Paige Bueckers is the clear No. 1 for the Dallas Wings, but the rest of the order has changed as a result of the NCAA Tournament.
With the conclusion of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, players are getting ready for the WNBA Draft on April 14.
National champion Paige Bueckers is still the player who is more than likely going first overall, but with Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles skipping the draft and committing to TCU, and with other players improving their stock through stellar tournament performances, the draft order has been shaken up.
Here is the latest projected order for Monday’s WNBA Draft.
1. Dallas Wings – Paige Bueckers, 6-foot-0 senior, point guard, UConn
Since before she ever stepped foot on a basketball court in Storrs, it was assumed that Bueckers would leave as a national champion and the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. She achieved her first dream as the UConn Huskies defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in a game where Bueckers had 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
The Dallas Wings are unlikely to pass on a player who averaged 19.9 points on 53.4 percent shooting, including 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. Add to that an average of 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals and Bueckers is a player who can shoot, make plays, defend and do everything asked of her.
During March Madness she posted three games in a row with 30 or more points against South Dakota State, Oklahoma and USC, with a season-high in scoring coming from her 40-point performance against the Sooners. After her freshman campaign where she won Naismith Player of the Year, it was clear one day Buckers would be the No. 1 pick. Four years later, it’s about to come true.
2. Seattle Storm – Dominique Malonga, 6-foot-6 forward, ASVEL Lyon
With Miles no longer taking part in the draft, Malonga, 19, has shot up the rankings after averaging 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22 games for ASVEL Lyon.
A powerhouse in the paint, she also went 11 of 38 from beyond the arc. Malonga can space the floor, finish effectively at the rim, moves well for being 6-foot-6 and also helped France win a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Her game is also continuing to develop and grow. If she joins the Seattle Storm, she will play alongside veterans like Skylar Diggins Smith and Nneka Ogwumike.
3. Washington Mystics – Sonia Citron, 6-foot-1 senior guard, Notre Dame
Citron shared responsibility with Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, so she’s no stranger to playing an off-ball role. She is a versatile guard with elite defensive skills and averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 steals this season.
She shot 37.2 percent from three and 89.0 percent from the free-throw line, can score from multiple spots from the floor, and at brings length and athleticism to the game whether she’s the primary ball handler or creating space to shoot.
Notre Dame may have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by TCU, but Citron showed off her capabilities in the first two rounds of the tournament, going 7 of 14 from the arc in those games and tallying 40 combined points.
4. Washington Mystics – Kiki Iriafen, 6-foot-3 senior, forward, USC
The Mystics have the third, fourth and sixth picks in the first round, so on top of picking up Citron they are likely to grab Iriafen as well. While Iriafen shot a combined 6-of-28 for 17 points between the Sweet Sixteen win over Kansas State and the Elite Eight loss to UConn, the tournament doesn’t describe the big picture of her game.
She put up a 36-point performance against Mississippi State after JuJu Watkins went out with a season-ending injury. Iriafen is efficient at the rim, a solid rebounder and defender.
Averaging 18 points, 8.4 rebounds and shooting 49 percent from the floor, Iriafen can bolster Washington’s current rebuilding situation. She can create offense on second chances, will attack off the catch and her physicality makes her hard to box out.
5. Golden State Valkyries – Aneesah Morrow, 6-foot-1 senior forward, LSU
Morrow finished her college career averaging 18.7 points while grabbing 13.5 rebounds. The Valkyries don’t exactly have an identity yet, but picking up a player like Morrow is never a bad idea as she can score and rebound.
She averaged a double-double in each season in college, and can be a building block for the Valkyries as she recorded 30 double-doubles this season for LSU, eight more than any other player in the country. She’s able to disrupt offenses as a defender, and can score with enthusiasm as well. She will need to develop her offense on the perimeter at the next level, but already has a solid resume when it comes to two-way play.
6. Washington Mystics — Justė Jocytė, 6-foot-1, point guard, ASVEL Lyon
Another international talent, Jocytė, 19, has been playing professionally since she was 14. She has developed into a stellar ball handler with ability to create her own shot out of a pick-and-roll, and also has a solid pull up jumper in her arsenal. Her game is not remotely finished, but is already promising.
While some may worry about her defense as a WNBA prospect, at her age her defensive game still has time to grow. Jocyte’s ability to score and raw talent are apparent, as she averaged 9.7 points and 2.8 assists for Lyon, and improved those scoring numbers to 12.1 points and 2.6 assists in the EuroCup Women.
