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Official WNBA 2024 Draft Thread

Yeah, the Aces will probably dump a few back end vets and roster filler, and more than likely send Martin, Kitley and Jackson down.

Not sure how the WNBA works in terms of a secondary league or keeping players in some sort of a farm system where they could call Kate up this coming season for any reason, say injuries or perhaps she just earns her way

No sending down. Either on the roster of 12 or cut.
 
Did Holmes from Indiana get picked up?
Yes, I believe Phoenix drafted her.

Seattle drafted her.

From ESPN:

Holmes underwent surgery after battling knee issues in her 5-season Indiana career, and she isn't expected to play in the WNBA until 2025. She was very consistent and dependable when healthy in college. But like Megan Gustafson, a second-round pick out of Iowa in 2019 who is now with the Aces, Holmes probably needs to prove she can expand her range to make it in the WNBA.


i

Seattle Storm: C+ draft grade​

Picks:
14. Nika Muhl, UConn, PG
26. Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana, PF



 
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Here is Las Vegas' 18 woman roster, which includes all of tonight's draft picks.

They have to cut 6 players & get down to 12 players within the next few weeks (their 1st regular season game is May 14).

As I stated above, it's REALLY hard for 2nd rounders to stick.




They only have 6 protected contracts....so plenty of room to make decisions
 
The Fever have a nice foundation.

Returning players:

Kelsey Mitchell:...#2 overall pick in 2018
Nalyssa Smith:…..#2 overall pick in 2022
Aliyah Boston:..….#1 overall pick in 2023

Caitlin (3,951) & Kelsey (3,402) compiled 7,353 points in college and are the top 2 scorers in Big Ten history.

How’s this for 4 of the 5 Fever starters? All of the listed stats are from the player’s previous season.

CAITLIN CLARK……..22 yrs old, 6’0”....31.6 pts, 7.4 rebs, 8.9 assts
KELSEY MITCHELL...28 yrs old, 5'8”.....18.2 pts, 1.6 rebs, 3.1 assts
NALYSSA SMITH…...23 yrs old, 6'4”.....15.5 pts, 9.2 rebs, 1.4 assts
ALIYAH BOSTON.…..22 yrs old, 6'5”.....14.5 pts, 8.4 rebs, 2.2 assts
 
You're not nutz. If she was still on the board, Indy almost certainly would have taken her with their 3rd pick. But I think Kate legitimized her pick with the way she played down the stretch for us. Plus one of the big problems they have with kids coming out of college is a lot of them are used to being the best player on their team and struggle with finding out they're now a role player. That's a major concern they don't have to worry about with Kate. She's been playing with a superstar for four years.
If you think about it, she’s been playing with a superstar, or at least alpha player, on her team all 6 years of college. Redshirted with Gustafson, Doyle her freshman year, CC her last 4 years.
 
Here is Las Vegas' 18 woman roster, which includes all of tonight's draft picks.

They have to cut 6 players & get down to 12 players within the next few weeks (their 1st regular season game is May 14).

As I stated above, it's REALLY hard for 2nd rounders to stick.


Kitley is out for the season. I doubt the 3rd rounder gets a spot then you have to battle some fringe players for a spot. As we have seen it is difficult. For players like Martin an expansion of 2-4 teams would really help.
 
Seattle drafted her.

From ESPN:

Holmes underwent surgery after battling knee issues in her 5-season Indiana career, and she isn't expected to play in the WNBA until 2025. She was very consistent and dependable when healthy in college. But like Megan Gustafson, a second-round pick out of Iowa in 2019 who is now with the Aces, Holmes probably needs to prove she can expand her range to make it in the WNBA.


i

Seattle Storm: C+ draft grade​

Picks:
14. Nika Muhl, UConn, PG
26. Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana, PF



Thanks. I had her confused with Jaz Shelley. Wrong red and white B1G school with a shitty fanbase.
 
i read that there is concern that she does not have a good, consistent jump shot
I don't know if this is a sarcastic post or not but I don't think there is anything on the court that she can't accomplish. However, the issue is in the locker room with her. She can tear it apart. Now, as much as we hate Mulkey I wouldn't be surprised if the real issue was that Mulkey had to knock her down a few pegs to keep a cohesive team. LSU did start playing better after the suspension than they were playing before. After all, Reese did say she was getting her degree so she must have passed her classes (yeah, we can question what LSU did to make that possible but without any actual evidence there isn't much to say). Maybe she can be a good teammate. I guess now she has a chance to prove it since she's on the same team as the player who tried to beat the shit out of her the last time they played each other.
 
Kitley is out for the season. I doubt the 3rd rounder gets a spot then you have to battle some fringe players for a spot. As we have seen it is difficult. For players like Martin an expansion of 2-4 teams would really help.
Well at least one is coming to San Francisco next year.
 
Not everything, but I doubt that's an additional reason to draft Martin.
The Aces are the current Queens of the Court, and they'll do anything to stay on top of the podium, and that includes using Kate Martin for information.





















P.S. Also, take what I'm saying very seriously.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Excited Season 4 GIF by The Office
 
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The Aces are the current Queens of the Court, and they'll do anything to stay on top of the podium, and that includes using Kate Martin for information.





















P.S. Also, take what I'm saying very seriously.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Excited Season 4 GIF by The Office
Well, go on. It seems like you have something to share.
 
