WNBA 2023 draft preview

Unless things change, Minnesota will pick second in the April 10 WNBA draft for the first time since Monica Wright was selected in 2010 as the league’s second overall pick. Most draft experts have the Lynx selecting 6’3″ Diamond Miller, a senior guard from Maryland.

ESPN’s M.A. Voepel said, “Miller showed skills that will translate well to the WNBA. She is a big guard who moves really well and has a lightning-quick first step.  She can bring instant offense and a lot of potential defensively for the Lynx.”

The network’s two main basketball analysts LaChina Robinson and Rebecca Lobo spoke to media outlets, including the MSR, Thursday on their thoughts and assessments of the teams and prospects of next Monday’s draft.

Miller and South Carolina center Aliyah Boston, the consensus No. 1 pick “expect to come into the WNBA right away and make an impact,” noted Robinson.

Indiana is expected to select the 6’5″ Boston: “[South Carolina] Coach Dawn Staley has said Boston is exactly what Indiana needs from a playing and a leadership perspective even though she is so young,” wrote Voepel.

There are 36 total selections in the three-round annual W draft.  It’s no secret that making a WNBA team roster is perhaps harder than an NBA roster —even a first-rounder isn’t a guaranteed lock to secure a roster spot.

“I think one of the biggest concerns is just losing some of the talent,” Atlanta Coach Tanisha Wright said. She, Dallas Wings President Greg Bibb, Indiana GM Lin Dunn, and Minnesota HC and Basketball Operations President Cheryl Reeve also spoke on Thursday’s media call.

Added Reeve, “I’m not sure that the percentage to make a team or be a professional is all that different than it is in the NBA.  I think there’s about a 1 percent chance in the men’s game, and I don’t think we’re far off of that.

“If you look at last year in the [WNBA] draft, I believe half the second round made a team in addition to most first-rounders,” continued the Lynx’s top executive. “That’s pretty significant. Whether that happens this year or not remains to be seen.”

The MSR asked if the upcoming draft is a “need” draft or one where draftees will make immediate impacts when the 2023 regular season starts in late May.

“I think for some people it’ll be for need,” said Wright.  “For some people, it’ll be depth.  For some people, it’ll look different.  Overall, I think there are some players that are going to be able to come in and have an impact, depending on the team that they get drafted to.  Some players are going to be able to add to a team’s depth.”

Both Robinson and Lobo see Boston and Miller as sure locks, “but there’s several others that could depending on fit.”

Other notable draft prospects:  Haley Jones, 6’1″ guard, Stanford; Brea Beal, 6’1″guard, and Laeticia Amihere, 6’4″ forward, both from South Carolina.

Minnesota also has the 12^th pick in the first round – 6’5″ forward Dorka Juhasz: “Minnesota has had a lot of success with former UConn players,” noted Voepel.

“That’s really what this draft is about, getting to the right team and having an opportunity and what these teams’ needs may be,” concluded Robinson.

Robinson and Lobo will be featured on ESPN2’s draft preview special Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. ET and also during Monday’s draft coverage, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.