It’s Draft Day for the WNBA.
The college season just ended, where we saw Angel Reese talk her talk as she led LSU to a national championship win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa. The women’s basketball calendar now turns to transfer portal season for college, and the draft and preseason for the pros.
Neither Reese or Clark are eligible for the draft this year – and we could even see them skip the draft next year too for a variety of reasons – but this class is still a star-studded one, headlined by South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, the consensus National Player of the Year in 2022. Joining her is Maryland’s Diamond Miller, Tennessee’s Jordan Horston, Stanford’s Haley Jones, and the nation’s leading scorer in Maddy Siegrist.
We’ll grade each pick in real time as they come in (and we’ll factor in trades when they’re reported), so keep refreshing this page to get our opinions on each of the first 12 selections.
Here are the grades:
1
Indiana Fever: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Grade: A
Aliyah Boston has long been expected to the No. 1 overall pick in this WNBA Draft. She won the Lisa Leslie Award – given to the top center in women’s college basketball – each of the four seasons she was at South Carolina, and was the consensus National Player of the Year in 2022, the same season she led the Gamecocks to a national championship. The Fever didn’t mess around here and didn’t argue with common sense. Boston is a player the franchise should be able to build around for the next decade, and she’ll benefit from playing in a league that has a defensive three-seconds rule. Defenses won’t be able to totally collapse on Boston like they did when she was in college.
2
Minnesota Lynx: Diamond Miller, Maryland
Grade: A
Perhaps more than any other non-post player in this draft, Miller has a WNBA-ready body and skillset. She’s 6-foot-3 with lanky arms and broad shoulders, and her quick movements allows her to defend multiple positions and get to the rim almost whenever she wants to. She’s a playmaker on both ends of the floor and is excellent in transition. If Miller can develop a more consistent 3-point shot, she’ll have all the tools to be successful in the WNBA. She should be a strong building block for the Lynx.
3
Dallas Wings: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova
Grade: A
The Wings could use another scoring punch off the bench, and no player fits the bill better than Maddy Siegrist who averaged 29.2 points per game this past season at Villanova to lead the nation. The one part of Siegrist’s game that should translate well to the WNBA is her shot: her form is silky smooth and its capped off by a high release point that makes it tough to block. Siegrist shot 36.1 percent from 3-point range this past season, which should help the Wings space the floor.
4
(TRADE) Dallas Wings: Stephanie Soares, Iowa State
TRADE: Washington Mystics trade draft rights of Soares to Dallas Wings for a future first- and second-round pick.
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) April 10, 2023
Grade: C-
This pick could work out for the Wings, but it’s a big risk at No. 4 overall. Soares has only played in 13 games at the Division I college level. And while she impressed mightily there — averaging 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game — the sample size is certainly small. The good news is that Dallas won’t ask Soares to play big minutes right away since they have a crowded depth chart at center with the likes of Teaira McCowan, Kalani Brown and Charli Collier. And Soares may not even be able to play this season after suffering a torn ACL that ended her run with the Cyclones. This is likely a draft-and-stash move, and it could be a while before we can determine whether or not this was a good pick by the Wings.
The big problem with this selection is what the Wings gave up for it, which includes a 2025 first round pick. That draft could include the likes of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd, Aneesah Morrow and Rori Harmon.
5
Dallas Wings: Lou Lopez Sénéchal, UConn
Grade: B-
Some might view this pick as a bit of a reach, but if the Wings’ goal was to space the floor and really add some shooting in this draft, they’ve accomplished that by drafting Siegrist and Sénéchal. At UConn, Sénéchal was one of the country’s top perimeter scorers, making 44 percent of her shots from 3-point land and connecting on 2.1 attempts from that range per game. She’s another player that can provide a spark of offense off the bench.