Big Ten players taken in this year's WNBA Draft:

RoundPick (Overall)PlayerSchoolTeam
11 (1)Caitlin ClarkIowaIndiana Fever
15 (5)Jacy SheldonOhio StateDallas Wings
23 (15)Celeste TaylorOhio StateIndiana Fever
26 (18)Kate MartinIowaLas Vegas Aces
32 (26)Mackenzie HolmesIndianaSeattle Storm
35 (29)Jaz ShelleyNebraskaPhoenix Mercury
39 (33)Ashley OwusuPenn StateDallas Wings
 
Big Ten players taken in this year's WNBA Draft:

RoundPick (Overall)PlayerSchoolTeam
11 (1)Caitlin ClarkIowaIndiana Fever
15 (5)Jacy SheldonOhio StateDallas Wings
23 (15)Celeste TaylorOhio StateIndiana Fever
26 (18)Kate MartinIowaLas Vegas Aces
32 (26)Mackenzie HolmesIndianaSeattle Storm
35 (29)Jaz ShelleyNebraskaPhoenix Mercury
39 (33)Ashley OwusuPenn StateDallas Wings
I thought Scalia from Indiana was also drafted in the third
 
Kitley is out for the season. I doubt the 3rd rounder gets a spot then you have to battle some fringe players for a spot. As we have seen it is difficult. For players like Martin an expansion of 2-4 teams would really help.

The WNBA Commissioner said they hope to be at 16 teams by 2028.

144: current # of jobs (12 teams x 12 roster spots)

192: # of jobs in 2028 if expansion happens (16 teams x 12 roster spots)

Compared to the NBA (15 roster spots + 3 two-way contract players allowed on each team):

540: current # of jobs (30 teams x 18 spots)


 
i read that there is concern that she does not have a good, consistent jump shot

I don't know if this is a sarcastic post or not but I don't think there is anything on the court that she can't accomplish.

I was not being sarcastic at all regarding Angel's lack of a jump shot.

The story from ESPN:

The most glaring area for development is Reese's ability to shoot outside the paint. Though she played center this season at LSU, Reese is undersized at that position in the WNBA. Many centers are 6-5 or taller; just look at 6-9 Brittney Griner or 6-7 Teaira McCowan or 6-7 Cardoso. Reese is much more likely to find her place as a power forward in the WNBA. From Breanna Stewart to Wilson to Parker to legends like Lauren Jackson, power forwards in the WNBA (and increasingly centers) often shoot from the perimeter.

"I wish she had more range on her shot," a general manager said. "I think that's something that she needs to add."

"I'd like to see her evolve her game outside of 10 feet," another evaluator said. "If she's going to play the four at the pro level, I think she's got to work on her free throws and her outside shot."

This is not new information for Reese. She did look to take jumpers at different points this season. But she shot just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc and made 72.6% of her free throw attempts. In her final game at LSU, she shot 33.3% from the field (7-of-21) and 37.5% (3-of-8) from the free throw line.

Playing outside the paint wasn't something LSU needed her to do. The Tigers' best chance of winning often involved Reese on the block, going to work or cleaning up the glass. If she was outside the paint, it was hard for her to do what her team needed to do to win.

In addition to the ball skills, some insiders have questions about the reasons for her four-game absence this season and her physical style of play. In the SEC championship game against South Carolina, for example, Reese pulled Cardoso's hair and elbowed her in the face.

"Some of the stuff she does is disrespectful to the game," a general manager said.

Reese knows she'll need to put in the work. She'll need to be in the gym. Pro players get better all the time, adding new skills and improving old ones. WNBA brass wants to see that fire from Reese.

"Now, what I want to learn is what really is her work ethic?" one WNBA coach said.


 
I was not being sarcastic at all regarding Angel's lack of a jump shot.

The story from ESPN:

The most glaring area for development is Reese's ability to shoot outside the paint. Though she played center this season at LSU, Reese is undersized at that position in the WNBA. Many centers are 6-5 or taller; just look at 6-9 Brittney Griner or 6-7 Teaira McCowan or 6-7 Cardoso. Reese is much more likely to find her place as a power forward in the WNBA. From Breanna Stewart to Wilson to Parker to legends like Lauren Jackson, power forwards in the WNBA (and increasingly centers) often shoot from the perimeter.

"I wish she had more range on her shot," a general manager said. "I think that's something that she needs to add."

"I'd like to see her evolve her game outside of 10 feet," another evaluator said. "If she's going to play the four at the pro level, I think she's got to work on her free throws and her outside shot."

This is not new information for Reese. She did look to take jumpers at different points this season. But she shot just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc and made 72.6% of her free throw attempts. In her final game at LSU, she shot 33.3% from the field (7-of-21) and 37.5% (3-of-8) from the free throw line.

Playing outside the paint wasn't something LSU needed her to do. The Tigers' best chance of winning often involved Reese on the block, going to work or cleaning up the glass. If she was outside the paint, it was hard for her to do what her team needed to do to win.

In addition to the ball skills, some insiders have questions about the reasons for her four-game absence this season and her physical style of play. In the SEC championship game against South Carolina, for example, Reese pulled Cardoso's hair and elbowed her in the face.

"Some of the stuff she does is disrespectful to the game," a general manager said.

Reese knows she'll need to put in the work. She'll need to be in the gym. Pro players get better all the time, adding new skills and improving old ones. WNBA brass wants to see that fire from Reese.

"Now, what I want to learn is what really is her work ethic?" one WNBA coach said.


Oh, don't get me wrong, it's going to take more than a video of her hitting some three point shots to convince me she can be an outside scoring threat. I just think she has the athleticism to do it if she puts the work in to get good at doing it.

To put it in perspective, I could spend the next 10 years doing nothing but shooting 3 pointers and I would never get good enough at it to sniff college basketball ability much less the pros.
 
I think the future of the WNBA is with the under 30 or even the under 25 yo. players. It might seem simple and obvious.
 
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