2024 WNBA Draft: Post-Lottery Primer

The 2024 Draft has its next official notch on the belt after the release of the lottery standings. Mock drafts are fun, they can be really meaningful if backed by information, but I decided to go a different route; I want to dive into and discuss the players that I most believe in being impact players as professionals.

I could do a lottery and it would probably look a bit different, considering that what certain teams would do and what I would do is different. Roster spots play a part. Willingness to play rookies and developing players plays a part. 

There are a multitude of players in this class that I won’t be writing about today that I confidently feel will be solid pros in time. I’ll have profiles/articles on them moving forward, but I wanted to stop and say to myself, who is that group that I view at the top regardless of team fit and nuanced circumstances?

Caitlin Clark: (Iowa) Guard, 6'

Clark is the best player in the 2024 Draft Class, which is not exactly something novel to say, but it just bears repeating.

I think what always stands out so much to me about Clark is that the routine plays she makes are just normal for her. What makes her so different is the quickness. Everything is quick. She reads the floor fast. She takes shots fast. She makes passes with lightning quickness. She is rarely bleeding the clock, something I’m honestly very eager to see in the W.

Caitlin creates easy offense in a split second through her pace and blend of court vision and electric shotmaking. She is ALWAYS a threat. One of the things I’m most excited to see at the next level is her off-ball ability being highlighted even more. She is a point guard, but she is so good and fluid coming off of screens when she’s off the ball. We see that at Iowa, but there’s even more room for that at the next level to me.

I think some of the shot selection will reel in in the W, part of adapting to the pros, but I expect her style to stay very similar; that’s who she is. The logo threes, the early clock off the dribble jumpers, the whirlwind pace… not leaning into those things would be a mistake to me. Always putting pressure on the defense, stretching them to uncomfortability, always searching with her eyes, and how she’s consistently probing and looking to attack are the things that make her a transcendent player.

Pairing that with Aliyah Boston, THEE Aliyah Boston, Rookie of the Year All-Star elite post player Aliyah Boston, is terrifying for opposition, but makes me giddy as an analyst. Clark and Monika Czinano ate in transition and early offense, breaking defenses with their push pull of distance shooting and low post presence… now Monika Czinano is Aliyah Boston, who I would argue was the best true post player in the league this past season. My god.

Oh hey, NaLyssa Smith is on the second side and that high low game with Aliyah and NaLyssa is there too and Caitlin is off the ball coming off a pin-down. Double drag 6 feet above the break with Lyss and Aliyah screening for Caitlin… WHEW.

It’s a very “no duh” type thought process, but to have Aliyah and Caitlin paired together is game changing for the Fever. 

Point blank, she is not a good defender right now and that needs to change as a pro. She has the length and instincts to be a good defender, and I expect her to be a more high energy defender when she has a bit smaller of a usage rate as a pro (Her 39.6% usage rate is 2nd in the NCAA right now. For reference, Paige Bueckers has a 29.1% usage rate.)

I’ll have a more in-depth breakdown of Caitlin as a player and prospect in the near future, but I cannot wait for this already.

Cameron Brink: (Stanford) Forward, 6'4

This draft was Caitlin 1.1 for me no matter what, but I would not bat an eye if a team took Cameron Brink top of the draft. I view her at that level, someone who I think will be a true all around star at the next level.

The jump she’s made this year, going from elite college player, to dominant college player, has been an absolute joy to watch.

I have and will say versatility countless times in this piece, and Brink is the definition of versatility. She is perhaps the best defender in college basketball, becoming a player who hunts for opportunities to blow up plays outside of scheme. She is special as a rim protector. She’s incredible on the weak side of plays, but has grown more and more as someone who can block shots at the true 5 standing up in the post.

She plays with fantastic functional strength that her frame doesn’t necessarily indicate, awesome at using her wingspan and verticality to impose her will on offensive players.

She can switch onto smaller players and then contain drives. She can play a deep drop. She can play closer to the level of the screen. She can roam off the ball (where I think she’s at her best). She brings it all as a defender.

