But I could easily see Lou at two. And, if I`m in the front office of the Sparks or the Sun and its my job to sell tickets, I am begging the powers that be to move up to get Lou at two.
With all due respect to her tremendous collegiate accomplishments, I think it is a fair question to ask if Katie Lou Samuelson is the second best player prospect for the 2019 WNBA Draft.
At #2, you take the best player available, irrespective of position (see Bouie, Sam and Jordan, Michael). You want someone who has All Star/all-league potential.
As far as correlating fan ticket sales, there is not a lot of empirical evidence that shows that having a player from a certain area moves the needle significantly. Now, when Phoenix drafted Diana Taurasi (remember, a city to which she had zero ties), ticket sales went up because she was/is a star and regarded as a "once in a generation" type of player. But outside of those examples, the only situation that I can recall moving the needle was Shoni Schimmel, whose presence brought Native American fans to her games, whether at home or on the road.
UConn had Kelly Faris on its roster for a number of years. That did not move the needle in terms of attendance. That brings up another question -- what if Samuelson (like Faris) does not (did not) play? Would people still flock to games if the player is not going to start or see significant action off the bench.
Katie Lou is an incredible shooter and has great height. But for the professional game, she has average lateral quickness/speed. Also, as a small forward/bigger guard/wing, she could be defending players like Elena Delle Donne (who was at the three on offense and defense last year in Washington), Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi (who played anywhere from 1-3 last year in Phoenix), Monique Currie (an example of a player who is ridiculously physically strong), Alyssa Thomas (who was the default small forward for years until Chiney Ogwumike was injured and she moved to a better spot as a playmaking four; with Chiney back, will A.Thomas move back to the three?), etc. Athletically, she does not have the natural gifts as someone such as Gabby Williams (to use an example from UConn), where such gifts lead to greater pro potential.
On offense, KLS is not as adept off the dribble and creating in the one-on-one setting (without a pick) as Asia Durr or Arike Ogunbowale (using players in 2019), for example. She needs more screens to create separation, but once she does, her release is incredibly quick.
Now, if a team is going to put KLS at the two, she will have the same issue defensively in terms of quickness (though some recovery will take place because of the height advantage). But that means having a versatile wing player who can rotate between the 2 and the 3 defensively, which would allow KLS to move between the two positions on offense and defense, depending upon matchups.
Samuelson is a very, very good player (and an elite player at the college level), but for a #2 pick, much more will be expected. I see her being drafted in the #4-#8 range (we see how players can fall, as Azura Stevens fell to #6, even though I had her at #2, in terms of prospect potential). I just do not believe her ceiling is as high as other players in the 2019 WNBA Draft, in terms of professional potential and growth. As an example, it is much easier to fix a shot (e.g., Jasmine Thomas did it last year; curious to see how Gabby Williams performs in terms of extending her range and being a consistent threat from outside) than it is to all of a sudden become quicker and more athletic.
But if I am drafting between #4 and #8 and I have a chance to draft KLS, I am seriously considering doing so.
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It does not make sense that you would promote Stevens at 2 in the draft when she clearly did not show any defensive prowess for man to man and yet you try to put down KLS. From watching and then hearing KLS played with the injuries she did this year and still played at both ends, it comes off as a little strange.