2020 WNBA Draft Preview
That’s right, we cover it all here at Winners & Whiners. Today I will take a look at the upcoming WNBA draft. Training camps were expected to open on April 26th and then the regular season was scheduled to start on May 15th but due to the pandemic that has our nation in a stranglehold, the beginning of the season has been postponed. No official date has yet been set to start the season. One date that has been set is the WNBA draft, which will take place on April 17th and it will be held at Cathy Engelbert's house who is the league commissioner. This will be a virtual event.
The WNBA draft is three rounds long and with 12 teams we will see 36 women drafted to begin their careers at the next level. We will discuss each team in this article and in alphabetical order.
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream were anything but dreamy a year ago as they finished with the worst record in the league with an 8-26 record. It was just a miserable season for the Dream and they are hoping to move in the right direction with a solid draft. Atlanta has four of the 36 picks in this draft, including two in the 3rd round. They won the 4th overall pick in the lottery and traded away their 1st pick in the 2nd round to Dallas. Atlanta still has the 5th pick in the 2nd round and then they close it out with two of the first three picks in the final round. The Dream will be looking for scoring as they were last in the league in that department putting up just 71.2 ppg, while also ranking last in shotting at 37.1% and 3-pt shooting at 29.0%. They need plenty of help on offense but Atlanta was also 9th in the league in points allowed at 78.9 ppg.
According to BetOnline.ag the favorite to go in this spot is Chennedy Carter at -170 while Megan Walker is 2nd at +185. The consensus is that the Dream will be selecting Chennedy with this pick. She is coming out early from Texas A&M and the Atlanta brass is very excited about that. Chennedy is a point guard that averaged 21,3 ppg last year, after putting up 23.3 ppg the year before and 22.7 ppg the year before that. She is the first aggie to be named All-American in her first three years, along with being named to the All-SEC squad in her first three years as well. Chennedy also owns the record for most points in a game at A&M with 46 and was ranked as the No. 6 player in the 2017 recruiting class. She is as decorated as they come and would give this Atlanta team a huge boost, especially on offense.
Their next pick is the 17th overall of the draft and many of the draft boards have Tynice Martin in this spot. She is a 5-11 small forward from the West Virginia Mountaineers. Martin averaged 18.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg while connecting on 37.9% of her shots from beyond the arc. They do need a guard that can shoot and she is on Atlanta’s radar in the 2nd round. Atlanta has two of the first three picks in the third round and the feeling is that they will be going after depth at both the guard and forwards spots in this round. They could even trade away one of those picks. We shall see.
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky had a solid season at 20-14 overall and they beat Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Las Vegas in the 2nd round. The first two rounds of the WNBA playoffs are single elimination games while the Semifinals and finals are both best-of-five series. Chicago will now look to regroup after their ouster in the playoffs but they have just two draft picks to do it with. One in the first round and one in the 3rd.
The draft boards seem to be all over the place with the Sky but the one player that stands out is Beatrice Mompremier, who played both the forward and center spots for the Miami Hurricanes this past year. Chicago doesn’t really have any glaring needs and that does give them flexibility in this spot. Mompremier was limited to just 17 games for the Canes this year due to a foot injury but still, she was effective when on the court, averaging 16.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg a season ago. She also has a pro-ready physique at 6-4.
Another way Chicago could go is to take Te'a Cooper (13.6 ppg, 4.6 apg), who is a shooting guard from Baylor or even Kiah Gillespie (15.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg), who is a small forward from Florida State. As I stated, Chicago has a lot of options at this spot in the draft. Chicago may not even have had a 3rd round pick but they were able to grab one thanks to a trade with Minnesota. Again, they do not have any glaring needs and will be looking for just depth at this spot. Another scorer would be helpful.
Connecticut Sky
The Connecticut Sky had the 2nd best record in the league at 23-11 and they went all the way to the WNBA Finals but came up just a bit short in losing to Washington in five games. Connecticut does not have a first-round pick this year but the Sky has brought in Leaonna Odom (17.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Briann January (6.5 ppg) in a trade with Phoenix. They also brought in Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (5.5 ppg) from Seattle. Overall, this is a solid team and without a first-round pick, they will be looking to add depth to their squad as they make another run at their first WNBA title.