Offensively is where you really feel her shift, even if it’s not that noticeable in box score. Cam has drastically improved at playing through contact, attacking off the bounce, and finishing with force. 

She’s made her presence even better felt on the boards, feeling out spots to attack, and cleaning the glass at an absurd rate. Brink is 1st in Division 1 in rebound percentage, grabbing 27.3% of total rebounds when she’s on the floor.

Brink has good touch on her jumper, something I think we’ll see more of at the next level. Her passing always pops for me, capable of making the simple reads quickly, but also bombing away with crosscourt skips and threading the needle once or twice a game. In a higher pace offensive environment, I think we’ll see that even more.

Paige Bueckers: (Connecticut) Guard, 6'

It’s been a blast to watch Bueckers back and healthy in Storrs this season, first and foremost. Whenever a player deals with injury, you always worry a bit about how they’ll handle physicality when they return, and I’d argue Paige has been more active attacking with physicality than before injury, noticeably stronger.

She is an incredibly dynamic guard, one of the shiftiest players I’ve ever watched, capable of setting herself up with movement off the ball, immaculate footwork setting defenders into screens, and space creation with side steps, jump stops, and step backs. She could quite literally create a clean shot in a phone booth. Bueckers is so slippery.

Bueckers’ pull-up and movement shooting is her marquee skill, something I’d consider perhaps the most rare skill in pro basketball right now. It’s hard to guard, it bends defenses, challenges defenders, and is one of those things you can build into an offense, particularly off secondary/second side actions.

She’s adept at playmaking out of those 2 on 2 ball screen scenarios, hitting the openings cleanly and timely. We haven’t seen that at quite the same level this year due to how different UConn’s roster is. The spacing is different, they don’t have the same kind of big depth, and it’s a lot of needing to rely on Paige’s shotmaking (injuries do that).

At the next level, Paige projects to me as a 2 guard that can play the one as well, and someone who will star in a high motion offense. The bigs she gets paired with will be really key to opening up all the avenues of her game, in my opinion. I’d love to see a team that has a variety of bigs; a solid screener/roller, a stretch big that can do some of the stuff hitting splits. There’s so many ways to get Paige going, but I think prioritizing the movement is so key.

Her defense is something I really appreciate. She can guard on and off the ball, and that added strength has been a boon for her against sturdier drivers. She has great hands and activity, she can get over and around screens, and makes big plays off the ball as well. Her game fits the pro level so well, and brings high level rare skills; I can’t wait to see her in the W.

Rickea Jackson: (Tennessee) Forward, 6'2

Jackson is a phenomenal talent, and one of the players that excites me the most in this class. While an injury/illness has sidelined her for much of the early season, she is a certified lottery pick for me.

She’s a legit 6’2, has a lengthy wingspan, and is a very good athlete. She’s strong, she has vertical pop, she moves her feet well, she’s not rigid (key as a scorer off the bounce), and she’s coordinated.

Jackson’s scoring versatility and intersection of size along with that sets her apart for me. She drives the ball at a high level, she faces up well, she can post up, she can spot up, she attacks the offensive glass when she’s off the ball. When you look around the WNBA at players that are Jackson’s size that bring the same skill set, you are staring at a very small handful of players, and they’re an elite group.

I have no questions about Rickea’s jumper; it’s just a matter of getting it up in more volume.

When you have a player that can score like she can as effectively as she can, it opens up so much offensively. Especially considering that she’s going to play a lot at the 4 at the next level (imo), it’s so enticing to think about what she opens up for a team. Tennessee started to mix it in a little bit, but I think there’s even more room for her to attack as a ballhandler out of guard screens or a 5 screening for her.

There have been questions raised about her handle, and I find them a bit misplaced. Does she have the handle to be a primary ballhandler with 32%? No. But, that’s not the expectation. 

To put it kindly, Tennessee’s spacing has been subpar from the standpoint of opening up driving lanes. They don’t take or make threes at a high level (that’s changing a bit this year, but Rickea only really benefitted for one game) and have lacked top end guard play in SEC competition. When defenses can load up on Rickea and send extra pressure, she has without question struggled with her handle. It’s an area for growth. But, with a better spaced floor like we saw for the entirety of the game against Florida State, you see how much more room she has to operate.

