The 2024 WNBA Draft is filled with anticipation as basketball’s biggest stars have yet to declare if they are using their fifth year of eligibility or heading to the WNBA. Stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese have been game-changers for women’s basketball and have also signed lucrative NIL deals in college.
Caitlin Clark is undeniably the biggest name entering the draft, if she decides to. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility due to Covid-19 which has made this draft even more interesting. It is still in the air whether the seniors this year will use their final year of eligibility in the NCAA or declare for the draft. The WNBA requires domestic draft entrants to be at least 22 years old during the year in which the draft takes place. They also must renounce any future college eligibility or have no remaining eligibility.
International draftees must be at least 20 years old during the year in which the draft takes place. This largely eliminates any women’s college basketball players from leaving college prior to graduation to enter the draft, unlike their male counterparts.
However, with the lucrative NIL deals college athletes sign, it may tempt them to stay in the NCAA one more year rather than enter the WNBA. Rookies drafted from picks one through four earned an average salary of $74,305 in 2023 with each tier incrementally lower. This is far less than the NIL deals the college athletes receive.
1. Indiana Fever– Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Clark is averaging 31.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Clark is a generational talent and the Indiana Fever would love to bring her in to make an immediate impact. If Clark goes to Indiana, she would be teaming up with the number one draft pick in 2023 and former college rival, Aliyah Boston. Boston won the 2023 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year. Clark and Boston battled in the 2023 Final Four with Clark leading Iowa to the win over Boston’s South Carolina. The two at Indiana would be a powerhouse duo in the W.
2. The Los Angeles Sparks- Cameron Brink, Stanford
LA is in need of scoring threats so Brink’s 16.9 points per game will help them. Brink is an excellent two-way player standing at 6-foot-4 and grabbing 10.7 rebounds per game. Brink shoots at an incredibly high clip shooting 55% from field goal range and 34.2% from 3-point range. She also shoots 92.3% from the free throw line. Brink is excellent on defense with 3.2 blocks per game and her presence in the paint will force opponents to rethink their offenses. Brink also has another year of NCAA eligibility.
3. Phoenix Mercury- Paige Bueckers, UConn
Paige Bueckers is a dynamic playmaker and scorer for UConn. Bueckers averages 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. However, she is injury-prone having been sidelined multiple times in her career at UConn. Bueckers has two more years of eligibility and she is likely to return to college. However she would be an excellent option for the Mercury who need a young scoring point guard.
4. Seattle Storm- Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso is a 6-foot-7 center from South Carolina. Cardoso averages 13.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks for the Gamecocks. She has never attempted a 3-point shot in her career which some teams could see as a weakness, but she could be very successful with the Storm’s prolific point guard, Jewell Loyd. She also has another year of eligibility in the NCAA.
5. Dallas Wings- Aaliyah Edwards, UConn
Edwards is averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Edwards does not shoot the three and only standing at 6-foot-3 she is at a size disadvantage against other bigs in the league like Brittney Griner at 6-foot-9. Edwards has another year of eligibility.
6. Washington Mystics- Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson has only played ten games this year due to injury but is averaging 19.0 points and 8.9 rebounds. Jackson is a fifth-year senior with a lot of experience and is ready to step onto a bigger stage when the time comes.
7. Minnesota Lynx- Alissa Pili, Utah
Pili another fifth-year senior is averaging 22.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Pili has been a standout this year for Utah helping her team upset #6 USC and #2 UCLA in back to back games. The Lynx were successful in integrating a rookie into their system last year with first year standout, Diamond Miller. Pili could be the next rookie to find success with the organization.
8. Atlanta Dream- Angel Reese, LSU
Angel Reese from LSU. Reese is a reigning national champion and in her senior season she averages 19.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Reese has a limited skill set playing within the arc and mostly in the paint which could cause trouble in the W. But Reese’s agility and quickness for a 6-foot-3 player is a huge asset to her game. Reese has another year of eligibility for 2024-2025.
9. Dallas Wings- Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech
Amoore was a standout player in the tournament last year leading the Hokies to the Final Four. Amoore has continued her impressive play this season averaging 16.4 points and 7.0 assists per game. Amoore is at a large size disadvantage only being 5-foot-6 so it will be interesting to see how she will adapt her game against bigger and stronger opponents in the W. Amoore has an additional year of eligibility.
10. Connecticut Sun- Nyadiew Puoch, Australia
Puoch is averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. However she is only 19-years-old making her the youngest player currently in contention. Her age and immaturity as well as relocation might prove a challenge.
11. New York Liberty- Charisma Osborne, UCLA
Osborne is averaging 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season for the #2 ranked Bruins. She is shooting 37% from 3-point range making her a threat from anywhere on the floor. Her age and experience make her a great candidate for the WNBA.
12. Los Angeles Sparks- Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
Sheldon, a fifth-year, averages 17.6 points per game shooting 51.8% from field goal range and 36.3% from 3-point range. Sheldon has the potential to be a viable scoring threat for the Sparks.
No matter how many predictions are made, a big determining factor in draft order is a player’s success in the NCAA tournament. The tournament has put WNBA players like Aari McDonald and Zia Cooke on the map. It will be exciting to watch how the rest of the season unfolds and who shines when the lights are the brightest.
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