April 23, 2024
Who are the top WNBA draft prospects in college basketball?
By Em Adler
The future has never been brighter
![board-cover-pic A collage of seven pictures of top WNBA draft prospects: In the middle, UConn guard Paige Bueckers screams in celebration while clenching her fists and flexing; surrounding her, from top-left clockwise: Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo holds the ball while looking into the distance; South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley jumps in midair higher than every other player on the court to release a floater; Stanford big Kiki Iriafen holds the ball above her head in midair to release a jump shot over the extended arm of a defender; Texas A&M big Janiah Barker looks down; Texas wing Madison Booker leans over and yells in celebration, while teammates yell in random directions in celebration as well; JuJu Watkins holds the ball over head to release a free-throw.](https://i0.wp.com/www.thenexthoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/board-cover-pic-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
By Em Adler, Hunter Cruse and Lincoln Shafer
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Women’s basketball is more popular than ever before, thanks to Caitlin Clark. But the talent level of the college game isn’t dropping, much like it didn’t after Aliyah Boston entered the WNBA Draft. In fact, thanks to the greatest freshman class in the sport’s history, coupled with a 2024 recruiting class that includes at least a couple names we expect to be writing up in future years, the crop of college players is only getting better.
This year’s WNBA Draft was the best in several years, but both 2025 and 2027 drafts could be among the best classes in league history, with the possibility of both lotteries including multiple future Hall of Famers. And that’s to say nothing of the depth of the 2026 group.
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What does all this talent look like all stacked together? And how does it compare to recent draft classes? That’s where our “future value” grading can help. Here’s a full breakdown of the the grading and the methodology, but we use the 20-80 scale, and these numbers translate to median career outcomes of: 20 — training camp player; 30 — reserve; 40 — mid-rotation player; 45 — second division starter/average rotation player; 50 — average first division starter/above-average rotation player; 55 — worst starter on a title team; 60 — perennial All-Star; 70 — perennial All-WNBA; 80 — perennial MVP candidate.
So without further ado:
(Offensive and defensive roles are per Basketball Index)
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80 FV
1. Paige Bueckers, point guard, UConn
Year: 2025*
Height: 5’11
Wingspan: 5’11
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Helper/wing stopper
Back in January, Geno Auriemma said, “If I play Paige at the point guard spot, she’s the best point guard. If I pay her at the 2-guard, she’s the best 2-guard. And if I play her at the small forward spot, she’s the best small forward. If I play her at the 4-spot, she’s the best 4.” And he wasn’t being hyperbolic, because if Paige Bueckers isn’t the greatest two-way point guard prospect of all time, then she sure as hell is the greatest combo or 2-guard. At small forward, she ranks alongside Tamika Catchings and Maya Moore — you get the point.
Bueckers is everything she was a meniscus and ACL tear ago and more, the greatest live-ball playmaker to ever touch the court and an incredible space-creator off the ball. She is still probably the best movement shooter in the sport and has a midrange game better than anyone this side of Chelsea Gray. And after a season in which she ranked fourth among all high-major backcourt players in stock1 rate, she projects as a good or even plus defender at the point of attack (POA), in chasing, on the wing and in help — and all while playing big minutes every night with high usage on both ends. If there’s anyone who could maintain that at the WNBA level, it is Bueckers.
Last year’s grade: 70+ FV
Change in ranking: +2
Highlights:
Concerns:
2. MiLaysia Fulwiley, point guard, South Carolina
Year: 2027
Height: 5’10
Wingspan: 6’0.5
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
There is a non-zero chance that MiLaysia Fulwiley becomes the greatest player in basketball history. That is what happens when you combine a freshman with unbelievable range, the best handle in the game, and plus defense at both the POA and in help, all being coached by Dawn Staley. Every time you tune in to watch her play, she’s simply doing something you’ve never seen before: 30-foot leaners, no-look backwards passes through traps to open transition breaks, full speed behind-the-backs into double-clutch windmill finishes, blocks in the post on players a head taller than her. Fulwiley’s biggest areas for growth are learning how to slow down and getting more consistent in her defensive rotations, two things we fully expect her to master.