She’s so good at attacking in segmented areas of the floor; if she can cook one on one after getting the ball swung to her, she’s in business. Slower footed bigs are in trouble. Smaller players struggle with her physicality. There are few teams that I feel could outright switch against Rickea at the next level and feel good about it (The two championship teams and Connecticut). I’d also add that it’s gone under the radar that she moves the ball well in the flow of the offense. When she draws two and doesn’t have an easy angle, she’s moving the ball to the right area of the court more often than not.

There’s room for her to keep honing in on how quickly she reads the defense and using her frame more to get to the line, but those are teachable things to me, especially when factoring in her baseline of skill.

We have seen a multitude of scoring forwards come into the league and struggle, lacking the ability to translate what makes them great in college to the next level. I don’t worry about that at all Rickea, given her defensive foundation. I view her as a player who has good tools and instincts, but still having quite a bit of room to grow at the next level as a defender, which I think is a good thing.

Again, when you factor in her as a four, that’s where I get most intrigued. Think about the league for a second. More teams than ever are playing three guard lineups, playing as close to 5 out as they can, and utilizing skill at every spot on the floor. Who your four player is can really dictate lineups, what you can do defensively, and more importantly, what you can do on offense and defense. If you don't have a player that can survive on both ends, bring some variety, and also be a positive on the defensive end, good luck. If you don’t have a four who can meet those thresholds, you're probably playing a smaller player there and praying.

Rickea defends like sized players well from the perimeter in, and her switchability and where it can grow is part of what has me intrigued. She’s not a clampdown defender on drives, preferring to ride out drives with her hips, contesting with length at the rim. With refined footwork and pickup points, there’s room for her to get even better defending out on the perimeter, something I’d bank on happening during her rookie contract.

The point is that she gives you that option. She gives you answers instead of questions on the defensive end, and that’s vital.

I can’t wait to see her flourish as a pro.

Kamilla Cardoso: (South Carolina) Center, 6'7

I couldn’t be more impressed with Cardoso, growing steadily on her as a draft prospect over the last year and change. Everything attached to Cardoso gets some sort of reference to her size, which I get, but I also feel can underrate how skilled she is in what she does.

Having a catch radius that would make Calvin Johnson jealous is essential to her game, but she has such soft hands. There have been countless sizable post players that have had similar physical traits, but not the same deft hands. If you can’t catch the ball as well as she does, it doesn’t matter much how tall you are. She rarely needs to bring the ball down as soon as she corrals it, one of my favorite parts of her game. She’s always going right up with the ball, a huge part in her efficiency.

I also feel that her ability to move the ball flies under the radar. There is nowhere better in the country to learn reads out of the paint than South Carolina, and Cardoso is the embodiment of that. She routinely draws double and triple teams, but is so solid at moving the ball where it needs to go. When you receive that level of pressure and can move the ball, that’s so huge. SC has good shooters on the roster, but Kamilla’s gravity as a post player and ability to kick the ball out after drawing the defense is a huge part in the Gamecocks’ getting the open looks they do.

The level of efficiency and paint presence she brings is elite.

I will be curious to see how she keeps developing her ability to put the ball on the floor once or twice, particularly as she sees more opportunities as a screen and roll player at the next level.  

The only thing I really want to see from Kamilla the remainder of the season/moving forward is how she asserts herself more consistently. To be fair, she does not get reffed in a way I would deem fair, but that’s going to be the case for the remainder of her career (refs suck at calling fouls because people are big). I want to see her take those spurts of aggression and keep exacerbating that into more consistent aggression; holding her seals, not getting jostled off her spots, and constantly moving to keep herself as open as possible. That’s not a knock on Kamilla, just the reality of being a post. She has the ability to be great at the next level.

On the defensive end, she separates herself from like-sized players with her mobility. She’s comfortable hedging out and recovering, really quick on her feet, something you see routinely with how well she runs the floor. Cardoso keeps growing as a rim protector as well, learning the nuances of ball screen defense and becoming one of the premier paint defenders in the game.

