WNBA Mock Draft

[JellyBean]

A lot of these players will get a chance. If they get drafted and then get waived they are free to get picked up by any team, like Westbrook did last year. They just have to bide their time and hope they'll get a chance. For some it may take playing AUSports or overseas for a season and get an invite back.

Being able to play defense is often the difference between getting a chance and getting cut. If you don't play defense you better be a heckuva shooter...see Kelsey Plum.

Well said. I think back to Gabby Williams. She goes overseas and wins MVP honors each year and wins championships. Plays very well. She gets back to Seattle and does well but her defense is her calling card here in the states but we know she can get buckets

 

[Topdawg]

Professional basketball for women is a tough business. If you are a star or core player on a WNBA team, you may feel fulfilled. Else there is always the tension of not knowing whether you have a job. Many of the players who have gone abroad wind up in 2nd tier cities and live in (for them) cultural isolation. They stick it out for a few years and then have to switch to doing something else. They make little money from endorsements and sponsorships. Still advisable to get a good college (and graduate) degree and get hired in a place that appreciates you for your leadership, persistence, and drive. Great to pursue your dreams while they are good dreams. Then you have to wake up and find a job!

 

[Bigboote]

Excellent points and Megan Gustafson is one of my many examples that I bring up every chance I get to talk about players who take their games to the next level overseas but here in the states, they can't because they don't get a lot of playing time but they could be very valuable to a team in the WNBA.

Holmes is returning for her 5th year.

I'm delighted but a little surprised Holmes is returning. Next year's draft will be much deeper than this year's.

Holmes isn't just another highly efficient Big-10 post. She is only 6-3, but she's long, strong, and a very good defender. She's also added some range to her shot in the last couple of years. I think she has a good shot at becoming a pretty good 4 in the W. To kind of contradict my first paragraph, she has improved each year, so that would be a reason to stay with Coach Moren another year.

 

[southofnorth]

She's an excellent defender at various positions and has become a competent shooter, plus she's coming from a winning environment. I'd love to have her on my team.

Beal was 3/4 from 3 tonight and Cooke was 5/7 from 3. Florida packed the paint and watched the show.

I’m not denying these points, but for her career she’s only averaging 6 points and 5 rebounds (6 & 4 to go along with over 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks a game this year) and defense-focused players don’t have the best track records in the league (Kiah Stokes is a good exception to that). No doubt she’d be a good player, but the 7th pick? As opposed to the other options still available at that point? I didn’t expect to see her that high in any mock draft.

 

[baggerbob]

I’m not denying these points, but for her career she’s only averaging 6 points and 5 rebounds (6 & 4 to go along with over 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks a game this year) and defense-focused players don’t have the best track records in the league (Kiah Stokes is a good exception to that). No doubt she’d be a good player, but the 7th pick? As opposed to the other options still available at that point? I didn’t expect to see her that high in any mock draft.

Stokes is in an ideal situation, 4 great scorers around her, and Williams comes off the bench. On Las Vegas she gives them defense and rebounding.

 

[TC22]

I’m not denying these points, but for her career she’s only averaging 6 points and 5 rebounds (6 & 4 to go along with over 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks a game this year) and defense-focused players don’t have the best track records in the league (Kiah Stokes is a good exception to that). No doubt she’d be a good player, but the 7th pick? As opposed to the other options still available at that point? I didn’t expect to see her that high in any mock draft.

We aren’t talking about her career. We are talking about this year. She’s shooting 40% from 3. 28/67. Brea is a stat filler. Rebounds, terrific passer, blocks shots and has a pro body. Natasha Cloud, Kia Stokes, Emily Engstler, Didi Richard’s are all defensive specialists. Heck, Veronica Burton out of Northwestern is another one, although she’s also a PG. Whoever gets Brea is getting a baller.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

We aren’t talking about her career. We are talking about this year. She’s shooting 40% from 3. 28/67. Brea is a stat filler. Rebounds, terrific passer, blocks shots and has a pro body. Natasha Cloud, Kia Stokes, Emily Engstler, Didi Richard’s are all defensive specialists. Heck, Veronica Burton out of Northwestern is another one, although she’s also a PG. Whoever gets Brea is getting a baller.

Don’t see Beal making a WNBA roster next year. Maybe after a few years overseas and she’s able to develop her offensive game a bit more.

 

[bballnut90]

I don’t see Beal being a solid pro unless she can consistently score. She’s a great defender but if you’re going to be successful in the league you need to be a playmaker or be able to score. Her shooting is okay but most of her looks are wide open without a defender in sight which won’t be the case in the pros. She isn’t a big playmaker either, most of the time on offense she floats around the perimeter and looks for angles to make entry passes. She fits SC’s system well and is a good athlete with good size but I think needs to develop more offensively if she’s going to stick.

 

[southofnorth]

We aren’t talking about her career. We are talking about this year. She’s shooting 40% from 3. 28/67. Brea is a stat filler. Rebounds, terrific passer, blocks shots and has a pro body. Natasha Cloud, Kia Stokes, Emily Engstler, Didi Richard’s are all defensive specialists. Heck, Veronica Burton out of Northwestern is another one, although she’s also a PG. Whoever gets Brea is getting a baller.

Hence why I brought up her current stats. The players you mentioned all averaged better stats than Beal:

• Cloud averaged 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game her senior year at St. Joseph's. Her shooting percentages weren't great (36.8%, 35.1%), but her assists and steals make up for that.
• Kiah, as I said, is a notable exception. However, she still averaged 4.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and over 3.7 blocks per game in her senior year. She's the exception (as I said before).
• Emily Engstler averaged 11.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game as a senior.
• DiDi Richards averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as a senior. Not really a threat from 3, but those assists numbers complimented her defensive reputation.
• Veronica Burton averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals per game as a senior.

All of these players offered something other than defense, again, with the exception of Kiah Stokes. All that said, Brea Beal is a great 3 point shooter and could very well make a team. As I said, I am not denying that she could make the league or that she's a good player. What I am saying is that picking her at 7th given the talent there is in this year's draft seems excessive.