Highlights:
Concerns:
70+ FV
3. JuJu Watkins, wing, USC
Year: 2027
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: 6’1.5
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Helper
JuJu Watkins, the single-season Division I freshman scoring leader, is one of the most polished scoring prospects we’ve ever seen for a teenager, possibly the most polished since Maya Moore: a big wing with change of pace beyond her years, dynamic isolation scoring, pull-up shooting, quickly reactive playmaking and an unguardable transition game. Watkins had the highest usage rate (42.8%) of any high-major player in the Her Hoop Stats Era (since 2009) while also flashing elite defensive playmaking (8.5% stock1 rate, third among high-major backcourt players), an astonishing feat for someone with that offensive workload. That was a result of her activity and processing speed in backline help as well as loud flashes of defense in isolation. She needs to continue improving her efficiency and shot selection, but that should only come with time.
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Concerns:
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60 FV
4. Hannah Hidalgo, point guard, Notre Dame
Year: 2027
Height: 5’6
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
Hannah Hidalgo had another freshman season unlike anything we have ever seen before. She became the first player in the HHS Era to average 20 points, five assists and four steals, generating chaos on both ends of the floor at a nearly unprecedented level. Her athletic gifts and processing speed allow her to turn the very nature of defensive possessions on their head, forcing ball-handlers to spend their energy keeping her away from the ball, or they will have already lost it before they can realize that their pockets were picked. And her motor for perimeter help, court-mapping and ability to read offensive players’ eyes turn her into a defensive playmaker from the nail, slot or corner too. Smooth pick-and-roll (PnR) operation and a surprisingly strong ability to get into the paint and finish give Hidalgo a high offensive floor, and when you combine that with her patient, already solid playmaking (with a lot of room to grow still), you get a special point guard prospect.
Highlights:
Concerns:
5. Janiah Barker, big wing, N/A (Texas A&M transfer)
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Mobile big
If a genie granted me three wishes, I would ask, after an end to all human suffering, for Janiah Barker to consistently get to the rim and for Janiah Barker to improve her free-throw shooting. Because those are the two main things holding Barker back from being an all-time great. The connective passing, the midrange shot creation, the 3-point shooting, the help defense and rim protection and switchability — she has every other skill that players of her size rarely possess. A stronger commitment to driving downhill instead of settling for midrange shots would put immense pressure on defenses and open more playmaking options for Barker, and free-throw shooting has been an issue for her dating back to high school.
Last year’s grade: 70+ FV
Change in ranking: -3
Highlights:
Concerns:
6. Kiki Iriafen, big, USC (Stanford transfer)
Year: 2025
Height: 6’3
Wingspan: 6’8
Offensive style: Versatile big
Defensive style: Mobile big/wing stopper
At this time last year, Kiki Iriafen was a player who had flashed interesting tools as the eighth player in Stanford’s rotation. One dominant season later and she is the most intriguing defensive big since A’ja Wilson or Alyssa Thomas, with an increasingly lethal scoring game to boot. By the end of her first month as a full-time starter, Iriafen proved herself an excellent help defender and someone capable of guarding at least four different positions at a high level. Bigs with her level of fluidity are rare. So are ones who have an offensive package as deep as hers, with Iriafen just as happy to drive and finish through contact (she had a 57.7% true-shooting on drives, per Synergy) or hit a smooth jab pull-up middy (she shot 48.3% on 2-point jumpers). If she can show the ability to consistently provide rim protection and learn to cross-step when defending drivers instead of side-shuffling, Iriafen will be an all-time prospect.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
7. Madison Booker, wing, Texas
Year: 2027
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: 6’5.5
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Wing stopper
Do you need an off-ball scoring wing? Call Madison Booker! Uh oh, now you need a point guard? Well, good thing you already have Madison Booker’s number! Her combination of pull-up shooting — with an absurd 47% FG% on jumpers off the dribble this season, per Synergy — and passing is incredibly special for a wing-sized player. There are some questions about her ability to make spot-up 3-pointers, but her passing, cutting and ability to attack closeouts mean you can’t just ignore her when she doesn’t have the ball. Her length, court-mapping and ability to mirror in iso make it easy to see how she can become a very good defender who can fill different roles as well. After Texas lost Rori Harmon this year, Booker moved to point guard and was tremendously effective, becoming one of only three high-major freshmen in the HHS Era to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in conference play.
