Who’s Next — The Next’s 2025 WNBA Draft Board, V1.0

Strengths:

• One of the best live-ball processing abilities we’ve ever seen — a complete savant in proprioception, incredible court-mapping and playmaking
• Might simply be the greatest midrange shot-creator in basketball history
• Extraordinary off-ball scorer, between being a movement catch-and-shoot threat to excellent driving and finishing against closeouts
• Possibly no one else in the game took more strides as an off-ball defender; she can do everything, from covering ground as a weakside rim protector to chasing shooters and causing chaos in passing lanes, without losing her primary assignment
• Navigates screens very well defensively, with the ability to defend 1-on-1 against almost any wing and most smaller guards
• Excellent rebounder

Questions:

• Can Bueckers start taking and making more pull-up 3-pointers?
• Can she become more assertive as a scorer in crunch time?

Strengths:

• One of the most coverage-versatile defensive bigs in the country — has shown the ability to defend every position at a high level
• Superb athlete for her size, both laterally and vertically, and very fluid
• Tremendously smooth midrange isolation scorer with one of the most polished face-up games in college basketball
• Has shown the ability to hit jumpers off of screens, both from the midrange and from three

Questions:

• Can she translate her touch in the midrange to hitting free-throws at a higher rate?
• Can Barker consistently impose her will on the game happening around her and become a more assertive player?
• How does Barker translate extended flashes of brilliance into consistent, high-level production?

Strengths:

• Excellent lateral athlete with great burst
• Excellent midrange jump shot, with a high, late release that makes her unblockable
• Startlingly good at defending guards and wings in space
• Good awareness in backline help with timely rotations
• True triple threat without wasting time getting into a triple threat stance; smooth and explosive attacking off the catch while quickly reading the floor
• Great at using her lower body to prevent giving up post position and disrupt finishes
• Finishes through contact while drawing fouls
• Excellent establishing post position and getting to the cup

Questions:

• How much rim protection can Iriafen provide when she isn’t playing alongside an elite defensive center?
• Can she learn an efficient power transfer to expand her range beyond the arc?
• Will Iriafen translate her hip flexibility into stepping-over against drivers?
• Were her struggles hedging and managing space to the handler in drop simply caused by inexperience?
• What does Iriafen look like as a screen-and-roller in a pick-n-roll (PnR)-heavy offense?

Strengths:

• Excellent athlete in every direction
• Mind-boggling playmaking ability: velocity from the most awkward positions, picture-perfect accuracy, mapping the court and manipulating defenders like a supercomputer
• Plus-plus rebounder
• Elite finisher, between using a variety of angles, drawing contact, and adjusting in midair
• Smart, active team defender
• Great handle, smooth bag, and advanced feel for changing speeds to get downhill
• Very good downhill defender

Questions:

• Is Miles willing to try completely rebuilding her jumper form?
• How good of a help defender is she without so many long wings alongside her?
• Can Miles stick through ball screens at the pro level?
• Seriously, is there any hope for that jump shot?

Strengths:

• Excellent pull-up and spot-up shooting mechanics between her shoulder stability, footwork, power transfer and touch
• Mind-boggling live-dribble playmaking at 6’4 — from velocity and eye manipulation to her rare ability to make off-hand whip passes and pinpoint weakside shooters out of the PnR
• Very good hip flexibility defending drives and switching onto most 3s and 4s
• Solid weakside helper, generally good off-ball defender
• Good burst and a functional ball-handler

Questions:

• Can Sivka become more confident as a driver and better handle contact at the rim?
• Is her shot-creation upside limited if she can’t ever draw fouls?
• Can Sivka improve her POA footwork to become a reliable ball screen defender in the W?
• How does she look defending the roller in various PnR coverages?

Strengths:

• One of the most consistent 3-point shooters, both on and off the ball, in recent college basketball history
• Great playmaker, thanks to standout vision, superb processing speed and excellent passing ability
• Extraordinary floor game and internal tempo, almost impossible to get her metronome off its rhythm
• Very good at using ball screens to force offensive advantages
• Greatly improved point of attack (POA) defense, both in her ability to mirror and ball screen navigation
• One of, if not the best floater in the class
• Good weakside helper, including digs and nail help

Questions:

• How much does Paopao’s struggles to finish at the rim and draw fouls limit her potential offensive upside?
• Can she consistently contain dribble penetration against WNBA guards at the POA?

