-
Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
The 2021 WNBA draft is perhaps best remembered for three things: a potentially dynamic duo for the Dallas Wings with 1-2 picks Charli Collier and Awak Kuier, teams betting on young international talent, and Indiana throwing some unexpected curveballs who will prove to be. surprisingly brilliant or far from the basics.
There are a maximum of 144 roster places in the WNBA with 12 teams. However, not every team is expected to carry 12 players this year, due to contractual obligations and passing below the salary cap, so there may be even fewer spots up for grabs. Considering how good the rosters already are, the chances for the conscripts to make it to the competition in the 25th anniversary season will be difficult for most.
We saw international players such as Kuier (Finland), Shyla Heal (Australia) and Iliana Rupert (France) go into the first round. They are all 19 years old and already play professionally. It’s not uncommon for international players to be called up as soon as they become eligible (if they’re at least 20 in the year the draft is being held) and then potentially wait a year before actually joining the WNBA.
We’ll have to see how many in this draft will be in the league in 2021, but it’s pretty sure some teams have chosen players knowing they probably won’t be making a squad this year, but they could in the future.
Here are the numbers for the 11 teams that participated in the concept. The Washington Mystics had no choice. The 2021 season starts on May 14.
Dallas Wings: A-plus
Choice: 1. Charli Collier, Texas, C; 2. Awak Kuier, Finland, PF; 5. Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas, SG; 13. Dana Evans, Louisville, PG
Last year we also gave the Wings an A-plus, and then they didn’t make it to the play-offs. Still, that number of players and this year’s group should form a good basis for the future of the Wings, and at least provide a berth for the late season this year.
We’ll have to see how Collier and Kuier both develop as large postal players – Collier and Kuier are both 1.85 meters tall – who have high ceilings. Dungee gives the Wings a different version of Arike Ogunbowale – a guard who can always take her shot. And Evans, who some thought could be a lottery pick, appears to be stealing a second round.
For new coach Vickie Johnson, it’s up to all these choices for 2020 and 2021 to pay off.
Minnesota Lynx: A.
Choice: 9. Rennia Davis, Tennessee, SF
With just one pick, it clearly wasn’t a busy draw for the four-time WNBA champions, but coach / general manager Cheryl Reeve should be happy that Davis, who seemed to have a lot of traction as a lottery pick, fell to No. 9.
No one will ever replace Maya Moore. But getting a 6-2 wing that can rebound and has good scoring potential seems like exactly what the Lynx was looking for.
Los Angeles Sparks: A-minus
Choice: 7. Jasmine Walker, Alabama, PF; 10. Stephanie Watts, North Carolina, SG; 22. Arella Guirantes, Rutgers, SG; 28. Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, SF; 34. Aina Ayuso, Spain, PG
Based on what coach / general manager Derek Fisher said he wanted to get into the draft, the Sparks did quite well. When they traded with Dallas on Wednesday to get the number 7, Walker was one of Fisher’s hoped-for goals.
But if Watts was a surprise in the first round, Guirantes was an even bigger surprise when he hit second. There was no player who was projected higher by the media, but who went lower than Guirantes, so she could really be motivated.
Raca has just had a good career with Wake Forest and Ayuso spent her only college season in Oregon in 2017-18 before turning pro. But not all of these players will make it to Sparks’ roster this year.
1:14
The Chicago Sky selected Shyla Heal of Australia as the # 8 overall pick in the WNBA draft.
Chicago Sky: A-min
Choice: 8. Shyla Heal, Australia, PG; 16. Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State, PF
Heal showed a lot of promise at a young age and it should be nice to see her learn from Courtney Vandersloot. In this sense, the Sky got exactly what they were looking for in the draft.
Getting Mack – a potential first-rounder leading Division I with blocked shots this season – in the second round had to come as a pleasant surprise. She has many advantages and brings the necessary defensive mentality to the air.
Las Vegas Aces: B-plus
Choose: 12. Iliana Rupert, France, C; 14. Destiny Slocum, Arkansas, PG; 36. Kionna Jeter, Towson, G
Like many of the European players, Rupert could choose to wait at least a year to play in the WNBA. But even if she’s not in the league in 2021, this is a good choice. The 19-year-old could be a center for the future for the Aces. Liz Cambage turns 30 this August and has missed several WNBA seasons since she was drafted in 2011, so it makes sense to have Rupert as part of a long-term plan.