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55 FV
8. Olivia Miles, point guard, Notre Dame
Year: 2025*
Height: 5’10
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Secondary point of attack
Olivia Miles missed the entire 2023-24 season due to a torn ACL. This was her write-up from last April:
Olivia Miles is an above-average jump shot away from being the best player in the world within the next five years. As it stands, her jumper ranks a bit below average, making her merely a future franchise cornerstone. The list of things Miles can do at an elite level is mind-boggling; beyond being the greatest playmaker the NCAA has seen in decades, she has one of the nastiest handles in the country, navigates screens and defends well in isolation and has an uncanny knack for big steals and blocks. The only things she can’t do are defend Brittney Griner in the post and hit 30% of her threes.
Since then, we have learned more about how to project for the possibility of improved shot creation, which has made us a bit more pessimistic about Miles’ ability to achieve that “above-average jump shot.”
Last year’s grade: 60 FV
Change in ranking: -3
Highlights:
Concerns:
9. Flau’jae Johnson, wing, LSU
Year: 2026
Height: 5’10?
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Wing stopper
Like Iriafen, Flau’jae Johnson went from unranked to the top 10 on our board, thanks to her 3-point shooting growth and increased involvement on the ball on both ends for LSU. She is an electric athlete, with the best handle of any wing in college basketball, allowing her to create ample space from defenders on drives for pull-up twos. The scoring package is elevated by her feel for navigating downhill and ability to wait until the last second to square her shoulders to the rim or pull off explosive finishes on her elite last step adjustments, though she hasn’t learned to decelerate yet. Johnson never takes plays off on defense with a great feel for rotations, screen navigation, and passing lanes. She also increasingly dictates the matchup on her terms thanks to her ball-pressure. Johnson is a reliable pull-up three away from being a 60 FV, but her playmaking flashes have been limited to that of a secondary initiator, which caps her ceiling.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
10. Kiki Rice, point guard, UCLA
Year: 2026
Height: 5’11
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
Kiki Rice does so many things that you want a point guard to do. She defends at an elite level at the point of attack, puts pressure on the rim with the ball in her hands, and creates advantages for teammates. Rice made huge strides as a shooter and playmaker in her sophomore season, and shot very well off the dribble, especially from three, which helps open up the floor for her and her teammates in the PnR. She also improved finishing at the rim, particularly finishing through contact and finding creative ways to get shots through and around bigger players in the paint or draw fouls. Add in her established passing ability, handle and solid rotations, and Rice’s development arc puts her on a path to high-level impact at a position of scarcity in the WNBA.
Last year’s grade: 45 FV
Change in ranking: +9
Highlights:
Concerns:
11. Mikaylah Williams, off-ball guard, LSU
Year: 2027
Height: 6’
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Chaser
For the first month and a half of her freshman season, it looked like Mikaylah Williams might be the greatest shooter in the history of basketball. While the shooting came back down to earth somewhat, Williams is still an impressive scorer who has shown flashes of being a secondary or tertiary playmaker. She has great size for her position and has moments of good on-ball defense, but has struggled to this point defending off the ball. Even if Williams ends up being merely a Very Good shooter, her offense is already at a level that projects to be impactful at the next level. The extent to which her shooting drop-off was due to her nursing plantar fasciitis over at least the final month of the season will be the biggest factor in whether she is a 40-grade player or a 60-grade player, along with her growth defending on the ball.
Highlights:
Concerns:
Stathead Stat of the Week
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thenexthoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StatheadBBR-CBB.png?resize=1024%2C325&ssl=1)
A’ja Wilson had her eight game of the season with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds. That’s the most 30 & 10 games in a season by any player in WNBA history.
