WNBA 2024 Post-Free Agency Mock Draft

This one is a no brainer, as Clark is who I view as the best overall prospect in this draft. Clark is a special playmaker, both as a scorer and facilitator, creating efficient offense for herself and others at a remarkably high level.

Indiana has an exciting base with Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, and Kelsey Mitchell, adding Clark to that mix brings a new dynamic. This group has the potential to become one of the better transition teams in the league. The spread pick and roll game from Clark mixed in with the high low game of Boston and Smith will balance the floor in a way that we haven't seen in Indiana in quite some time.

She will be the best passer on the team off-rip, a huge plus for those around her, particularly the bigs. I'm excited about how this can slot Kelsey Mitchell into a more natural role as a two guard. Both can play on and off the ball, be constant threats, and attack at all three levels. Posts and wings are important without question, but top end guard play is what separates the great teams in this league.

Clark is already a fantastic off-ball player, and I feel there's even more that can be extrapolated from her shooting gravity as a screener and off-ball mover in tandem with Indiana's posts. That is going to be devastating stuff to handle. How do you guard Clark screening for Smith on the perimeter? How do you contain her screening to get Boston open in the post? There is so much more than just the logo threes.

How the Fever continue to build out their defense will be key to watch, but becoming a more consistent offensive team is huge in not always being on the backfoot. Clark has quite a bit of room to grow as a defender, although she does have good instincts in passing lanes and brings a lot of length at the point guard position. The future is bright for the Fever.

Brink is putting together a special season in Palo Alto as she and Kiki Iriafen have the Cardinal on track to a potential Final Four. Every single way I wanted to see Brink improve this season, she has.

She's playing and finishing through contact at a higher level. Her attacks facing up and off the dribble are that much more fluid and comfortable. We've seen an uptick in her passing and playmaking as a whole, one of my favorite parts of her game. She's fouled out just once this year while being the most dominant and impactful defender in college basketball.

I was very much on the train that the Sparks should still take Brink with the 2nd overall pick even if franchise icon Nneka Ogwumike re-signed, but did feel that there was a significant case for Paige Bueckers as well. With Ogwumike now in Seattle and LA entering a full on rebuild, I could not be more sold on Brink as the pick for the Sparks.

As I laid out earlier, guard play is crucial in the league, but that plays out at all positions. Quality decision-making, quick processing, well-developed skills, and multi-faceted play is paramount to success at every position in modern basketball. The Aces have proven that, we've seen that play out already in other walks of basketball, and that is where the WNBA continues to head.

Brink has Defensive Player of the Year potential, capable of protecting the rim as a primary rim protector and in helpside. She can switch and play on the perimeter. She plays with tremendous functional strength and tenacity. 

I view her as more of a 4 than a 5, but think she can and will play minutes at all three positions in the frontcourt (although mostly at the 4 & 5). She has the framework to keep developing as a scorer, particularly as she expands her game from beyond the arc, unlocking more from her as a face-up player. She can post and toast smalls if switched onto. She's adept at finding pockets to cut and attack the glass.

There is so much versatility in her game and she's just scratching the surface, a potential star the Sparks can build around.

Bueckers has a real case as the second best player in this class and has the potential to wind up the very best of the 24 Draft. I don’t say that lightly!

It would be unfair to say the draft is “crapshoot”; you can do your due diligence, and it constantly bears repeating for me that context, environment, and overall fit in every form and fashion are undeniable. That’s all to add to the point that the potential outcomes are fairly widespread for the top of this class.

Paige is a phenomenal all around guard, capable of playing the one and the two, though I view her as more of a true scoring guard at the next level. Few players are as crafty, efficient, and fluid operating in the two man game. She’s adept as a pick and roll scorer and playmaker. She’s incredible with her off-ball shiftiness coming off of screens and off-ball actions. Her ability to score through contact and physicality continues to enamor. It’s rare to find athletes that can play in so many planes of motion with strength and fluidity, but Paige bucks that trend.