The Sky has a need for an assassin type shooter and they will be looking at Kaila Charles who is a sharp-shooting guard from the University of Maryland. She averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg while connecting on 50.8% of her shots from the field overall. She does need to work on her defense and three-point shooting but her mid-range game is lethal. They may also target Leaonna Odom from Duke, who averaged a solid 14.3 ppg and 6.2 last year. She hit 54.7% of their shots from the field overall, but just 62% of her shots from the charity stripe. In the 3rd round, they may be looking for another sharpshooter to add depth to an already strong bench.
Dallas Wings
It was a very rough season for the Dallas Wings, who went just 10-24 on the year overall, which was far and away the worst record in the Western Conference. The next closest team was Phoenix, who went 15-19. The good news for the Wings is that they hold six picks in this year’s draft, including four in the first round, so we may be here a while with this team. LOL. Dallas was 11th in the league in scoring at 71.6 ppg and 5th in points allowed at 77.4 ppg.
The lone bright spot for the Wings last year was Arike Ogunbowale, who was selected with the 5th overall pick in last year’s draft and averaged 19.1 ppg, which was 3rd in the league. Some draft boards are split here on who they will take first but the favorite, according to Vegas Insider is Satou Sabally (Small Forward) from Oregon. She averaged 16.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg for the Ducks last year and also hit 48.% of her shots overall. Another player the Wings could go after is Lauren Cox (Power Forward), who averaged 12.5 ppg and 8.4 rpg for the Baylor Bears last year. Sabally is favored at -125 to go in this spot while Cox is at -105. Dallas can’t lose with either pick.
The Wings’ next pick is the 5th overall pick where they scored big with Ogunbowale last year. Dallas has its sights set on Chennedy Carter (Point Guard) from Texas A&M. She averaged 21.3 ppg last year and the Wings do need scoring, after finishing 2nd to last in the league in that department. The problem is that the Atlanta Dream also has their sights set on Chennedy and they have the 4th overall pick. Dallas is also looking at Tyasha Harris (PG), who averaged 12.0 ppg and 5.7 apg at South Carolina last year or Forward Megan Walker, who averaged 19.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg at Uconn a season ago. Their next pick is the 7th overall selection and Dallas could be looking to take F Beatrice Mompremier from Miami or F Ruthy Hebard from Oregon in this spot. Hebard averaged 17.5 ppg and 9.7 rpg a year ago. After probably taking a couple of guards with their first two picks, selecting a strong forward would be the way to go with their 3rd pick in the first round.
With the 9th pick, Dallas could be looking to take Bella Alarie (Small Forward), who averaged a solid 17.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg for the Princeton Tigers last year. They also have Kiah Gillespie as a possibility for this spot. She is 6-2 forward from Florida state who averaged 15.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg a season ago while also knocking down 44 treys. Gillespie is very versatile. Dallas will have filled many big holes in their first round, so they will be looking for depth in the final two rounds. With the 15th overall pick, Dallas will be looking to add a 3-and -D player and Mikayla Pivec (15.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), out of Oregon State, comes to mind while they could be looking to trade away their 21st overall pick. That would be the wise thing to do.
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever ended the regular season by winning it’s final two games and four of its final six but still they finished at 13-21 on the year overall. Indiana has three picks in this year’s draft (one in each round) and they will be looking to get off to a good start with the 3rd overall pick. I will get to that in a moment. Indiana missed the postseason by three games so a solid draft could get them over the hump. The Fever finished the year ranked 7th in the league in scoring at 77.6 ppg and 10th in points allowed, giving up 80.3 ppg.
