 times (including four 20-point games)
• One of two players to rank in the top 13 in nation in field-goal percentage and blocked shots per game (along with one Breanna Stewart)

JUNIOR SEASON (2016-17)
• Started all 35 games, averaging 28.7 minutes per game
• Had a career high 38 assists
• Was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, standing ninth in league history in blocks (263)
• Saw less than 20 minutes of action only four times
• Scored in double figures 29 times and recorded seven double-doubles

Hey Dillon, you don't have to sell me on Turner. I've been saying for the last 4 years that she is my favorite non UConn player, period. I will follow her closely this year, and as she transitions into the W. I'll wish her well in every game she plays this season except the UConn game. I hope she remains healthy and puts up monstrous numbers and is voted an AA.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Obviously a LOT depends on how next season pans out, but based on that my guess is:
1. Indiana-McCowan. She'll give them a huge post presence who can compete with the likes of Griner/Cambage/Fowles. Has a long way to go in terms of offensive ability, and she likely will never be at the level of those 3, but she's a unique prospect with her size and rebounding. She also made incredible improvements from her sophomore to junior year and is playing under one of the best coaches in the country, so she likely makes further strides this year.

2. NY-KLS. Kind of a toss up for me between her and Brown because they really need upgrades at center and on the wing, but I think KLS is more of a sure fire success even if Brown has a higher ceiling. KLS gives them a big time scorer on the wing and a dangerous shooter with size and passing ability.

3. Chicago-Brown. If NY goes with Brown at 2, I'm really not sure who'd they take at 3....they don't have a need for KLS with Diamond/Gabby at SF, and I think they'd opt for Ogunbowale at SG over KLS, so maybe Arike at 3. If Collier has a huge senior year, she could be an option here too. At any rate, Brown is the best player available at 3 and gives them a big body inside who is polished offensively and can make an impact right away. She does well in the high-low with Cox, so that could be recreated with Dolson.

New York desperately needs a powerful post player to take the pressure off of Tina Charles. In every game against every team, whenever Tina gets the ball she is triple-teamed. She has done a tremendous job against that overwhelming defensive pressure. But a team cannot win when its best player has three defenders on her at all times- and the other four players can't put the ball in the basket.

The Liberty are desperate for another big. Desperate.

 

[bballnut90]

The most important ability any athlete can have is availability. As mentioned by other posters, Turner's career has been rife with injuries. If she can get and stay healthy the entire season, she will be a first rounder. Because of the presence of Shepherd, Turner won't have to play as many minutes as she did her sophomore year, but as Jordy said, she does need to prove she can play a full college season at a high level before teams in the W will seriously consider drafting her. It can be done. Gabby Williams did it. Played 4 years of elite level WCBB after suffering a knee injury in her junior & senior year in high school, without further injury or a knee brace (credit the UConn trainers and medical staff).

I don't think there's any doubt Turner will be a first round draft pick...it's just how high she goes is the question. To be frank, almost all 2nd round picks in the WNBA are pretty worthless in today's day and age. Turner, when healthy, is a sure fire top 6-7 pick in this draft. I doubt she falls farther than 10 unless she suffers another ACL or debilitating injury. Even then she could sneak in to the 1st round since she does have great athleticism and her upside is higher than any 2nd round draftee.

 

[bballnut90]

New York desperately needs a powerful post player to take the pressure off of Tina Charles. In every game against every team, whenever Tina gets the ball she is triple-teamed. She has done a tremendous job against that overwhelming defensive pressure. But a team cannot win when its best player has three defenders on her at all times- and the other four players can't put the ball in the basket.

The Liberty are desperate for another big. Desperate.

They need better scorers all over, it's not just inside. On the perimeter they have 6 players in Hartley, Nurse, Coleman, Prince, Rogers and Zellous who are capable of having big nights, but they can't string together consistent performances. Inside we've seen flashes of good play from Kia Vaughn and Zahui B, but it's the same result there. The biggest issue, I think, is coaching. The substitution patterns have been all over the place, and none of the players really know their role on the team. I think either Brown or KLS would be a great fit here since the Liberty need more offense both inside and on the perimeter. You already have solid offense in Charles inside, so I'd bring on KLS who shores up the poor perimeter shooting (32.2% from deep) and provides and outside compliment to space the floor. Brown is a good option too since she can hit jumpers from 15 and can work well with Charles, but NY will still have dreadful perimeter shooting and teams will try to force NY to be a perimeter scoring team.

That said, I'll be quite surprised if we see a similar roster return next year. I'm guessing a lot of players will try to find new teams in the offseason due to the location, horrible fan support, poor coaching and overall mediocre outlook.

**edited because I can't count**

 

[DallasBUFan]

McCowan has to be the number one pick. In the pros, height matters. Big players are more valuable than shorter players, and her dramatic improvement has to make her a top pick.

Ogunbowale has to be #2. She's a game-changer and a winner. Who wouldn't want her in the backcourt?

Brown is the same size as McCowan......

 

[DallasBUFan]

At this point, Cox is my #2 in 2020. Not sure who else could be above her.