Storrs ➡️ Dallas
Lou Lopez Sénéchal is the No. 5 overall pick! pic.twitter.com/xYHkKdAuoa
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 10, 2023
6
Atlanta Dream: Haley Jones, Stanford
Grade: B+
Jones’ final season at Stanford might’ve been a bit underwhelming, but — a bit like Diamond Miller — she has a WNBA-ready frame and should be someone who plays professionally for a long time. Jones is not a threat from 3-point land yet, but could add that skill to her repertoire as her career progresses. For now, she’s just simply a player with elite court vision who is also a versatile defender and solid rebounder. Atlanta is stockpiling young talent and Jones is a good addition to that mix.
7
Indiana Fever: Grace Berger, Indiana
Grade: A-
This Hoosier gets to stay home and fills a big need for the Fever. Berger is a solid perimeter defender, and she was also — arguably — the best pick-and-roll point guard in women’s college basketball this past season. Her 5.8 assists per game ranked 19th in the country and she also shot 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Pairing Berger with Aliyah Boston could be the start of something special in Indiana.
8
Atlanta Dream: Laeticia Amihere, South Carolina
Grade: B+
The Dream took the player who might be the draft’s best Swiss-Army knife. Amihere — who has featured with the Canadian national team — is a versatile defender with a wingspan that stretches to 6-foot-11. She can protect the rim, run the floor and defend multiple positions. She might be the most versatile and most unique player in this class. The questions with Amihere lie in her offensive production and durability, as she never averaged more than 7.1 points or 17.9 minutes per game in college.
9
Seattle Storm: Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Grade: B
Seattle seemed to go with the best overall player available here and got a good one in Horston, who a lot of folks projected to be a top three pick. Horston will likely have to improve her 3-point shooting to last in the WNBA, but she does so many other things at a really high level. Horston is a good defender, a fine playmaker, and averaged 17.5 points per game over six contests in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
To the PNW!
Jordan Horston becomes the 20th Lady Vol drafted in the first round, selected by the @seattlestorm‼️ #GoLadyVols x #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/hoWy5YStyc
— Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) April 10, 2023
10
Los Angeles Sparks: Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Grade: B-
The Sparks need guards who are good at a lot of different things, and Zia Cooke is just that. She won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award this past season — given to the top shooting guard in women’s college basketball — as she averaged 15.4 points and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from 3-point land. Cooke is also a plus defender and was 25th in the nation in win shares this past season with 6.2.
11
Dallas Wings: Abby Meyers, Maryland
Grade: C+
I think I’m going to be in the minority here, but I love Abby Meyers’ game. She wasn’t projected to be a first-round pick in many mock drafts — and wasn’t even invited to the draft — but is someone with a very high basketball IQ and a ton of skill and toughness. Meyers was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2022, then transferred to Maryland this past season where she led the team in minutes played as it advanced to the Elite Eight. Meyers can play and defend multiple positions, has good court vision and is a solid passer. She averaged 2.3 assists per game and shot 38.8 percent from 3-point land.
Those who are opposed to this pick might argue that a better player with a similar makeup was still on the board in Ohio State’s Taylor Mikesell. She went 13th overall to the Fever as the first pick of the second round.
However, I regret to inform the Wings that Abby Meyers — a guard — is not 6-foot-10.
maryland 6 foot 10 legend abby meyers pic.twitter.com/zhTwnOS9Tz
— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) April 11, 2023
12
Minnesota Lynx: Maia Hirsch, France
Grade: C+
To be honest, I don’t know a ton about Maia Hirsch, a 19-year-old 6-foot-5 center from France. Some draft experts say she is the best frontcourt prospect in this class. We’ll see.
For the Lynx it’s certainly a flier of a pick. Hirsch may not play in the WNBA this season — she’s currently signed with Villeneuve-d’Ascq, a top club in the first division in France — so she might be a draft-and-stash option.
🇫🇷 Maïa Hirsch (6-5, ESBVA) is one of the most technically-sound defenders I’ve seen from an 18-year-old; just her low center of gravity, quick feet and instincts, coupled with a developing offensive package.
My No. 2 center in 2023 class //#WScouting23 pic.twitter.com/4OVG3zy4f1
— Hunter Cruse (@HunterCruse14) November 6, 2022