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50 FV
12. Ashlyn Watkins, center, South Carolina
Year: 2026
Height: 6’3
Wingspan: 6’8
Offensive style: Roll and cut big
Defensive style: Mobile big
Ashlyn Watkins is one of the best athletes we’ve ever seen at her size, with the rim protection and scheme versatility to legitimately anchor a top defense at the WNBA level. Her athleticism and defensive visual processing make her an unconquerable presence at the rim for opponents. Watkins is athletic enough to hang with quicker guards on switches, though her ball screen navigation isn’t good enough yet to hold up on extended stints as a perimeter defender. On the other end, she has flashed great off-ball movement, with a good handle and outstanding passing for a big. Watkins’ midrange jumper and floater are solid threats that she is becoming more comfortable with, and she is the only active women’s college basketball player to have dunked in a game. Her finishing is surprisingly bad for someone with her athletic profile, and she hasn’t shown many flashes of being able to create her own offense, which caps her ceiling. But mainly we should focus on how good she is defensively, because her combination of length and processing speed and ground coverage both horizontally and vertically is nearly unparalleled.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
13. Lauren Betts, center, UCLA
Year: 2026
Height: 6’7
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Post scorer
Defensive style: Anchor big
In her first year playing full-time minutes, Lauren Betts showed everything you could hope for from a 6’7 player and then some. She physically dominates the paint on both ends of the floor, using her strength and length to make herself a big target on offense and immovable obstacle on defense. But she’s not just big; Betts’ lateral movement is outstanding for her size, and she has shown a great feel for rotating between paint help assignments, managing space in drop, contesting everything near the rim and even holding up on switches. She was one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in the country this year, has good touch at the rim and has shown the ability to find open teammates when she anticipates the double-team. There is a glaring Achilles’ heel on blindside doubles, though, to the point where she can become a turnover machine when faced with quick doubles from defenders with length. More reps will only improve that issue.
Opponents shot a staggeringly low 44% at the rim against UCLA while Betts was on the court, while on the other end, the Bruins shot over 64% at the rim, per CBB Analytics. There is no reason to believe that two-way paint dominance will end any time soon.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
14. Te-Hina Paopao, combo guard, South Carolina
Year: 2025
Height: 5’9
Wingspan: 5’9
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Chaser
The case for Te-Hina Paopao as a prospect is simple: A combo guard with an excellent floor game out of the PnR, great tempo-setting, an elite floater, quality guard defense, and only the most consistent 3-point shot in recent college basketball history; Paopao not only shot 46.8% from three this season, but she became the only D-I player to shoot 40% from deep on at least four attempts in over 70% of their games in the last decade, per HHS. And her time at Oregon shows that she can be very portable. Her usage may have lowered after transferring to Columbia, S.C., but her on-ball defense improved greatly, adding capable POA defending off the catch to already solid perimeter help. She may not be the flashiest player, but there’s a lot of value in someone like Paopao.
Last year’s grade: 45 FV
Change in ranking: +4
Highlights:
Concerns:
15. Raven Johnson, point guard, South Carolina
Year: 2025
Height: 5’8
Wingspan: 6’2.5
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
If you’re a point guard, have fun trying to deal with Raven Johnson’s defense for 40 minutes. The 5’8 guard has a longer wingspan than 6’2 Rhyne Howard, plus standout strength, cat-like reflexes and fluid lateral quickness. She doesn’t offer much in the way of perimeter help, but when you can force lead guards to play on your terms both on and off the ball as well as Johnson can, that’s not a big concern. Though on the offensive end, there are a lot more questions. Johnson is a good finisher and a great passer with good downhill playmaking, but her shooting mechanics are clunky, to say the least. Her open 3-point shooting did improve drastically this year, and her floater and leaner are both shockingly useful with how she can stabilize her shoulders out of downright bewildering setups. But she’s still a career 62.7% from the line, which makes it difficult to project her as a shooter one way or the other. At the very least, she is a quality table-setter with elite POA defense, but there’s higher upside if she continues to make strides from three.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
16. Saniya Rivers, wing?, NC State
Year: 2025
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: 6’5
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Gabby3
Saniya Rivers is far and away the best non-center defensive prospect since Gabby Williams, an astounding athlete who genuinely excels in any defensive role besides primary rim protector. She’s shown that she can defend quick point guards and bigger wings, protect the rim from the weakside and jump passing lanes, and provides positive value at all of those roles, which is truly absurd. She is a lockdown defender navigating on and off the ball, erases offensive players on the drive or in ball-denial, and uses outstanding visual processing and processing speed to fill every help assignment. Rivers’ offensive role is also tough to define, but for all the wrong reasons. She has been asked to play point guard at NC State and has shown a high-level handle and passing ability, but the shooting has been poor. Rivers has improved as a shooter since she was at South Carolina, but her jump shot comes out of her hands flat and has not gone in at even a middling rate (26% from three this season). Her form off the dribble leaves little room for projection, too: She releases at the apex, often with her legs flailing out, and her shoulders moving in such a way that she may never have taken two different middys with the exact same form. She is also a very challenged finisher. The combination of defense and offensive tools give a good reason to bet on Rivers in spite of the scoring struggles, but she is truly boom-or-bust as a prospect depending on whether her jump shot and finishing can be fully rebuilt.