She’s an immediate impact player and likely starter from day one as a pro with tons of room to keep growing.

Nyadiew Puoch: (Southside Flyers, WNBL) Forward, 6'3

Read more about her here in our draft/player profile and film study

Nyadiew Puoch (NAR-de-YOU Paw-TCH) is the player you don’t know about that you absolutely need to know about. A 19 year old in Australia that will be eligible for the 2024 Draft, she keeps growing and gaining in confidence at a staggering rate for the Southside Flyers. 

Puoch is a tremendous defender, with real versatility at 6’3, a plus athlete, and extremely fluid moving on the court. She brings legitimate secondary rim protection, can defend some of the best on-ball players in the game, and has played multiple roles on that end over the course of her national team and pro career.

Much like Rickea, when you talk about that defensive baseline that keeps you on the floor, I get so excited about the offensive end.

This time last year, she was primarily more of a straight line driver, comfortable taking 3’s, operating off the second side and playing as a 4th/5th starter as one of the youngest players in the WNBL. Now, she’s taking the things she repped out playing in NBL1 (second level semi pro league in Australia), where she operated as a primary option, and attacking with a refined level of change of pace and added nuance as a driver. That’s awesome.

She’s a solid passer, has a very good feel for the game, and is just rarely a player I have anything negative to say about when she’s on the court. I think she’s ready to be a top 8 rotation player in the league very soon, and grow out from there. I’d really like to see a team willing to give her a role without yanking her due to misses or mistakes. I truly think they’ll be rewarded for patience, because she is going to be one of the very best talents in this class.

Jacy Sheldon: (Ohio State) Guard, 5'10

Jacy Sheldon is the player in this class I have kept coming back to and pointing out “Hey, she is gonna go higher than you think, and for good reason.”

Seemingly half of the teams in the W need a legit starting point guard, and I view Sheldon as an immediate impact player that can step into that role and grow from there. 

I think it’s worth dissecting the defense with Jacy. She is a very good defender, absolutely hellacious off the ball, diving into passing lanes, stunting with force when she has the opportunity. She has a wildly impressive reaction time and hand quickness that makes her arguably the best defense to offense threat in the class. On top of that, she just has an unreal motor; I have never seen Jacy Sheldon not work to stay in a play.

That sounds like coach speak, but if you’ve watched Sheldon play, you get it. She is a pest, someone who I would view as being able to really press opposition at the next level when coaches want to try and slow the pace or force a different ballhandler to bring the ball up.

Jacy is definitely on the lankier end, and can get hit on drives to the rim with a shoulder that takes away her positioning. But, I don’t think it’s some huge hindrance. She’s very good at using swipe downs or maintaining verticality when it does happen. She’s consistently making that secondary and tertiary effort to make an impact, and that means a lot to me.

Is she going to struggle if she gets switched onto Chelsea Gray? For sure. Who on planet earth doesn’t? I voted Gabby Williams All-Defense two seasons ago and Gray ran circles around her in that second round series with Seattle. In the ideal world, Jacy adds some significant strength throughout her rookie contract, which I think is reasonable to bank on. I just think her frame gets used against her too much in some of the conversations I’ve seen.

I feel even more bullish because of how that plays out offensively; she is so good finishing through contact when she gets to the lane, one of my favorite parts of her game. There are a lot of players that can get to all three levels, but there are few that can actually be efficient at all three levels. She has excellent touch around the rim, can get to shots in the mid-range comfortably, and is lethal from beyond the arc.

She’ll be at her best early on playing off of/alongside another facilitator (I would truly love to see Jacy somehow end up in Connecticut even though I doubt she falls that far. She would be a perfect fit for the Sun). She can get into the paint off of early pace pushing, attack out of ball screens to kick start the offense, and I really appreciate what she’s shown as someone who can steady Ohio State’s offense. You don’t always notice it until she’s off the court, but when OSU goes on those runs where they start missing early clock and it becomes a transition battle of wills, you feel them lacking her presence.

Jacy is a good passer, better than her numbers indicate, but I do still think there’s room for growth in how she sets the table offensively. The Buckeyes were a dribble drive team early in her career and shifted to playing 5 out the last year and a half; She can make the right reads with quickness, but there’s room to work with respect to more set driven offenses.

