Since she was the top-recruited player out of high school in 2020, Paige Bueckers was discussed as a potential first overall pick in the WNBA draft. She has had to overcome injuries, but now it appears that that day is almost at hand. Bueckers, a star point guard from UConn, is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft on April 14.
There are plenty of other players who have raised their draft stock since the start of the college season. And no doubt there will be plenty of movement between now and Draft Day.
Here is how I project the first round would play off if the draft were held today.
1. Dallas Wings – Paige Bueckers, 6-foot-0 senior, point guard, UConn
There’s never been a doubt that Bueckers would be the top player in this class, but there is some question as to whether she wants to play in Dallas, as it has been speculated she may hold out for another franchise, or return to UConn for 2026. Bueckers is averaging 18.7 points this season, shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc, is a three-level scorer who can facilitate and create difficult shots and is a terrific overall playmaker. She has only been held under double-digit scoring twice this season, is averaging the fewest turnovers per game of her college career and is still adding 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game for the Huskies. While she may be undecided on a future in Dallas, the Wings certainly are not undecided on wanting Bueckers.
2. Seattle Storm – Olivia Miles, 5-foot-10 junior, point guard, Notre Dame
The Storm ended up with the second overall pick through a trade that sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas, leaving Seattle with a need for a guard who can score at a similar level. That’s exactly what Miles has shown she can do, even after sitting out the entire 2023 season with a knee injury. While playing alongside fellow talented guards Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron, Miles is averaging 16.5 points and 6.4 assists, shooting a career-high 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. She’s explosive, confident, good off the dribble and can create space for herself and her teammates.
3. Chicago Sky – Sonia Citron, 6-foot-1 senior, shooting guard, Notre Dame
Speaking of Notre Dame, Citron carries on the tradition of the Fighting Irish producing elite guards — Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Marina Mabrey to name a few — and brings playmaking, depth and shooting that the Sky will need after they bolstered their frontcourt in 2024 with Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Citron is versatile, able to play both on and off ball, is a solid defender and is averaging 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season. Her versatility is what makes her a strong presence even beside the likes of Miles and Hidalgo and will make her a top choice for the Sky.
4. Washington Mystics – Dominique Malonga, 6-foot-6, center, Lyon (France)
Malonga is 19 years old and doesn’t have the same college experience that the top three prospects in this class do, but she’s made her impact as a 6-foot-6 center who brings athleticism, mobility and skill to the Mystics. She is averaging 17.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, shooting 57 percent from the floor for LDLC ASVEL Féminin in EuroCup Women this season and has yet to reach her full potential.
5. Golden State Valkyries – Kiki Iriafen, 6-foot-3 senior, power forward, USC
Washington could also snap up Iriafen first, but if they don’t, the Valkyries certainly won’t let her slip any further. Iriafen spent her first three seasons at Stanford, averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game as a junior last year and now is averaging 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She already plays at a professional-ready level as an athletic, aggressive presence in the paint and utilizes her length and physicality on the glass. She is also a rim protector, perimeter defender, and can score on the glass or from mid-range. Whatever the Valkyries ask of Iriafen, she can deliver.
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta Dream) – Aneesah Morrow, 6-foot-1 senior, small forward, LSU
Morrow’s draft projection is fairly wide, but there’s no doubt that a player of her caliber will be selected in the first round. While it isn’t exactly clear what direction the Mystics are going to go, a player like Morrow is physical, has posted 22 double-doubles and leads the nation in rebounding with 14.2 per game. Like her previous teammate Angel Reese, the LSU product has been seen as undersized and her perimeter shooting has not been tested, but she’s still averaging 18.4 points per game and is converting a career-high 30.4 percent from three. Morrow is dominant in the paint, but she also has a soft finish and would be a solid pickup for the Mystics.
7. New York Liberty (from Phoenix Mercury) – Shyanne Sellers, 6-foot-2 senior, point guard, Maryland
The Liberty are the reigning WNBA champions and already have superstars like Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. What more could they possibly need? With Sellers’ versatility, whatever the answer is — playmaking, defending, rebounding, shooting — she can provide it. Sellers is averaging 13.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season and has had an impact on both sides of the floor while dealing with a knee sprain. She is also lethal in transition. As a two-way player who can create space, facilitate scoring and play lockdown defense, Sellers is someone the Liberty cannot pass up.
8. Connecticut Sun (from Indiana Fever) – Te-Hina Paopao, 5-foot-9 senior, guard, South Carolina
Paopao is already experienced as a fifth-year player, and the Gamecocks certainly know how to develop WNBA-ready players. Paopao can pace the game, is a playmaker, can shoot from the perimeter (40.4 percent career shooter from three) and can stretch the defense. Her halfcourt execution tied with her ability to create shots for her teammates is something the Sun could use given that they have other ball-dominant players already on their roster.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle) – Georgia Amoore, 5-foot-6 senior, point guard, Kentucky
Amoore first made waves when she helped lead Virginia Tech to its first-ever Final Four. She transferred to Kentucky for her fifth season and is averaging 19.4 points and a nation’s-best 7.5 assists per game. While she may be just 5-foot-6, she has shown her offensive power as a multi-level scorer (career-high 43 points against Oklahoma) and is a natural playmaker. Amoore has a high basketball IQ and can create space for herself. Even despite being a smaller guard, she plays physically and can pick apart any defense.
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut) – Aziaha James, 5-foot-9 senior, guard, NC State
James has refined her game after helping the Wolfpack to the Final Four in 2023 and has become more efficient in her scoring while turning the ball over less. The way she paces the game is professional-ready. James is a strong defender and playmaker and is averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season. A three-level scorer who brings the X-factor as she has gained more offensive responsibility during her career, James has helped lead the Wolfpack to an 18-4 record and a spot in second place in the ACC.
11. Minnesota Lynx – Azzi Fudd, 5-foot-11 senior, guard, UConn
While Bueckers may be the UConn product that most eyes are on for the 2025 draft, the impact that Fudd has had while dealing with injuries that forced her to redshirt last season is not to be overlooked. While there is a chance that Fudd may stay another season just as Bueckers did, the Huskies guard is an elite scorer who can attack the basket, shoot from mid-range, is a natural jump shooter who is dangerous off the dribble. Her size makes her a physical presence, and she is also a standout playmaker. Fudd is averaging 11.2 points per game despite playing 22.4 minutes, which is remarkable considering she is just 15 months removed from an ACL tear.
12. Dallas Wings (from New York via Phoenix) – Sedona Prince, 6-foot-7 senior, center, TCU
While the final spot in the draft could also go to Ajsa Sivka, a 6-foot-4 forward from Slovenia, teams may prefer Prince due to her scoring and defense as well as her size as a true center. Prince is third in the nation in blocks with 3.1 per game, a career high, and is averaging 18.2 points and nine rebounds. She is a threat in the paint on both ends and she is shooting a career-best 60.8 percent. She has become efficient in the mid-range. The big question surrounding Prince is that her lengthy college career has seen her deal with various injuries since she began playing at Texas in 2018. She will also turn 25 in May, which means scouts may assume she has less upside than other prospects.