Who else is in that class that will be a big pick? Sabrina? Is Megan Walker a Jr this season?

 

[Shades]

Who else is in that class that will be a big pick? Sabrina? Is Megan Walker a Jr this season?

Ruthy Hebard
Joyner Holmes was prominent as a freshman
Destiny Slocum if she doesn’t use all her eligibility

Kaila Charles might amount to something

 

[Carnac]

I don't think there's any doubt Turner will be a first round draft pick...it's just how high she goes is the question. To be frank, almost all 2nd round picks in the WNBA are pretty worthless in today's day and age. Turner, when healthy, is a sure fire top 6-7 pick in this draft. I doubt she falls farther than 10 unless she suffers another ACL or debilitating injury. Even then she could sneak in to the 1st round since she does have great athleticism and her upside is higher than any 2nd round draftee.

You're right about the 2nd round draft picks (and a few 1st round picks). Most of them don't stick. I did a little research, here's what I found. Going back to the 2015 draft class (KLM/Kiah Stokes' class), only two 2nd round draft picks from that class are still in the league :

2015 - Three 1st rounders are gone: Crystal Bradford (LA), Ally Mallot (Was) & Samantha Logic (Atl). The two remaining 2nd rounders: Natasha Cloud (Was) & Betnijah Laney (Conn).
2016 - 1 first rounder is gone: Adut Bulgak (NY) - No 2nd round draftees are active.
2017 - 2 first rounders are gone: Evelyn Akhator (Dal) & Tori Jankoska (Sky) - Two second rounders left: Lindsey Allen (Aces) & Erica McCall (Fever).
2018 - Five of the 12 second round draftees are still in the league: Jamie Nared, Stephanie Mavunga, JiSu Park, Myisha Hines-Allen & Mercedes Russell.

Only 9 of the 48 (18.5%) players drafted in the 2nd round the last 4 drafts have managed to hang on.

Two 3rd round players drafted since 2015 remain: Temi Fagbenle (Min) & Alexis Prince (Atl).

There are at least 12 (probably more) players in the league now, that won't be next year to make room for the incoming class of 2019, assuming all 12 first round picks make the cut. You've got to figure at least 2-3 2nd rounders will stick.

Who else is in that class that will be a big pick? Sabrina? Is Megan Walker a Jr this season?

Megan Walker will be a sophomore this season.

 

[DallasBUFan]

Ruthy Hebard
Joyner Holmes was prominent as a freshman
Destiny Slocum if she doesn’t use all her eligibility

Kaila Charles might amount to something

Ruthy could be a good prospect, Joyner too if she can play better next two seasons!

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

If you listen to her and listen to other players last year, she one of the first guards to win defensive player of the year. Which has taken all of these years to get the credit she deserves on the defensive side.

If you look at history, a guard won the DPOY award the first two years and three out of the first five (Teresa Weatherspoon won it twice, Debbie Black won it once).

WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award - Wikipedia

Beard was the first non-post player (guard, wing) to win the award since 2012.

 

[Bigboote]

I think Indiana's biggest need (of many) is a big. I think right now Brown is the more skilled player, but McCowan has the higher ceiling. I expect after next season, McCowan will have improved greatly again, so I'll go with McCowan for Indiana.

Chicago's biggest need is a 4. If Magbegor declares, I think they'll pick her. If not, maybe Brown as a backup for Dolson since Coates isn't doing much. That would leave Cheyenne Parker to play 4 exclusively.

The Liberty need forwards. They could trade a couple of guards for a true forward and select Lou, or go the single step and pick Collier. I probably won't be popular, I go for Collier in their spot.

 

[Bigboote]

McCowan is STILL going to be substantially bigger than most of the players she'll be going up against, sans Fowles/Cambage/Griner. Other players have height and strength, but not the combination that McCowan does. I think she can still score a fair amount on putbacks, she'll immediately be one of the better rebounders in the league, especially on the offensive end (she averaged a whopping 6 offensive rebounds per game this past season). She's proven herself against strong competition and on the biggest stage.

I've realized for some time that McCowan is big. But till I saw her next to Mercedes Russell, I had no idea just HOW BIG she is. Russell is, what, 6-6?, and not a skinny 6-6, but McCowan just dwarfed her. I think Cambage is the only player currently in the W that can outsize Teaira, and I'm not sure of that. I just love watching her; hoping that MsSt didn't lose too much to graduation and that Vic can work his magic.

 

[Dillon77]

I've realized for some time that McCowan is big. But till I saw her next to Mercedes Russell, I had no idea just HOW BIG she is. Russell is, what, 6-6?, and not a skinny 6-6, but McCowan just dwarfed her. I think Cambage is the only player currently in the W that can outsize Teaira, and I'm not sure of that. I just love watching her; hoping that MsSt didn't lose too much to graduation and that Vic can work his magic.

Hah! I felt the same way when Jessica Shepard was matched up against her in the championship game; not just height-wise, but in overall size. And as we know, Shep could probably play tight end in a pinch.

I hope -- and expect -- Ms. McCowan to continually develop her technical skill development. She looks eager and hungry to do so.
Good luck to her.