Last year’s grade: 50 FV
Change in ranking: -4
Highlights:
Concerns:
17. Oluchi Okananwa, off-ball guard, Duke
Year: 2027
Height: 5’10
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Slasher
Defensive style: Point of attack
Oluchi Okananwa might be the least likely player on this list to have ended up where she is: a very late riser in her recruiting class from Massachusetts, a state that doesn’t produce a lot of premier basketball talent, once considered an elite athlete with very raw skill. Apparently, Okananwa did not get the memo, wasting no time in carving out a big role and flashing immense upside. She was already an elite rebounder after just three career games and roasted Jackie Young in iso during Duke’s game against Team USA. By the middle of ACC play, she was clearly one of the best POA defenders in the country, with her combination of mirroring, screen navigation, and pressure on both handles and finishes, plus an advanced feel for help. Increasing comfort as the season went on also showed an unstoppable ability to get to the rim with a great last step and eye-popping flashes of on-ball playmaking. If she can develop a more consistent 3-point form and learn to cross-step when defending drivers instead of side-shuffling, Okananwa could be a top-10 prospect in all of college basketball.
Highlights:
Concerns:
18. Sonia Citron, wing, Notre Dame
Year: 2025
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Utility wing
Defensive style: Wing stopper
The epitome of a utility wing is Sonia Citron, able to do just about anything and everything you need your 3 to do at a decent level. She can knock down catch-and-shoot threes (career 37.8% 3P% off the catch, per Synergy), attack closeouts and get to the rim as a driver or pull up in the midrange, pass in the PnR, and defend multiple positions on the wing. Good backline help also makes her a quality team player. She has a solid baseline of skills you’re looking for in a connector, but her lack of explosiveness, subpar screen navigation and limited shot creation restrict her ceiling in ways that are very difficult to develop.
Last year’s grade: 50 FV
Change in ranking: -5
Highlights:
Concerns:
19. Kymora Johnson, point guard, Virginia
Year: 2027
Height: 5’7
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Chaser
Teenagers aren’t supposed to be able to command the court the way Kymora Johnson does. With arguably the best floor game in college basketball, she controls tempo both on and off the ball as if everyone around her is simply thinking and reacting a beat slower. That starts with playmaking, where Johnson has a natural feel for setting up an entire defense through ball screens and the creativity to pass the ball to wherever an advantage has been created, but it extends to her shooting too; Johnson puts a ton of pressure on defenses by stretching them vertically through her elite pull-up shooting range or floater and horizontally through active relocations. She is no slouch on the defensive end, either, highly disruptive against drives with good screen navigation and active perimeter help. Issues with space-creation and finishing may limit her growth, but Johnson is already a pro-ready prospect.
Highlights:
Concerns:
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45 FV
20. Charlisse Leger-Walker, point guard, UCLA (Wazzu transfer)
Year: 2025
Height: 5’10
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Whatever James Harden used to do in Houston
Only two major players recorded multiple triple-doubles last season: Caitlin Clark and Charlisse Leger-Walker. Leger-Walker is a playmaking wizard with a rare ability to manipulate multiple defenders with her whole body and execute any pass in the book without even looking, whether that’s a skip, pocket, wraparound — you name it. She may be a few mechanical tweaks away from being an average shooter, but the statistical indicators aren’t great, to say the least (career 31.3% on catch-and-shoot and 25.1% on pull-up 3-pointers, per Synergy). She makes enough shots to at least force defensive respect, and with her combination of handle, cutting and ability to work downhill, she excels at advantage-creation. On defense, she is limited at the POA by stiff hips and subpar lateral quickness, but is strong and physical in ball-denial with good instincts as a helper. If she fits into a WNBA defense, it will be because of her ability to glue together a backside with her rotations. Wherever she ends up playing, Leger-Walker will likely miss a decent number of games recovering from a torn ACL.