Part of what I love about her game is that she can play on and off the ball, key for the next level. When she starts up the offense and kicks the ball, she shifts to an active, willing, and relocating shooter and scoring threat. Especially in an offense that prioritizes second side actions, I think Jacy could really thrive. She’s not really been asked to be a movement shooter (off screens) throughout her career, and I’d be eager to see if that can become part of her bag in time, but she’s rock solid on pull-ups and off the catch.

She’s going to be a good pro.

Leila Lacan: (Angers, France) Guard, 5'11

Lacan is one of the most interesting players and thought processes (with respect to what it means to select her) in the draft to me. She is a phenomenal talent, a sort of off-guard hybrid wing with remarkable vision and passing ability who is also a fantastic shooter off movement. 

That last part is the immediate sell for me and a key part of the discussion; is she ready to play in the W as a 19 year old? I think there’s a clear delineation between her euroleague play and what she does on the youth stage internationally. It’s key to remember that she’s 19 playing professional basketball and has shown out against very good teams in the French League. She’s also had some games where she’s less consistent when playing through physicality, which again, makes sense as a teenager!

The biggest things I find lacking in the W: two way lead guard play and movement shooting.

Lacan brings that shooting in droves. At the U19 World Cup, France’s offense was largely built around Leila’s abilities as a shooter, dynamic mover, and the playmaking she can create out of her shooting gravity.

Movement shooting (actions off of screens with legit movement; not just lifting/flares, but running off staggers, etc.) opens up so much in an offense, particularly on the second side of the offense. Pairing that kind of skill set with a team that already has a primary presence, likes to play out of dribble handoffs and post playmaking, and screens like hell unlocks an offensive dynamic that few teams outside of New York and Las Vegas have at a high level. 

It’s going to be a work in progress and patience for Lacan to develop playing through pro size and physicality, but she is no brainer worth the investment to me. If a team and coaching staff value that base skill set, willingly dedicate a smaller role, and are comfortable not being overly restrictive, there is a special path for this player to keep growing into potential stardom.

You can bake that movement skill into an offense right away, and it has to be guarded off rip, in my opinion. Even if other aspects might not be up to W level yet, I think that part is so vital that it can’t be ignored.

She is such a composed and smooth operator with or without the ball in her hands. She handles blitzes and added pressure on her screening actions remarkably well, using unique angles and both hands to get the ball swinging with quickness as soon as she draws two. Watching her against Team USA at U19 was so indicative to me of how she’s viewed. She torched that group in the first quarter before the US decided she would see two players every time she touched the ball the rest of the game. France wasn’t able to make them pay, due to a pretty clear talent and spacing gap, but I remained impressed with what Lacan was able to do in forcing that hand.

She is not going to be a primary star, but the vision is to become that secondary player that adds actions, connective playmaking and some legit creation juice (even if it’s nontraditional) that elevates a team.

I wouldn’t call her a fast player, but everything she does is so sudden; her jabs, her rips, her cuts… she is excellent at using head and body fakes to set defenders into screens which is essential for how she creates space and advantages. Especially at her size, she is so smooth getting into her off-ball actions and around screens, with few like-sized players capable of mimicking that slick movement. It will be key for her to keep developing physically in order to open up more of the downhill ability she’s shown; she loves touch shots and floaters, which she is very good at, but getting into more playing through contact would be huge in improving interior efficiency.

She has the tools defensively and the instincts. She plays with a very high base, but I think some of that stuff can be worked out with reps/coaching. She makes good plays off the ball when engaged, reads eyes incredibly well in the passing lane, and makes some eye-popping rotations. I think that strength comes up again when thinking about who/how she continues to improve defending on the ball, but again, when engaged and scrapping, she can do good things.

It may not happen immediately in the W, but Lacan has an upside that I really hope an organization buys into, because I don’t believe it will be regretted.