The team obviously needs defense, along with a solid rebounder and many of the draft boards I have seen have the Fever taking Lauren Cox (F/C) from Baylor in this spot. Vegas Insider has her at -125 to go 3rd overall while Satou Sabally is 2nd at -105. Cox averaged just 12.5 ppg last year but she also nabbed 8.4 rpg. She played in just 22 games last year, so her shot-blocking numbers were down at just 59 but Cox also blocked 97 and 92 shots in her two previous seasons. That is the kind of defensive player that the Fever is looking for. The other player that Indiana could decide to take is Megan Walker (F/G) from Uconn. She averaged 19.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg while shooting 45% from beyond the arc.
Their 2nd round select will be the 14th overall pick of the draft. Indiana could use a 3-and-D player in this spot and they have their sights set on Joyner Holmes (Small Forward, Texas), who has been slated to go in the late first-round or early second round. She averaged 13.1 ppg and 8.7 boards per game a season ago. If Joyner is not available, then Indiana could be looking at Shadeen Samuels to add another solid scoring option on the wing. She averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg at Seton Hall last year. Their last pick with be the 28th of the draft overall and Indiana will be searching to add a shooter. They were 8th in the league in shooting percentage last year at 42.2% so looking to add a solid shooter is a good choice.
Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces had a strong season as they went 21-13 on the year, which was the 4th best record in the league. The Aces then went on to the semifinals in the WNBA playoffs where they lost to the Washington Mystics in four games. Las Vegas does not have a pick in the first two rounds of the draft this year, but that does not mean they haven’t upgraded themselves in the offseason. I will get to those moves in a second but first, we do note that Las Vegas is the favorite (+300) to win the WNBA title this year. Next is the Los Angeles Sparks at +350. (Odds are courtesy of Las Vegas Sports Betting).
Las Vegas has parted ways with Tamera Young and Sydney Colson, who were basically bench players and replaced them with Angel McCoughtry and Danielle Robinson, who have eight combined All-Star appearances between them. McCoughtry did miss all of last year but in her nine-year career, she has averaged 19.1 ppg and 5.0 ppg. Robinson averaged 10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.7 apg for the Minnesota Lynx last year. Both will be solid additions to a team that may be a bit older than last year but is also a bit deeper than last year. The Aces have the 33rd overall pick in the draft and some of the boards have them going after Center Kayla Cooper-Williams, who averaged 6.2 ppg, p.1 rpg and 3.0 blocks per game at James Madison last year. Her defense could be valuable to a team that was 8th in the league in points allowed last year at 78.8 ppg. Las Vegas was 3rd in scoring at 82.2 ppg.
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks had a strong season last year with the 3rd best record in the league at 22-12, but they had a crushing end to their season, losing all three games to the Connecticut Sky in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. The Sparks had a huge offseason and are now in a position to be a major factor once the WNBA season begins. They have the 2nd best odds at +350 to win the league title this year. The biggest offseason move was trading away Kalani Brown to the Atlanta Dream for Brittney Sykes and Marie Gulich. Sykes averaged 10.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg for the dream last year while Gulich averaged 3.5 ppg. Both will add some solid depth to the team.
Another big addition was Kristi Toliver, who averaged 13.0 ppg and 5.9 assists per game for Washington last year. The Sparks do not have a first-round pick this year but they still have three picks overall, including two in the 2nd round. It may not matter who they draft as LA has 12 players under contract already so there are no roster spots open. Still. many boards feel that they will go after Shadeen Samuels with their first pick in the 2nd round and Abi Scheid with their 2nd pick. Samuels averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg for the Seton Hall Pirates last year while Scheid put up 11.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg for Northwestern a season ago. Their 3rd round pick could be traded away.
Minnesota Lynx
The team with the coolest name is the Minnesota Lynx and they are next on our trip through this WNBA Draft Preview. Just something about their nickname, the Lynx. Minnesota finished the regular season on a 5-1 run to end the season with an 18-16 record overall. The Lynx then lost to Seattle in their lone playoff game. Minnesota will be without Maya Moore, who announced that she will be sitting out her 2nd year in a row. Back in 2018, she averaged 18.0 ppg. The Lynx ranked 6th in the league in scoring at 78.4 ppg and 2nd in points allowed, giving up just 75.9 ppg a year ago.