Last year’s grade: 45 FV
Change in ranking: -4
Highlights:
Concerns:
21. JJ Quinerly, off-ball guard, West Virginia
Year: 2025
Height: 5’8
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
JJ Quinerly quite literally never stops moving. She made herself into a relentlessly hellacious defender in first-year coach Mark Kellogg’s full-court press, after two years of being an impactful defender in two other systems. Her hands, screen navigation, motor and defensive toggling make her a menace who gets up into any guard’s grill. Offensively, she has skills to dream on: streaks of incredible off-the-dribble shot-making, a great first step to get to the rim, a deep bag, stable midrange pull-up mechanics, a strong feel for cutting and supremely athletic finishing despite mediocre deceleration. Quinerly has moments of brilliance on the ball and greatly improved her 3-point shooting after a mechanical tweak, but has not shown the signs of consistent passing skills to be a lead ball-handler in the W. Passing reads, though, to some extent, can be taught. What can’t be taught are the spectacular creativity and motor that Quinerly plays with, intangibles that make her every moment impactful on both ends of the court.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
22. Laila Phelia, off-ball guard, Texas (Michigan)
Year: 2025
Height: 6’
Wingspan: 6’1
Offensive style: Utility wing
Defensive style: Wing stopper
All things considered, Laila Phelia made the most of her junior season as an overtaxed on-ball creator on a decent-but-not-great Michigan team. At 6’, she is a premier wing defender with rare mirroring and screen navigation skills at her size and potent midrange shot creation (37.6% on 3.5 pull-up twos per game this year, per Synergy), spot-up shooting (37.4% 3-point percentage off the catch the past two years), positional athleticism and one-pass-away help, giving her a solid floor as a prospect. However, Phelia has yet to hit a pull-up 3-pointer in her collegiate career, is a wildly inconsistent finisher and adds little to no value as a passer. There may be untapped upside in her finishing, given that she has good deceleration but rushes her process, and she may be able to increase her off-ball movement in a less taxing role. Either way, she projects to fit into a 3+-&-D mold as a pro.
Last year’s grade: 55 FV
Change in ranking: -13
Highlights:
Concerns:
23. Yarden Garzon, combo forward, Indiana
Year: 2026
Height: 6’3
Wingspan: 6’3
Offensive style: Movement shooter
Defensive style: Helper
The level of improvement between Yarden Garzon’s freshman and sophomore seasons was something you don’t see very often. After filling a mostly spot-up role with some on-ball flashes in 2022-23, she took on significantly more creation responsibility this year, leading PnRs and shooting off of off-ball screens. She also took major strides as a backline helper and cleaned up her footwork on the perimeter. We still have questions about athleticism, with limited footspeed likely limiting her to the four but with a build that makes her a poor post defender, but players of Garzon’s size, feel and skill level are rare.
Last year’s grade: 45 FV
Change in ranking: -2
Highlights:
Concerns:
24. Bella Fontleroy, combo forward, Baylor
Year: 2026
Height: 6’
Wingspan: 6’4
Offensive style: Movement shooter
Defensive style: Wing stopper+
The WNBA isn’t fond of 3-&-D players, but Bella Fontleroy is far from a player who stands in the corner and guards only her own position. With excellent lateral athleticism and the ability to slither around screens, Fontleroy is a guard in a forward’s body, able to cover wings and forwards alike both on and off the ball. And she puts in work off the ball to provide great chasing and help from anywhere on the court. Between her handle and feel for moving without the ball, there’s reason to think she’ll soon be able to attack closeouts with more than just her good 3-point shot.
Last year’s grade: Unranked
Change in ranking: N/A
Highlights:
Concerns:
25. Cotie McMahon, combo forward, Ohio State
Year: 2026
Height: 5’11
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Slasher
Defensive style: Wing stopper−
Cotie McMahon is the toughest evaluation in college basketball. She was one of the best players in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman, in large part due to an unstoppable driving game, downhill defense and flashes of shot creation and spacing. Yet, McMahon didn’t build on that momentum as a sophomore. She has maybe the best spin move in the country but doesn’t have a real counter to keep defenders on their toes, making her drives extremely predictable and leaving her reliant on her pure strength to get the job done against good paint defenders. Her shooting also tailed off from her hot March 2023 run (23.7% 3P% and 27.1% FG% in the midrange this year, per Pivot Analysis) and she was rarely respected by defenders outside the paint. Though we’re not as optimistic on her star upside as we were a year ago, there’s still a lot to like about her future prospects.
