Mechelle VoepelESPN.com Close Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, college women’s basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel started covering women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.
The 2022 WNBA draft will be judged greatly by how much Indiana Fever has improved after winning the first round with four selections. Fever had seven selections in total and players who will be on the roster will have the opportunity to make changes to a franchise that has not been in the playoffs since 2016. Close
Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, college women’s basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel started covering women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.
With so many selections on Monday, it is no surprise that Fever scores on ESPN’s draft WNBA. Indiana threw a curveball at most odds by taking on Stanford Cardinal guard Lexie Hull in the first round. But the Fever want players who will come hungry to make a difference, and Hull has that kind of personality on the pitch. While it was a busy night for some teams, the Chicago Sky was just a draft observer as the defending WNBA champions had no choice. The Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury had four selections between them, three of them in the third round, so those selections may not make much difference. How did teams like Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces, who traded to achieve specific draft day goals, get a fair Monday? Did Washington Mystics make the right move in No. 1 selection? The following are the WNBA 2022 draft scores that analyze all of this. I am playing 0:56 Emily Engstler joins NaLyssa Smith as she is selected fourth overall by Indiana Fever. Options: 2. NaLyssa Smith, Baylor, PF; 4. Emily Engstler, Louisville, PF; 6. Lexie Hull, Stanford, SG; 10. Queen Egbo, Baylor, C; 20. Destanni Henderson, South Carolina, PG; 25. Ameshya Williams-Holliday, Jackson State, C; 34. Ali Patberg, Indiana, SG Answer questions about where the future WNBA stars will end up on the night of the $ 5,000 draft. Make your choices General manager Lin Dunn said he wanted energetic, young players who could bring defense, and he seems to have succeeded. Hull was a surprise as the third of Fever’s four options in the first lap, but Dunn clearly believes in her engine. Hull led the Cardinals in steals (78) this season. Smith and Egbo have been teammates at Baylor for four seasons, so they bring in chemistry. The ever-moving Engstler is a defensive force and plays as if it were made to fight for Dunn. Even after a great performance in the Final Four, Henderson went to the second round. But if she can get on the roster, Henderson is also playing the kind of defense the Fever are looking for. It will be difficult for Williams-Holliday to find a place on the roster, but her choice is a boost to HBCUs everywhere. Options: 1. Rhyne Howard, Kentucky, SG; 15. Naz Hillmon, Michigan, PF 2 About The Dream are under new management and new coaching staff, and they knew who they wanted at Howard and were willing to trade to get it. It should energize Howard to know how much Dream believed in her to do this. It’s a great legacy to be the No. 1 pick and Howard has the ability to fill that role. New Dream coach Tanisha Wright was highly regarded for her leadership and defense as a WNBA player and should be a great mentor to Howard. As great a player as Hillmon was in college, her second-round pick confirms that WNBA teams are concerned about her size and shooting range. What they can not fully measure is the heart and its maturity – both are off the chart. These qualities will help her take a place in the roster and prove that she can continue to add to her game. Choices: 3. Shakira Austin, Ole Miss, C; 14. Christyn Williams, UConn, SG The deal worked for the Mystics: Sharing their No. 1 pick acquired another elite player in Austin, for whom the sky is the limit if they move steadily as a professional. And Washington also got an extra choice to choose Williams, who has the pedigree UConn. Much has been said about Williams ‘ups and downs in college, but the former Huskies’ history in the league is far from impressive. In Washington, he can thrive without much pressure. I am playing 1:22 The Washington Mystics use the third option in the WNBA draft to select Ole Miss Shakira Austin. Options: 9. Rae Burrell, Tennessee, SG; 16. Kianna Smith, Louisville, SG; 19. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn, C; 27. Amy Atwell, Hawaii, SF The Sparks are coming out of the frustration of not making it to the playoffs last year. But they made big moves out of season, acquiring Liz Cambage and Chennedy Carter, and possibly meeting some needs with the draft. Burrell has good wing size and skills, and Smith and Nelson-Ododa both have experience in the Final Four. Atwell, the Great Player of the Year in the West, is well worth a look at the camp. Not everyone may be on the roster, but the Sparks made the most of their places in the draft. Options: 5. Nyara Sabally, Oregon, PF; 18. Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech, PF; 29. Sika Kone, Mali, C Liberty needed size and power inside, and they realized it. Saballly, if she can stay healthy, is a flexible addition that New York guards can take advantage of as another target. Cubaj was the anchor of Georgia Tech’s first defensive success. Kone left later than many expected, but she is only 19 years old and could become a player for Liberty’s future. I am playing 1:57 Atlanta Dream selects Ryan Howard of Kentucky as the first choice in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Choices: 12. Nea Clauden, Michigan, S.G. 24. Jordan Lewis, Baylor, PG; 36. Kiara Smith, Florida, SG Clauden is a strong scorer and Lewis a very good distributor. It’s always a numbers game on the roster, but gaining more depth at a young age is a good thing for the Sun. Smith is a choice for the future, as she suffered a knee injury at the end of the season during the SEC tournament in March. Options: 7. Veronica Burton, Northwestern, PG; 30. Jasmine Dickey, Delaware, SG; 31. Jazz Bond, North Florida, PF Considering all the Wings drafts over the last two years, they do not have much space on the roster. But they only get a good grade from Burton’s choice. The three-time Big Ten defender of the year adds a perimeter toughness to that edge of the pitch that the Wings need. Dickey and Bond are the types of players you really wish you had more chances to catch, but the critical state of roster numbers hurts. Veronica Burton, the No. 7 overall pick in Monday’s WNBA draft, is expected to enter immediately as a defensive presence for Dallas. Alex Nahorniak-Svenski / NBAE via Getty Images Choices: 17. Elissa Cunane, State NC, C; 21. Evina Westbrook, UConn, PG; 33. Jade Melbourne, Australia, PG Cunane is probably the center’s best 3-point shooter in the draft. Although she lost in the second round, she has a lot of chances to find her way to the WNBA if she can get on the Storm roster. Some believed that Westbrook could go a little higher with its size of 6 feet and its ability to be a combo guard. She is a player who always plays hard and that can make a difference. Melbourne is 19 years old and probably a choice for the future. Options: 8. Mya Hollingshed, Colorado, PF; 11. Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast, SG; 13. Khayla Pointer, LSU, PG; 23. Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, SG; 35. Faustine Aifuwa, LSU, C This point could go a long way, but it comes down to this: Did the Aces agree with Minnesota on Sunday to take the numbers 8 and 13. did they make the most of these options? If Hollingshed turns out to be as good as the Aces think, then yes. If not, then the grade can be quite accurate. The size of the Bell on the perimeter should be a good pickup. Hollingshed, Pointer, Sheppard and Aifuwa were all fifth year seniors, so they bring maturity, although they are unlikely to stick together. Options: 22. Kayla Jones, NC State, SF; 28. Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota, C Exchanging options No. 8 and 13 in the Aces for the 2023 options, the Lynx made it clear that this draft was not going to be a significant factor for them. This makes sense given their limited space. Jones and Sjerven are both hard-working players who had a great college season, with NC State reaching the Elite Eight and South Dakota the Sweet 16. Worth seeing both at camp, but it will be difficult to get on the roster. Options: 26. Maya Dodson, Notre Dame, PF; 32. Macee Williams, IUPUI, C Hermes is in a similar situation to the Lynx, without expecting much from this sinking. Both Phoenix selections were in the third round. With Brittney Griner being held indefinitely in Russia, she calculated that the Mercury would go big with their choices, and both Dodson and Williams had a very good season. Again, roster positions will be high, but at least both could fit a need.