Minnesota has just two picks in the draft with one in each of the first and 2nd rounds. Their first pick is the 6th overall selection in the draft and many draft boards feel that they will go after Tayasha Harris, who is a Point Guard from South Carolina. The Lynx desperately needs a PG and Harris fits the bill. She averaged 12.0 ppg and 5.7 assists per game last year and will also play solid defense, picking up 187 steals the last three years. I have also seen draft boards that have Minnesota taking Megan Walker (Small Forward/ Guard, 19.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg) in this spot so that is something you look out for.
The though is that they will go after a PG with their first pick. They could also go after a guard with their 2nd and final pick of the draft. Two players stand out in this spot. The first is Stella Johnson, who is a PG from Rider and led the nation in scoring at 24.8 ppg. She averaged just 9.9 ppg in her freshman year and has increased her point production in each of the next three years. The other player that Minnesota is looking at in this spot is Kathleen Doyle, who is also a PG. She averaged a solid 18.1 ppg and 6.3 apg last year for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Depth at the guard spot is key for Minnesota and they should nab two at the position in this year’s draft.
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty had an awful season last year as they finished at 10-24 overall. That was the 2nd worst record in the Eastern Conference and tied with Dallas for the 2nd worst record in the league. New York was 8th in the league in scoring last year and despite having two players ranked in the top 16 in scoring, the Liberty is looking for another viable scoring option.
The player that most are expecting them to nab with the first overall pick is Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon. All of the draft boards have her going at number one and according to VegasInsider.com, she is favored at -4000 to go first. Ionescu had a decorated career at Oregon as she was named Pac-12 player of the year three times and was the overall NCAA Women’s player of the year this past season. She is a stat sheet stuffer and averaged 17.5 points per game, 9.1 assists per game and 8.6 rebounds per game last year. Ionescu is the all-time leader (male or female) in career triple-doubles with 26, plus she is the first player in the history of the NCAA (male or female) to record 2000 points, 1000 assists and 1000 rebounds in their career. You can see why New York wants her on their roster.
Moving on to the 2nd round, the Liberty have the 1st pick in that round as well and They will probably go after a forward as New York is stocked at center and one option is power forward Beatrice Mompremier, who missed 13 games last year but still led the Miami Hurricanes in points with 16.8 ppg and rebounds at 9.8 rpg. Another one to watch is Joyner Holmes, who averaged 13.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg for the Texas Longhorns last year. New York has the 2nd pick in the 3rd round and will probably look to snag a quality backup guard.
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury did not have a great season as they went just 15-19 overall but they have a shot at being one of the best teams in the league this year. Before I get to their draft preview, I will talk about the solid offseason they have had so far. The Phoenix Already had Brittney Griner, who was 2nd in the league in scoring last year at 20.7 ppg and DeWanna Bonner, who was 5th in the league at 7.2. Now they have added Skylar Diggins-Smith in a trade with Dallas. She missed all of last year, due to the birth of a child, but averaged 17.9 ppg and 4.9 assists per game back in 2018 and that was while being pregnant the whole season. This team has a dominant scoring trio that should help a team that finished 9th in the league in scoring at 76.5 ppg.
Phoenix also added F Jessica Breland (7.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and F Nia Coffey (5.0 ppg) in a three-team trade with Atlanta. This team now has star power and depth. The Mercury did use three-first round draft picks to get Diggins-Smith but they also acquired one for this year in a trade with Connecticut. The consensus seems that the Mercury will go after Kiah Gillespie with the 10th overall pick. She is a solid scorer that averaged 15.5 ppg for the Seminoles last year and she also is strong on the board at 8.7 rpg. Phoenix was last in the league in rebounding last year so she would give them a big boost in that respect.
If she is available, they could also go after F Beatrice Mompremier, who averaged 16.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg at Miami last year. In the 2nd round, they are receiving a pick thanks to a trade with Minnesota. They will look to add some scoring depth and a good pick in this spot would be Kathleen Doyle, who is a point guard from Iowa. in the 3rd round, the Phoenix have options as they could go for more depth or even trade the pick away.