Strengths:

• Best POA defender in college basketball, leveraging insane physical tools, ball-pressure, cat-like reflexes and fluid lateral quickness
• Standout live-dribble playmaker with steady PnR operation, a functional handle and good decision-making
• Tough driver with superb burst and lower-body strength
• Plus-plus rebounder
• Improving scoring counters – an unblockable pull-up mid-range jumper and floater

Questions:

• How reliable of a spot-up 3-point shooter can Johnson be? And can she make free-throws at an average level?
• Can she become more confident as a driver in the half-court? If not, does this limit her playmaking?
• Can Johnson develop into a consistently impactful off-ball defender?

Strengths:

• Outstanding athlete in every dimension possible
• Potentially the most impactful non-big defender in the country as a junior, can defend on the ball, off the ball, on the perimeter and at the rim
• Good playmaker with the ball in her hands, went to the Final Four as a starting point guard
• Good handle plus excellent speed means nobody can really stop her from getting to her spots
• Plus rebounder

Questions:

• What does Rivers do on offense when she doesn’t have the ball in her hands?
• Can she find a way to score efficiently, either by improving her touch inside the arc or rebuilding her jumper?
• How does Rivers translate her raw athleticism to consistently creating advantages offensively?
• Where does this all end up if she is merely very good defensively instead of transcendent?

Strengths:

• Excellent core strength and verticality both on and off the ball defensively
• Consistently good catch-and-shoot 3-point shot, which plays up due to her perimeter movement and ability to get the shot off from a variety of setups
• Great defender in iso and on the drive against multiple positions
• Very smart picking her spots to attack off the catch or pull up off screens
• Plus passer for a 3
• Generally good backside help defender and active communicator

Questions:

• Is Citron a WNBA-caliber athlete? If so, is she a starting-caliber athlete?
• Can she become more confident pulling up from deep?
• How much will Citron’s driving game take a hit in the pros if she doesn’t develop dribble moves?
• Does her size mitigate her issues getting over ball screens?

Strengths:

• Unparalleled court vision matched with audacious passing means that she creates good looks for teammates out of thin air
• Very intuitive understanding of space on a basketball court, improvisational wizard in every way
• Strong core and a really smart player, can defend bigger players in the post and hold her own
• Excellent toggling between on- and off-ball usage, a very good catch-and-shoot player, enhanced by great off-ball movement and smart cutting

Questions:

• When Leger-Walker returns from a torn ACL, likely not until late in the season, how will she look athletically?
• Can she make jumpers at her 2022-23 rate and not her 2023-24 rate?
• Who does Leger-Walker defend at the next level, especially when she is in a scheme that doesn’t automatically switch ball screens?

Strengths:

• Hellacious defender that never stops moving, with incredible hands, strong screen navigation and a strong base
• Has developed into a legitimate threat at all three levels offensively with a wicked handle that makes creating space a breeze
• Improved 3-point shooter due to some slight mechanical tweaks — has shown potential to be tremendously coachable
• Steady improvement in her three seasons at WVU despite having three different coaches running three different systems

Questions:

• Can Quinerly continue to improve her playmaking chops to the level of a real WNBA-level facilitator?
• If she isn’t a good enough playmaker to be a lead guard, how much value does she provide off the ball?

Strengths:

• Excellent on-ball defender with rare mirroring and screen navigation skills
• Very good athletic tools and an ideal frame for a WNBA wing
• Potent mid-range shot creation
• Solid spot-up shooter
• Confident driver with good deceleration and lives at the free-throw line
• Good one-pass-away help and switching

Questions:

• Can Phelia become a merely average passer?
• Can she find a way to punish hard closeouts with consistent half-court finishing?
• It’s seriously wild Phelia’s never hit a pull-up 3-pointer in her college career — how much does this limit her upside?

Strengths:

• Elite rebounder
• Plays above her height on both ends
• Excellent finisher, including through tough contact and over vertical rim protectors
• Incredibly explosive out of the face-up and attacks well off the catch
• Sticks with drivers and contests finishes well
• Great touch on midrange jumpers out to ~16 feet with smooth, WNBA-ready form
• Very good defensive hands both on-ball and at the level
• Good positional passer

Questions:

• With the jump in athleticism from the SEC to the W, does Morrow’s usage hold up without a 3-pointer or value-added playmaking?
• How much is her inability to track her defensive assignment off the ball and recover quickly due to scheme and coaching?
• Can Morrow make significant strides getting open without the ball, either through paint movement or ball screens?