On top of what she brings as an offensive fulcrum, she is stellar defensively, taking it to another notch this season. That shiftiness around screens offensively translates defensively, fantastic trailing and chasing. The added muscle from her time rehabbing her knee has made her a more stout defender on the ball, and her court vision as a passer plays out in how she hawks the ball in the passing lanes and making plays at the rim.

A Dana Evans/Paige Bueckers starting backcourt would be a pretty exciting way to kickstart the rebuild in Chicago.

Jackson might be my favorite player in this class, an incredibly smooth and polished scorer that can man both forward spots. A large part of what makes Jackson so enticing is the foundation of skill along with the size and athleticism she brings. She's a solid defender with room to grow into a significant plus on that end. She's effective practically anywhere on the court as a scorer, a good cutter, capable of posting up, killer with her jab and go game, and can really drive the ball off the catch.

How her jumper outside the arc continues to grow will be key, but I have no concerns about her touch, I think it'll just take time working as a pro to iron it out and consciously get it up on more volume.

Pairing Jackson and Brink together as the building blocks of the Sparks really drives me. You start thinking about how they can invert the court in their favor against smaller teams on both sides, covering ground defensively, attacking with strength on offense... and wheeew that's fun. While guard play will be essential in further unlocking what that duo can do and how the court is balanced, this could be the first step in the Sparks building their own brand that sets the table in the years to come.

The Dallas Wings are a fascinating team, built on length, athleticism, and battering teams on the offensive glass with their size. I absolutely love it.

Satou Sabally's growth catapulted this team along with Arike Ogunbowale's continued development in patience as a creator. They have two of the most dynamic and potent stars in the game right now.

Dallas has proven they can win a playoff series; how can they take the next step?

Finding a backcourt partner for Arike is where I lean, particularly with this draft and where the Wings slot in. Jacy Sheldon is the perfect fit in my mind, a player that I feel would fit in so well with what Head Coach Latricia Trammell wants on the court. She's steady with the ball in her hands, capable of settling things in the halfcourt, but also fantastic pushing tempo and attacking with early offense. She can, and already does, slot in off the ball playing alongside multiple ballhandlers at Ohio State.

While she is more of a combo guard than a true point guard, she embodies combo guard traits in the best way.

This team needs a heady two-way guard, and Sheldon is THAT player in this class behind Bueckers. While I would call Jacy a better off-ball than on-ball defender, she is a plus on the ball in my eyes. Too often, we look at frame and associate it with an attribute instead of paying attention to what actually happens. Does Jacy sometimes get overwhelmed with strength? Yes. However, I would caution using that ideology to dispel the full package of her defense. She slides her feet incredibly well, she's got good bend, and she plays with very good functional strength. She uses her length and verticality incredibly well.

Getting stronger at the next level is of course a key developmental piece, but she approaches the game like a pro now. She could really raising the floor of this Dallas squad.

Also Considered: Georgia Amoore, Angel Reese

Aaliyah Edwards is such an interesting talent. She's wildly productive, one of the most consistently productive players in college basketball. She has a very good feel for the game, sees the court incredibly well as a cutter and rebounder, and is underrated as a passer. While much of her playmaking is derived out of the high post reads in UConn's motion offense, it's the quickness of how she does things that I gravitate to.

Everything Edwards does is with full force and efficacy.

She's just a damned good basketball player, always in the right places. In some ways, that's a double-edged sword; where does she play best? How can she be best utilized on both sides of the ball?

That's part of why I love the Washington fit for Edwards, slotting her alongside Shakira Austin as the future starter at the four, a duo of two versatile high motor players.

What other pathways Edwards unlocks as a player will be key. She's shown real ball skills at the four, expanded her range the past few seasons, and can really eat in the post. However, that will likely be a harder diet to thrive with as a pro. Can she keep extending her range? Can she add more to open some room to play the three in bigger lineups?