Angel Reese: (LSU) Forward, 6'3

Angel has one of the elite skills in this draft, with her rebounding about as close to 100ty percentile as you can get. It’s not hyperbole saying she’s one of the greatest individual rebounders I’ve seen in the sport. Her second jump (how quickly she gets off the ground after just touching it) is incredible. She just has an unreal knack for timing the ball and being damn sure she’s the first one to it. I love that. 

Defensively, she moves her feet laterally well and uses her arms to create havoc. She’s a willing and aggressive hedge and trap defender, using short bursts of explosiveness to put ballhandlers in hell.  Reese can play high up, closer to the level of the screen, where she utilizes fast and active hands as a deterrent in pick and roll coverages.

Her passing flies under the radar, capable of making some really crisp passes off the bounce, and fairly good at making quality reads to hit cutters out of double teams. She’s a good ballhandler for someone who tracks as a tweener frontcourt player, able to push the break, bring the ball up, and drive the ball.

My bigger questions lie on how she generates double teams routinely at the next level to unlock some of those aspects in her skill set. 

Angel’s ability to create clean looks out of post ups is not a strong suite when she faces like-sized opposition and length. She can skirt by with that out of this world rebounding, often corralling her own misses, but the point remains that I don’t think she’ll be seeing double teams off rip in the W. That’s not the end all be all, but it does raise some questions about translation and where she’ll be at her best.

She’s not a natural post defender, unable to truly takeaway the best looks for a 5. That’s something she can grow into without a doubt, but it’s not on film consistently. That’s part of being 6’3 to be fair, but again, what position is she at the next level? She could definitely thrive in a more aggressive system that relies on ball pressure with blitzing and backline rotations, but it’s worth remembering that even though it’s a lot of the game, pick and roll is not the sole factor on either side of the ball. There are still vital possessions guarding man up.

It will be really hard to play minutes at the 4 without a willing or reliable jumper unless she’s alongside a stretch big. I really want to see her in a system where she can run DHO’s, rep out those reads hitting cutters and working in tandem with good off-ball movers. I think she could be pretty devastating as a roller and short roll playmaker as she works out the nuances of screening actions as a big and refined her footwork attacking the basket. 

Angel has the upside and skill set to be a star level role player in my eyes, someone who really makes an impact that’s hard to replicate, of course a different player in many ways, but in that Rebekkah Brunson mold. That’s a damned good player.

Celeste Taylor: (Ohio State) Guard, 5'11

I really liked Celeste as a first rounder in the last class, but as soon as she committed to Ohio State, I got it. There was no more perfect marriage of fit and skill set in the transfer portal, in my mind. Pace, defense, intensity, and intuitive play are the staples of Ohio State and the staples of Celeste Taylor.

She’s fit into OSU’s press like a glove, and more importantly, been a huge part in the Buckeyes continuing to improve defensively in the halfcourt. Pound for pound, she is the best perimeter defender in the country.

Taylor slides her feet and cuts off drives before they can happen, mirrors pro level guards like few can, uses her length to corral, hands to probe and jab, and her mind to manipulate. She’s one of the few defenders that’s as elite off the ball as she is on it. She’s slithery around screens, anticipates them well, and works to maintain contact with her assignment around screens.

As a help defender, she makes timely impactful plays at the rim, in the lane, stunting, and reading eyes/lanes to pick 6.

She’s at her best guarding guards, but plays with the physicality to guard up a bit as well. She is about as close as you can get to lockdown against the top flight guard creators in the game without hand checking.

Offensively, she just makes the right plays over and over and over again. She reads the flow of the offense so well, moves the ball where it needs to go quickly, keeps advantages alive with her drives, and does such a great job cycling the ball (keeping it in flow) with her passing after drawing the defense.

I’ve always liked Taylor’s ability as a playmaker, but been most impressed with what she’s shown in Columbus. Ohio State has really leaned into her to carry bench lineups as the point, and even had her initiate in the halfcourt with Jacy Sheldon on the court as well. She’s done a good job with settling things, shoring up an area that was a weakness at times last year with Madison Greene missing most of the season.

Does the shot and shooting overall need to improve? Of course, but that’s part of what being a pro is about. That is the skill that I most view as being able to grow and develop with the requisite work ethic and coaching.