7. Connecticut Sun — Shyanne Sellers, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Maryland
Sellers was a force in the NCAA Tournament, with 28 points in Maryland’s double-overtime win over Alabama. She gave everything with the Terps as they nearly upset South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen where she tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
While Sellers is usually not the primary ball handler, she took on that role often at Maryland once Bri McDaniel went down with a season-ending injury. Sellers would prefer to be more of a scorer and finisher. She averaged 14.4 points per game along with 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
This year, Sellers became the first player in Maryland history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Her size and physicality are that of a league-ready WNBA player, and if a team can allow her the minutes, she can develop even more in her scoring as well.
8. Connecticut Sun — Georgia Amoore, 5-foot-6 senior guard, Kentucky
Amoore had already made a name for herself when she led Virginia Tech to its first Final Four in program history in 2023, and her move to Kentucky was to play for Kenny Brooks, her former Hokies coach. She averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season, with the Wildcats being defeated by Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
At point guard, Amoore may not have the size but can run the offense, read the court, create her own shot and space for herself, and can catch and shoot with ease. If she lands with a rebuilding Connecticut, she will have the opportunity to get minutes and refine her skills against solid defenders. Amoore is already a great passer, in the top four in total assists in Division I in each of the last two years, and utilizes the pick and roll to frustrate opposing defenses.
9. Los Angeles Sparks – Saniya Rivers, 6-foot-1 senior guard, NC State
When it comes to this draft class, Rivers shows some of the best pure athleticism as she is able to defend any position on the floor, whether she is guarding on ball or playing help side. Her eye for passing creates outlet shots for her teammates, she is a solid rebounder, and averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season.
While Rivers’ three-point game will need to improve as she shot just 22.9 percent from beyond the arc, her versatility on either side of the ball is what makes her valuable to teams who can see the investment in her game.
LSU knocked the Wolfpack out of the Sweet Sixteen, but in the first two rounds Rivers shot over 41.2 percent per game and tallied a double-double against both Vermont and Michigan State, 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Catamounts and 17 points and 11 assists against the Spartans.
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut) – Hailey Van Lith, 5-foot-9 senior, point guard, TCU
One of the players who turned the most heads during March Madness, Van Lith ended her college career on a high note after her down year at LSU. She helped lead TCU to program-first Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight appearances, scoring 72 total points while also tallying 26 rebounds and 23 assists over four tournament games.
Even in TCU’s loss to Texas, Van Lith played 40 minutes and tallied 17 points and eight rebounds. She has started every game of her career, helped TCU win their first Big 12 title, reached the Elite Eight every year of her career, and has an immense amount of experience across Louisville, LSU, TCU and USA basketball.
At 23 years old, Van Lith was the Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 17.9 points per game along with 5.4 assists, and plays well in the pick and roll. Her liability is defensively, which will need improvement at the next level, but her desire to win is apparent and that hunger certainly caught the eyes of teams during the tournament.
11. Minnesota Lynx – Sarah Ashlee Barker, 6-foot-0 senior guard, Alabama
A player who was not on anyone’s radar before March Madness started, Barker declared for the draft after she put up a 45-point performance in a double overtime loss to Maryland, the fourth most points scored in NCAA Tournament history. After playing for Georgia for two seasons, she transferred to Alabama to play for three seasons, developing her shot, skill, scoring power, and defense.
Her ability to score anywhere on the court makes her intriguing and dangerous to guard, tallying 18.2 points per game this season while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. While her offense is her main selling point, she can also get physical on the boards averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, and will apply that pressure defensively averaging two steals per game.
12. Dallas Wings – Serena Sundell, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Kansas State
Rounding out the first round of the draft is Sundell, who led the country in assists per game this season. On top of her court vision and elite passing, she has taken on a bigger scoring role as she developed her game. Sundell can score at the rim or from beyond the arc, and everywhere in between. She also brings size to her position of guard being able to run the point or be a shooter.
Averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game this season, Sundell shot 50.1 percent from the field and was clutch in moments against Kentucky and USC during the tournament, logging at least 18 points in each of her three games and shooting over 46.2 percent. While her free throw shooting and ability to catch and shoot are areas of concern, her offensive efficiency with the ball in her hands makes her a guard WNBA teams will want to pick up.