Edwards has showcased this season that she has the athleticism to do more on the perimeter, but also that playing the 5 much if at all in the pros will be tough, at least early on. I always come back to the subtleties of her game, her screening, the way she competes, and believe in the ability for her to keep growing much like she's done every year in college. Seeing her spread her wings with a wealth of opportunity in a larger role off rip is a worthwhile bet here.

Also Considered: Georgia Amoore

This was the pick that threw me for a loop the most, oscillating between Kamilla Cardoso and Georgia Amoore, but ultimately landing on Kamilla.

Minnesota has branded this rebuild by playing with skilled size, setting the foundation around a budding Diamond Miller and ascending star Napheesa Collier. Adding a guard could be really key to changing up the spacing, but I'd posit that adding Cardoso would be equally if not more impactful.

Adding a post player that can dominate the glass and suck in the defense can do wonders for perimeter and wing play, balancing the floor by forcing the defense to care about the interior. This is trickier, as the Lynx already have Dorka Juhasz, who was rock solid as a rookie last season, but again, I think this fits the ethos of the Lynx. Imagine the high low game with Kamilla and Phee? She already has a wealth of experience working like that in South Carolina. 

She'd further amplify the defensive end, a place the Lynx desperately need added rim protection and a backline layer. Alanna Smith helps there, but isn't a full time 5. Jessica Shepard won't play this season in the W due to prioritization. Last year's 12th overall pick, Maia Hirsch, is an enticing prospect, but probably not quite ready to come over to the W. There isn't a ton of depth at the center spot for the Lynx, and adding Cardoso could bring an immediate fit as well as an amplifier of the talent and lineup versatility already on the roster.

I wouldn't mind going either way with Minnesota, but it would be interesting to see the Lynx keep leaning into length and size.

Also Considered: Leila Lacan

I liked Amoore a lot as a prospect last season, and she's only risen as a player establishing more and more nuance as a true point guard getting downhill and creating with the ball. She's dynamite with her shooting ability and off-ball movement. She's gotten very good at Nash dribbling into the paint, manipulating the defense by extending plays out, and creating something out of nothing.

While the Sparks traded for Aari McDonald, the presumptive starter at point, Amoore presents a great opportunity for the Sparks to bet on talent and their own player development, adding her to their reloading class.

Amoore is certainly small, but scraps on defense with a strong base. Playoff matchups will be a question down the road, but we are a ways from that, and it's key to remember that every matchup has a trade-off; who guards Amoore's shiftiness and shooting prowess? It goes both ways.

Matching her budding creation chops and shooting gravity along with the frontcourt tandem drafted in the lottery has LA shining bright.

Also Considered: Kiki Jefferson, Isobel Borlase

Nyadiew Puoch has largely gone under the radar publicly, and that should change prior to Draft Day.

Puoch is in the midst of her second season with the Southside Flyers in the WNBL, playing in her native Australia. At 6'3 with a long wingspan and quick feet, Puoch is a tantalizing athlete, but also a player who has excelled in a role at a high level of play. There's a great framework for Puoch to keep growing into more, but bringing the foundation as a strong defender and slasher to the table off rip makes her a fun fit for some of the teams near the end of the first that seek a legit rotation player.

I'd really like to see a team insure Puoch a role right away, let her play through some rookie mistakes, and prioritize her development. As we've seen with her time in Southside, both can happen simultaneously. 

She's very good defending on the ball, particularly guarding down and using her length and feet to crowd ballhandlers. She's equally active off the ball, blowing up plays with weakside rotations and attacking the passing lanes.

As a potential two-way threat, she makes so much sense for a Dallas team that thrives on activity, disruptive defense, and empowers players to play aggressive.