Taylor has played multiple roles throughout her career, adapted at each stop, improved her game, and been incredibly well-rounded and impactful throughout on winning teams. Outside of the likely lottery picks, Celeste is the player I most believe in in this draft. You’re not drafting her to be a star; you’re drafting her to be a damned good role player and rotation piece for the next decade. I’m that confident in her making that impact. I think she’s someone that will challenge for All-Defense spots as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league as she continues to grow into her own as a more polished offensive threat.

Aaliyah Edwards: (Connecticut) Forward, 6'3

It goes without saying that it’s been a hard year for UConn, figuring out new roles, figuring them out again, and then figuring out new stuff from there as injuries have slammed this team. Aaliyah Edwards has probably been most affected by this, in my eyes.

There were times last year where I thought she maybe had some runway to play the 5 at times in the league if things hit right, and this year has not been a banner year if you held those hopes. I don’t think that door is fully shut, but it certainly doesn’t appear all that open either given how it’s looked playing against some fantastic 5’s the past few weeks.

That’s not a knock on Aaliyah, it just comes back to one of the bigger questions I, and many around the league hold; where does Aaliyah play as a pro?

She’s a true four to me, who can maybe play a bit at the 3 in certain lineups and potentially at the 5 in time. I don’t mean to keep hammering versatility, but finding more ways to not be taken off the floor is pivotal to staying on it and showcasing what you can do.

She excels as a screener and handoff hub, a big part of opening up things for UConn’s guards in their motion offense. She is the point guard in some ways and is a better playmaker than her numbers indicate.

Edwards has a really good pick and pop jumper and drive game off of it. She’s so good taking slower bigs off the dribble and using her face-up game as an outlet in the offense. Can she continue to stretch that out to three comfortable and open up even more? She’s seen more short closeouts this year than in the past, conceding the jumper or forcing her into a less clean drive and it’s been interesting to watch how that’s played out. Part of that is UConn and where they’re at as a whole, but that’s also seemed to be the scout on Aaliyah this season.

Where I most enjoy her as a player and prospect is her intangibles and defense. She has an unreal nose for the ball, almost always the first player to a lose ball even if she’s equidistant. She fights and scraps multiple times within a possession. It is rare to see a ball go up in the air or hit the floor and not see Edwards on top of it.

She’s really strong playing near the level of the screen and using active hands, one of the best hedge defenders in basketball. She brings quality help defense at the rim. I’m really eager to see how she can grow with respect to switchability and guarding in the post at the next level.

Fit is going to be really important for her at the next level (it is for every player), and continued skill development and expansion will be instrumental. Aaliyah Edwards just makes good things happen.

Georgia Amoore: (Virginia Tech) Guard, 5'6

Amoore is just a joy to watch, bringing that skip and freneticism to her game off the bounce that’s hard not to smile at. 

She’s really grown her game this season, attacking the basket and getting into the paint with gumption; she’s shooting nearly 57% inside the arc after shooting 44.8% on 2’s last season. Amoore is more focused on penetrating the paint and getting downhill, something that’s been evident given how tightly defenses pressure her on and around screens.

She’s so so shifty, capable of blurring and darting around a multitude of screens and defenders to attack out of handoffs, where she excels. She’s a nutty shooter off movement and the dribble and she’s hit another gear with her passing out of how she’s defended.

Amoore can legitimately create offense at a very high level, and while much of her reads are based out of her shooting gravity, that growth attacking the paint raises her quite a bit as a prospect in my eyes.

I think the biggest questions will come down to the defensive end of the ball. I don’t think she’s a bad defender, but the margins are just so slim when you’re 5’6. You’re going to get targeted. You’re going to get put into actions. How do teams view that? Do they have the infrastructure to get a little weird defensively and alleviate some of those concerns? 

I think that’s what makes it tough. Inherently, less teams are going to be open to giving her run, which is not necessarily something I agree with. We are headed more and more towards space, pace, quickness in reads, and spreading the floor at a high level. Amoore fits that in droves, and is too talented to not get those shots. I just imagine it will be hard if teams don’t view her as an automatic starter. I frankly am not sure where I’m at on her as an automatic starter, something I will write on at some point as we get deeper into the year. However, with what she’s shown so far with respect to that growth, I’m highly encouraged.