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm had a rather average season as they went 18-16 overall. Seattle then topped Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Los Angeles in the 2nd round. The Storm has all three of their draft picks this year and the draft boards are all over the place with who they will select in the first round. One thing that Seattle needs to get is some more scoring as they were 10th in the league in that department last year, putting up just 74.8 ppg. The strength of the team was a defense that ranked 1st in points allowed, giving up just 75.1 ppg.
Seattle’s 1st pick will be the 11th overall in the draft and as I said, the draft boards are all over the place with them. Guard Te'a Cooper (Baylor) could be one option for the Storm if she is available when they are selecting. She averaged 13.6 ppg for the Bears last year and is also a very good shooter from beyond the arc, hitting 41.5% of her treys a season ago. Guard Crystal Dangerfield (UConn) is another good option after she averaged 14.8 ppg last year and she is also lethal from deep, hitting 41.6% of their three-point shots last year and 38.8% of her treys in her career. If they decide to look for defense then Mikayla Pivec would be a good fit. She averaged 14.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg for Oregon State last year. She is a strong rebounder for a 5-10 Guard.
Seattle will be looking for a solid guard in the first round, so I would look for them to add a forward in the 2nd round. One way to go is with Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who averaged 12.9 ppg and 5.6 ppg for South Carolina last year. She also blocked 1.7 shots per game last year and 2.0 per game the year before. She would be a great fit for this defensive-minded team. Shadeen Samuels (Small Forward) is another option. She averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg for the Seton Hall Pirates a season ago. In the 3rd round, it will be all about adding depth in scoring.
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics had the best record in the league last year at 26-8 and they parlayed that into winning the WNBA Title by taking down the Connecticut Sun in a thrilling five-game series. Washington will now look to repeat as champs and they have all three of their draft picks to try and do so. Washington did lose Kristi Toliver to the LA Sparks but they have re[placed her with Leilani Mitchell, who was the WNBA’s most-improved player a year ago. She averaged 12.9 ppg for Phoenix last year after putting up no more than 8.0 ppg in each of her previous seven seasons. Mitchell played one year in Washington (2016) and averaged 5.9 ppg in 31 games played.
Washington has the 12th pick in this year’s draft and the feeling is that they will be going after Jocelyn Willoughby, who is a small forward from Virginia. She averaged a strong 19.4 ppg and 7.5 rpg while connecting on 41.4% of their shots from long range and 86.6% of her shots from the charity stripe. The Mystics were tops in the league in scoring at 89.3 ppg and adding Willoughby would be a nice addition. They could also go after Bella Alarie (F/G), who could be groomed to take the spot of Emma Meesseman after she re-signed for just one year. Alarie averaged 17.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg for Princeton last year.
In the 2nd round, the Mystics may look to add depth at center and the player they may be looking at is Brittany Brewer, who averaged 16.6 ppg and 10.3 rpg at Texas Tech last year. She could be a huge addition to their bench this year. They could also go after Leaonna Odom, if she is still there, who averaged 14.3 ppg and 6.2 ppg for the Duke Blue Devils last year. Washington’s pick in the 3rd round is anyone’s guess. They just don’t have a whole lot of holes to fill, if any.
There it is. The preview of the 2020 WNBA Draft. Now here is how I see round one going.
Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon)-- New York Liberty
Satou Sabally (Oregon)-- Dallas Wings
Lauren Cox (Baylor)-- Indiana Fever
Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M)-- Atlanta Dream
Megan Walker (UConn)-- Dallas Wings
Tayasha Harris (South Carolina)-- Minnesota Lynx
Ruthy Hebard (Oregon)-- Dallas Wings
Beatrice Mompremier (Miami)-- Chicago Sky
Bella Alarie (Princeton)-- Dallas Wings
Kiah Gillespie (Florida State)-- Phoenix Mercury
Crystal Dangerfield (UConn)-- Seattle Storm
Jocelyn Willoughby (Virginia)-- Washington Mystics
One Prop that I will be playing is to play “Two Oregon players drafted in the first five picks”. This is a slam dunk and at a decent price of -140.