Also Considered: Kiki Jefferson, Leila Lacan, Isobel Borlase

The Sun are in such an interesting place, returning their core, Bri Jones on track to be healthy and playing this season, reinforced with new free agents and trade acquisitions, but still likely needing another piece to put them over the top. Connecticut really needs to hit this out of the park and add a rotation player, and Te-Hina Paopao could really thrive in this offense. So much of succeeding in a read and react style offense like Head Coach Stephanie White has put in place is quick decisions, playing with force, and being a consistent threat.

Paopao fits that comfortably. She has dazzled with South Carolina this season, taking what made her such a good player in Oregon and playing at a near All-American level. It's not just the productivity though, as Paopao has clearly put in a great deal of work on her conditioning and getting the most out of her body. She is so steady and stellar operating out of ball screens, savvy getting downhill with the best floater in the draft class, and fantastic moving without the ball to maintain spacing.

She's electric in transition and early offense, and it's easy to see her thriving playing alongside and off of Alyssa Thomas.

Paopao has made strides as a defender, but has some limitations guarding quicker point guards. However, she can guard up a bit with her strength and will make the right rotations. Connecticut has many guards on the roster, but Paopao brings a different element that I don't think the Sun could pass up.

Also Considered: Charisma Osborne

This is up there for my favorite fit in the draft.

After the season ended, New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb spoke at large about needing to tweak the bench and get more athletic. New York struggled to guard on the perimeter and lacked versatility in their backcourt.

Celeste Taylor is the best perimeter defensive player in this draft, a menace on the ball and skirting around screens and a dynamo playing off of it. She is always a threat in the lane. She will seek out and find positioning to draw charges. She can legitimately bring helpside rim protection.

Taylor is a defensive supercomputer. She is a very good athlete in all planes, particularly laterally, but wins because of how she thinks the game. There's even more room for her to flourish in this regard at the next level. I view her as more of a combo with some equity to play the 3 in some lineups, but what makes her valuable is what she can do defending smaller guards as well as an events creator off the ball. We don't often think of versatility outside of switching, but Taylor is a versatile defender in how well she can get through and over screens, guard on and off the ball, and rarely be put in a position where she has a defensive shortcoming.

Offensively, Taylor has grown this season in how she can conduct an offense, running bench lineups for the Buckeyes much of this season, and doing it well. Developing more soundly as a shooter will be crucial, a career 30.7% shooter across 5 seasons (33.3% on 4.4 attempts per game in Big Ten play), but I'm a strong believer in shot development as a pro.

She's shown already through her time in college that she can adapt to and play multiple roles while changing the game with her defensive presence. She could make a difference in the right ways for this group.

Also Considered: Leila Lacan

The Dream made calculated moves this off-season to shore up some of their weaknesses as a team, adding a more proven point guard in Jordin Canada, and addressing the need for post depth by signing former MVP Tina Charles.

I really like the moves Atlanta has made as they continue to take steps around Rhyne Howard's impending superstardom.

This roster is fairly set, but there's room to add more talent. Angel Reese is better than the 12th overall player in this draft, a lot of this just comes down to fit and need as well as who has the room to give someone real run to be who they are as a player. I really like this as a bet on talent and potential for the Dream, and Angel fits some of what the Dream like, capable of running delay sets and dribble handoffs on the perimeter as a playmaking big, an underrated facet of her skillset. Having Laeticia Amihere and Reese in the fold behind veterans in Cheyenne Parker and Charles is impossible to not appreciate.

We've seen Angel get more run as this playmaking hub for LSU deeper into SEC play, and I really feel that's the mold she'll fit at the next level as she continues to iron out her drive game (which has already had some bright flashes).

On the other side of the ball, she's a fit as well, a strong defender playing higher up and closer to the level of the screen, which Atlanta has prioritized with how often they ICE the ball screens on the sidelines. Some of the questions about how she scores and translation are fair, but she is absolutely a WNBA caliber athlete that brings a tenacity and freneticism on court that can't be questioned. With the baseline of what she brings, there's room to make an impact right away and grow outwards.