BTW, I also expect Ms. Shepard to show some elements of her game that she didn't last year because she basically took the low-post vacancy left by Turner's injury. Facing the basket should allow her to work on her drives and the spin moves she used effectively to get some space against McCowan.

 

[bballnut90]

Hah! I felt the same way when Jessica Shepard was matched up against her in the championship game; not just height-wise, but in overall size. And as we know, Shep could probably play tight end in a pinch.

I hope -- and expect -- Ms. McCowan to continually develop her technical skill development. She looks eager and hungry to do so.
Good look to her.

BTW, I also expect Ms. Shepard to show some elements of her game that she didn't last year because she basically took the low-post vacancy left by Turner's injury. Facing the basket should allow her to work on her drives and the spin moves she used effectively to get some space against McCowan.

I think Shepard is one of the more unique prospects we've seen in a while too. Very nimble and just a savvy player even if she doesn't possess great height or raw speed. Exceptional passing skills and can operate very well from both the high and low post. Similarities between her and McCarville with their strength, passing, rebounding and unexpected quickness. After watching this current WNBA season, I'm not sure how her game will translate where most 4s/5s are going to be 6-4 to 6-8, but I was extremely impressed with her in the tournament. She made huge improvements over the course of last season and I'm expecting she'll be even better this year.

 

[Shmermerer]

I think Shepard is one of the more unique prospects we've seen in a while too. Very nimble and just a savvy player even if she doesn't possess great height or raw speed. Exceptional passing skills and can operate very well from both the high and low post. Similarities between her and McCarville with their strength, passing, rebounding and unexpected quickness. After watching this season, I'm not sure how her game will transition to the pros where most 4s/5s are going to be 6-4 to 6-8, but I was extremely impressed with her in the tournament. She made huge improvements over the course of last season and I'm expecting she'll be even better this year.

Well she is listed at 6’4. I feel like each level they add an inch to their height. Even in the pros. Lol.

 

[j66kicker]

Well she is listed at 6’4. I feel like each level they add an inch to their height. Even in the pros. Lol.

Yeah Griner has grown from 6'7" earlier in her college career to 6'9" now. She's a giant, but hard to believe she's still growing. Phil Mickelson said practicing Taekwondo caused him go grow an inch. I'm assuming by adjusting his posture, whatever - not his bones actually "growing." I studied Taekwondo for 15 years and I felt the same way, but the tape measure never did.

 

[Bigboote]

I grew an inch some time between the ages of 20 and 55. And that includes a decade-plus of running marathons when overweight. The most bizarre I know of is the daughter of a friend. She'd been 5-2 from the time she was about 12. When she was 26 and pregnant with her second child, she grew 4 inches!!

 

[bballnut90]

Well she is listed at 6’4. I feel like each level they add an inch to their height. Even in the pros. Lol.

6-4 is pretty generous...I'm guessing she's more like 6-2. We always see players with inflated heights, some more than others.

 

[rt bb fan]

I think Indiana's biggest need (of many) is a big. I think right now Brown is the more skilled player, but McCowan has the higher ceiling. I expect after next season, McCowan will have improved greatly again, so I'll go with McCowan for Indiana.

Chicago's biggest need is a 4. If Magbegor declares, I think they'll pick her. If not, maybe Brown as a backup for Dolson since Coates isn't doing much. That would leave Cheyenne Parker to play 4 exclusively.

The Liberty need forwards. They could trade a couple of guards for a true forward and select Lou, or go the single step and pick Collier. I probably won't be popular, I go for Collier in their spot.

in my opinion Cheyenne Parker is not a true 4, but a center. Sky need a true power forward. Sky fans are not happy with Dolson, they want Parker playing center and Coates with more playing time and Stef traded.

 

[Shmermerer]

6-4 is pretty generous...I'm guessing she's more like 6-2. We always see players with inflated heights, some more than others.

I would say most players height is inflated. I do know something odd a few DePaul players coming out of high school rating services had them taller than what they were listed in college. Lol.

 

[bballnut90]

in my opinion Cheyenne Parker is not a true 4, but a center. Sky need a true power forward. Sky fans are not happy with Dolson, they want Parker playing center and Coates with more playing time and Stef traded.

Brianna Turner if healthy would actually be a good fit here IMO because she runs the floor so well and is a good defender. McCowan wouldn't be a bad option defensively. Neither her or Brown would be ideal though with the helter skelter pace that the Sky play with.

 

[Dillon77]

Well she is listed at 6’4. I feel like each level they add an inch to their height. Even in the pros. Lol.

6-4 is pretty generous...I'm guessing she's more like 6-2. We always see players with inflated heights, some more than others.

The ND Roster has her listed at 6'4", with Brianna Turner and Mik Vaughn at 6'3".
When looking at pictures, it always looked the other way around lwith Bri and Mik being slightly taller, but so much of that could be due to camera positioning, how you hold yourself, even hairstyles. In any case, I think Jessica is around that 6'3"-6'4" mark and she knows how to use it (the seals she made in the NCAA's were great).