Last year’s grade: 60 FV
Change in ranking: -19
Highlights:
Concerns:
26. Ta’Niya Latson, combo guard, Florida State
Year: 2026
Height: 5’8
Wingspan: 5’10
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Chaser/low activity
Ta’Niya Latson is one of the premier downhill forces in college basketball. A superb athlete, she attacks the rim with tremendous burst and an elite last step and vert, despite questionable finishing process, and gets to the free throw line at an excellent rate. Latson’s 3-point shooting and passing have not been at the level you would like it to be, but she has good peripherals and her pull-up middy is a strong weapon. Defensively, Latson has been inconsistent, gambling for steals at the expense of fundamentals too often, and the occasional highlight block makes up for a lot of questionable play. Mirroring assignments both on and off the ball is a struggle in ways that are less likely to improve than the gambling and decision-making. And the limits to her finishing and playmaking both seemed to be caused by issues with her visual processing, so while they should develop over time, we’re not expecting her to take a huge leap in either skill. Regardless, her dominance as a driver and her supreme athletic abilities make her a reasonable bet to be an impactful pro.
Last year’s grade: 55 FV
Change in ranking: -17
Highlights:
Concerns:
27. Tessa Johnson, off-ball guard, South Carolina
Year: 2027
Height: 5’11
Wingspan: 5’10.5
Offensive style: Movement shooter
Defensive style: Wing stopper
I invite you to get in on the ground floor of Tessa Johnson stock because the line is only going to go up. In a draft board full of lethal shooters, she is the best — well, besides Bueckers — having shot 45.7% from three and 90.0% from the line since starting high school (though data for some of those pre-South Carolina years is incomplete). Her ability to read defenses to move without the ball and attack closeouts are quite advanced, and her pull-up midrange shot is money. Plus, she is already a high-level wing defender both on and off the ball with flashes of exceptional help rotations. A merely decent handle and lack of deceleration on finishes are the biggest limits on her projection right now, though being undersized for someone you would want to play at the 3 does put a ceiling on her upside.
Highlights:
Concerns:
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Honorable Mentions — 40 FV
28. KK Arnold, combo guard, UConn
Year: 2027
Height: 5’9
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Point of attack
29. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, power forward, Baylor
Year: 2026
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: 6’6
Offensive style: Roll and cut big
Defensive style: Wing stopper/mobile big
30. Jadyn Donovan, power forward, Duke
Year: 2027
Height: 6’
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Roll and cut big
Defensive style: Mobile big/wing stopper
31. Georgia Amoore, point guard, Kentucky (Virginia Tech transfer)
Year: 2025
Height: 5’5.5
Wingspan: 5’7
Offensive style: Primary ball-handler
Defensive style: Chaser
32. Mara Braun, off-ball guard, Minnesota
Year: 2026
Height: 6’
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Movement shooter
Defensive style: Wing stopper
33. Bree Hall, off-ball guard, South Carolina
Year: 2025
Height: 6’
Wingspan: 6’5
Offensive style: Movement shooter
Defensive style: Wing stopper
34. Aneesah Morrow, power forward, LSU
Year: 2025
Height: 6’1
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Versatile big
Defensive style: Mobile big/chaser
35. Grace VanSlooten, combo forward, Michigan State (Oregon transfer)
Year: 2026
Height: 6’3
Wingspan: 6’3
Offensive style: Shot creator
Defensive style: Mobile big
36. Shyanne Sellers, wing, Maryland
Year: 2025
Height: 6’2
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Secondary ball-handler
Defensive style: Wing stopper
37. Azzi Fudd, off-ball guard, UConn
Year: 2025*
Height: 5’11
Wingspan: N/A
Offensive style: Off-screen shooter
Defensive style: Low activity
* Player has taken a medical redshirt at some point and has an additional year of eligibility available
- Steals + blocks ↩︎
- Despite being a sophomore this past season, Barker has previously said that she intends to declare for the WNBA draft after her junior year in 2025. It is not known if her transferring will affect this. ↩︎
- Have you ever watched Gabby Williams defend? Well this role is named for her, because it is a wing who can basically do everything defensively and can do it better than almost anyone else on the court. ↩︎
Written by Em Adler
Em Adler (she/they) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.