The best use of the Aces’ pick in the second round was on a point guard, and we’ll see if Slocum can win a spot on the squad.
Seattle Storm: B
Choice: 18. Kiana Williams, Stanford, PG; 23. N’dea Jones, Texas A&M, PF; 35. Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, PF
The Storm took Texas A & M’s Aaliyah Wilson with their first round pick at number 11 and then traded her to Indiana for former UCLA player Kennedy Burke, who found a spot at Seattle.
Williams gives the Storm another option as a point guard, someone who is a prolific 3-point shooter. Jones was a double-double machine for the Aggies and is worth a look at pro level, as is Kucowski, who led Division I this season in a recovering average (13.3 RPG).
Connecticut Sun: B
Choice: 20. DiJonai Carrington, Baylor, SG; 21. Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan, PG; 30. Aleah Goodman, State of Oregon, SG
With no first-round choices, the Sun had to hope that at least one player fell further than expected – and that’s what happened to Carrington. She was excellent for Baylor all season, showing mostly perseverance and toughness throughout the NCAA tournament, both offensive and defensive.
Coach / general manager Curt Miller was looking for some extra offensive hit if possible, and Kelly (23.9 PPG) and Goodman (16.2 PPG) each led their teams in scoring this season.
2:13
Michaela Onyenwere’s grandmother gets up from the couch and breaks out some incredible dance moves after Onyenwere is summoned.
New York Liberty: B
Choice: 6. Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA, SF; 17. DiDi Richards, Baylor, PG; 25. Valerie Higgins, Pacific; SF; 29. Marine Fauthoux, France, PG
There’s nowhere to go but New York after last season’s 2-20 battle, and there’s at least a chance that both Onyenwere and Richards – both of whom bring a lot of energy – could help the Liberty. Onyenwere has to get used to being a winger, but she’s someone who can make things happen anywhere on the pitch. Richards is not a shooter, but she was one of the top general defenders in college in recent years and offensively, she manages the track well and creates opportunities for others.
Higgins started her career at USC before moving to Pacific and is also one of those players who you think would have a much higher chance of a selection spot if the league had a few more teams left.
3:10
Aari McDonald is selected by the Atlanta Dream as No. 3 overall in the 2021 WNBA draft, making her the first Arizona player to be called up in the first round.
Atlanta Dream: B-min
Choice: 3. Aari McDonald, Arizona, PG; 15. Raquel Carrera, Spain, PF; 27. Lindsey Pulliam, Northwestern, SG
Yes, the Dream count on the Aari McDonald we saw in the NCAA tournament this year, the one we’ll see in the WNBA. And that the Pac-12 Player of the Year will keep getting better. But does this choice give the Dream a few too many comparable guards? Or does a backcourt featuring McDonald, Chennedy Carter, Courtney Williams and Odyssey Sims, among others, produce the high octane that Coach Nicki Collen wants?
Carrera, like some of the other European players, could choose to wait at least a year to join the WNBA.
Indiana Fever: D
Choice: 4. Kysre Gondrezick, West Virginia; PG; 11. Aaliyah Wilson, Texas A&M, SG; 19. Unique Thompson, Auburn, PF; 24. Trinity Baptiste, Arizona, SF; 26. Chelsey Perry, UT Martin, PF; 31. Florencia Chagas, Argentina, PG; 33. Maya Caldwell, Georgia, G
Adding Wilson to a trade with Seattle, the Fever ended up with seven picks in this draft – including two that saw virtually no prognostics as first-rounders in Gondrezick and Wilson. Gondrezick led West Virginia in scoring 19.5 PPG this season, so maybe the Fever is doing something that others aren’t.
Thompson was a constant double-double for Auburn, and arguably Indiana’s best choice.
General manager Tamika Catchings and coach Marianne Stanley may have had the last laugh at everyone, but the first reaction to this concept is, “Huh?”
Phoenix Mercury: not a number
Choice: 32. Ciera Johnson, Texas A&M, C
There really isn’t much to judge for this design, while the Mercury only had a third lap. Johnson was a tough one for the Aggies, but it will be difficult for her to make the selection.
What the Mercury will be judged on is bringing in two former UConn players who were previous first-round picks, Kia Nurse and Megan Walker, in a February trade with New York for this year’s No. 6 pick (the Liberty took on Michaela Onyenwere) and a 2022 first-rounder. We’ll see if Nurse and Walker thrive in Phoenix.