October 1, 2022
Locked on Women’s Basketball: Aliyah Boston, Haley Jones, surprise sleepers headline 2023 WNBA Draft
By The Next
It's never too early to discuss the WNBA Draft here at The Next!
We have a new recurring podcast topic as part of the Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast: the 2023 WNBA Draft! Our Hunter Cruse, Em Adler and Joshua Welch preview the draft, including likely top picks Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Haley Jones of Stanford as well as some sleepers you need to know.
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Em reveals the top four prospects on their draft board, starting with Boston and Jones, and then dives into what makes Boston such a special player:
“Why she is so good is because I can’t answer the question of what is her dominant skill set, because frankly, it’s most of them. Her footwork is completely immaculate. Her scoring approach and how cerebral she is on offense and on defense is ridiculous. Her ability to alter shots is professional-level rim protection …
“She is able to get 20-and-20 double-doubles, even while you watch her and you think that she’s being patient and she’s not looking for her shot enough. The points just come on their own. The defense is just unbelievable.”
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The co-hosts then turn to Jones, and Hunter explains what he likes most about her game:
“The main intrigue for her, in my opinion, is her unconventional creation. Similar to Aliyah Boston, she’s not some major athlete. She’s just super cerebral with her processing as both a proactive decision-maker and also just reactive, understanding when she might see a double team or just making plays on the move. I think she’s just super versatile in that way.”
After that, Joshua reveals his “hands-down number three” pick, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear who it is! You’ll also hear about prospects to watch from teams including Ohio State, Syracuse, Baylor, Tennessee and Maryland.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast. Watch it on YouTube or listen wherever you find your podcasts.
If you want to hear more about the upcoming college season, don’t miss last Tuesday’s Locked on Women’s Basketball episode about transfers and big games ahead or Friday’s episode about mid-major games to watch.