Aubrey Griffin: (Connecticut) Forward, 6'1

Hands down, Aubrey Griffin has a chance to be the best perimeter defender in this draft. At 6’1, Griffin moves her feet and mirrors in a blur. She’s awesome using her length and physicality to corral ballhandlers. She’s a nightmare for offenses off the ball with stunts, digs, and the more than occasional weak side play at the rim. I think she’d step in immediately as the best perimeter defender on more than a handful of teams in the W, a player with real upside to make All-Defense some day if she gets the minutes to warrant it.

That’s where it gets interesting, in my opinion. Griffin is an awkward fit at times in UConn’s offense, more of a wing than a 4. They love to run handoffs with their bigs and utilize movement and shooting gravity from their guards; that can kind of leave Griffin in an odd spot where she has to pick and choose when and how to score.

She’s had tremendous games doing so, directly looking at that Kansas game where she swooped in and was demonstrative on the glass and cutting.

When the main actions aren’t drawing the same level of help that they did against Kansas (The Texas game), there aren’t really any cutting lanes or those pockets to duck in and attack.

She has some handle on straight line drives, she can make the quick read and right pass. I’d love to see her get empowered to play the 4 (even though she isn’t one) offensively, becoming a quickhitter handoff player, a better utilized screener, and just a more confident jump shooter overall. The defense and overall feel for the game are too good for me to not be highlighted, drafted, rostered, and played. Even if it’s just a smaller ~10 minute a game situational defender role, I really think Aubrey could make an impact in the right place and hopefully expand her game over time. She is worth the investment.

Aijha Blackwell: (Baylor) Forward, 5'11

Listed at 5’11, you’d hardly know it watching Blackwell play. She approaches the game with a confidence and physicality that totally bucks the trend of being called undersized, something I truly appreciate.

Baylor plays a smaller group, predicated on spacing the floor with good decision-making and intuitive play across the board. To succeed in that, you need versatile, creative, and aggressive forwards, and Blackwell fits that to a T.

She’s dynamic as a driver, capable of finishing through contact, utilizing more finesse finishes as well if there are more difficult angles. There was always good stuff passing wise at Mizzou, but in a more condensed role in a better structured offense, it has popped incredibly well in Waco. She just keeps the ball moving, whether that’s putting it in the basket or getting it moving after penetrating the defense.

She screens hard, she’s a fantastic rebounder (particularly in the offensive glass), and I’ve been really impressed with her ability to guard up. She’s got a very strong base with long arms, and she’s made more than a handful of plays standing up much bigger posts, rotating to contest shots with verticality, and out working angles to make things difficult on opposition.

Blackwell will make her money at the next level as a utility forward, someone who can guard multiple body types, switch, be sound off the ball, and unlock different lineups. I really think the shot needs to hit on volume, warranting routine closeouts, to become a mainline rotation player as a pro, but that’s something I’d be willing to bet on.

Isobel Borlase: (Adelaide, WNBL) Forward, 5'11

Borlase is someone who has grown on me more and more as I’ve watched her both in international play and the WNBL. She doesn’t necessarily do any one thing that blows you away, but you look down at your notepad and she’s just made good steady plays throughout the game.

She’s a very good connective playmaker, whipping the ball to the right places from a standstill and off the dribble. She knocks down shots in rhythm and can attack the basket off closeouts. Borlase is very strong, something she uses to her advantage on those drives and out of the occasional post-up. 

On the defensive end, she uses her frame and a long wingspan to guard up and contain. She gives ground, which can look like she’s getting beat, but in reality is her way of enveloping with her wingspan. I do have questions about what happens when she gets isolated on by smaller guards, but she is excellent with positioning, makes great plays off the ball as a defender, and is just so solid all around that I had to stop looking at what she might not be able to do and focus on all the positive she does.

She can really play. Not just that she’s from Australia, but I see a ton of Stephanie Talbot in a slightly different package from Borlase.