Strengths:

• Special vertical athleticism, foot speed and hip flexibility
• Flashes driving and mid-post shot creation moves that few 6’6+ bigs have ever had
• Very good interior off-ball movement
• Great defender in space for her size
• Willing 3-point shooter with a one-motion release and good balance
• Untapped defensive upside based solely on her unique athletic tools and flashes of insane ball screen coverage versatility

Questions:

• How likely is Malonga to improve her positioning in drop coverage, help rotations and overall feel for the game?
• She drops more passes than any big prospect in recent draft history; can she improve her hand-eye coordination?
• Will Malonga’s subpar shooting touch keep her from being a consistent shooter?

Strengths:

• Excellent lateral athlete
• Standout mental processing, reflected in both superb playmaking and picking defenses apart deciding whether to pull up, drive or relocate
• Deadly mid-range scorer with a good handle and impressive bend to create space on pull-ups
• Great mover without the ball and a consistently good-to-great shooter off movement and spotting-up
• Good off-ball defensive instincts, occupying passing lanes and providing help rotations
• Smooth floater game

Questions:

• Can Amoore make pull-up 3s at a more efficient rate? (25.3% on 5.0 attempts per game in 2023-24)
• Can she improve her point-of-attack footwork enough to not be a defensive sieve?
• Is “getting downhill when an opening presents itself” enough at the WNBA level?

Strengths:

• Impactful perimeter defender who uses her length on and off the ball to bother wings
• Excellent downhill defender
• Outstanding standstill shooter with very good mechanics after continually improving each season
• Elite lateral athlete
• Good weakside helper with a very high motor
• Has shown flashes as a transition playmaker

Questions:

• How do Hall’s struggles hanging with quicker guards impact her positional versatility at the WNBA level?
• Is she able to apply more ball-pressure or better chase around the roller in POA defense?
• Can Hall’s improvements as a shooter expand to do more than just hit open 3-pointers?
• Does she have more in her bag that she hasn’t been able to show because she plays on the deepest roster in the country? Could coaches also see that as a positive sign that she is willing to fill a role?

Strengths:

• Extremely fluid athlete with sensational quick twitch
• Advanced driving game: excels getting downhill, is comfortable pulling-up with a good jumper from most any spot on the way down and is a great finisher (especially on and-1s)
• Can be an incredibly tough defender at the POA
• Excellent passing velocity from any base
• Solid spot-up 3-point shooter
• Good screener for a backcourt player

Questions:

• How much of Sellers’ struggles to achieve consistency have resulted from being overtaxed as a primary ball-handler?
• Why does she lose focus and rotations when defending off the ball?
• Can Sellers learn to better anticipate help defenders coming on her drives?

Strengths:

• Flawless off-ball shooter between her relocation skills, immaculate power transfer and virtually no-dip jumper
• Excellent lateral athlete
• Solid second-side mid-range shot-creator when attacking closeouts, extraordinary pull-up jumper
• Great cutter with a supreme understanding of manipulating open space

Questions:

• Can Fudd, who has missed over 60% of UConn’s games during her career, play an entirely healthy season?
• How much more have her injuries hampered her already poor defensive mobility?
• If Fudd can’t become a passable on-ball defender, can she at least make consistent help rotations?

Strengths:

• Great off-ball player on both ends
• Fluid athlete with great lateral athleticism
• Very good help defender, especially for her age
• Good dribble control while flashing plus deceleration for her position even through contact
• Super smooth attacking off the catch, whether on the roll or against a closeout, with a good nose for getting downhill
• Quality downhill defense even against wings

Questions:

• Can Soltau improve her rebounding?
• Does her poor 3-pointer mean she also has a poor midrange shot?
• Are Soltau’s flashes of plus passing indications of potential as an impactful playmaker?

Strengths:

• Unbelievable athlete in every direction
• Angel Reese-level rebounding mismatch
• Can defend at least three positions at a high level
• Flashes strong decel and midair finishing while already drawing fouls
• Advanced help positioning, rotations and overall impact for her age
• Great cutter

Questions:

• Can Kosu translate her unholy athletic gifts into disruptive POA defense?
• Is there any hope of a jump shot here?
• Does Kosu read the floor well enough to be a playmaker?
• How many grains of salt do we need to take her production with given the current quality of the Russian league?

Strengths:

• Incredible athlete, both vertically and laterally
• Reliable PnR craft, between advanced on-ball feel, two-player-game playmaking and the pressure she puts on a defense as a more-than-willing deep pull-up shooter
• A shockingly, mind-bogglingly good rim protector for a 5’6 player
• Elite moving without the ball and spotting up from 3
• Great ball-denial and top-locking in chasing defense
• Closes out well to spot-up shooters
• Despite her size, she can and does get downhill when she sees an opening

Questions:

• What does it mean for Andrews’ prospects if she is a good-but-not-great pull-up scorer in the mid-range and from 3?
• Will she be able to translate her athleticism from rim protection into defending at the POA?
• How much does Andrews’ limited velocity on skip passes limit PnR playmaking?
• Despite her efficiency, does she have the ability to impose herself on a game?

Strengths:

• Great post defender who plays really smart basketball all the time
• Great screener and cutter, very intuitive feel for floor spacing
• Solid post-up game
• Plus positional passer with flashes of even greater
• Smooth but reluctant midrange shooter

Questions:

• Can Feagin develop comfort with an offensive game outside of ten feet?
• Is there a world where she is able to maintain her absurd per minute production when she sees more playing time?
• How coverage-versatile is Feagin really?

Strengths:

• Incredible defensive event-creator, disrupts opposing offenses constantly
• Plus passer and ball handler for a wing
• Great free-throw shooter, which bodes well for projecting her shooting, given her 3-point form looks better than how she’s shot on paper
• Defensive ground coverage, instincts and hands are all really impressive

Questions:

• Does Scherr care about shooting the ball?
• How does she create offensive value if she can’t up her scoring volume?
• If Scherr does up her scoring volume, will she be as disruptive in every other area of the game?

Strengths:

• Excellent pull-up shooter, even from very tough setups
• Superb at getting to her spots thanks to a good handle with a deep bag
• Very good PnR operator and dump-off passer
• Moves well without the ball, both around the arc and cutting through the midrange and paint
• Solid backside rotator on defense, zones-up well

Questions:

• Would a lightened offensive workload allow Olsen improved POA defense?
• Is she merely a solid catch-and-shoot threat from deep, or can she be a bigger threat if she’s off the ball more often?

Strengths:

• Elite vertical athlete
• Far and away the best rim protector in this class with tremendous defensive range both vertically and horizontally
• Historically great play-finisher within 10 feet of the rim with an infinitely deep bag of moves
• Excellent feel as a roller, both in release timing and angles
• Great at moving in the paint without the ball
• Good dribbler for a center

Questions:

• Can Timpson bulk up enough to better defend true centers in the post and be more impactful on the boards?
• How much better can she get as a screener?
• Is Timpson able to reign in her defensive aggression without becoming less impactful?

Strengths:

• Explosive, explosive athlete
• Stellar POA defender, applying pressure 94 feet, paired with excellent lateral athleticism, quick hands and impressive core strength to cut off drivers
• Very good PnR operator, controlling the speed of the game with her decision-making and ability to create advantages out of drives
• Good midrange game with a real tough pull-up jumper
• Superb ball-denial

Questions:

• How impactful can a small guard without a three or consistent floater be in the W?
• Even with her defensive strengths, is Harmon up to a Jordin Canada-level to compensate for her height?
• She does a solid job drawing fouls, but can she actually make free-throws?

Strengths:

• Very good floor game, picks her spots well
• Super crafty finisher aided by a decent decel
• Smooth, one-motion catch-and-shoot 3-point form with very good footwork
• Good sticking over ball screens and disrupting drives
• Very solid perimeter helper

Questions:

• Is James’ defensive playmaking closer to her sophomore season or junior breakout?
• Can she improve her ability to get downhill instead of having to take pull-up midrange shots?
• With better play-finishing rollers, can James be a value-added passer in the PnR?

Strengths:

• Plus-plus playmaker all around
• Consistent and disruptive secondary rim protector, overall plus help defender
• Capable guarding ball-handling 4s and somewhat switchable
• Great cutter and good screener, an all-around great off-ball skill set
• Good finisher

Questions:

• Can Westbeld reach another level athletically? If not, is she even a WNBA-level athlete?
• With more deliberate use as a driver, can she get back to the free-throw attempt rate she had as a freshman?

Strengths:

• Great athlete both on and off the ball
• Great perimeter shot-creator and movement shooter, one of the better pull-up 3-point shooters in draft history
• Excellent using ball screens to generate offense
• Decent weakside help positioning

Questions:

• How much can Spear reasonably be asked to improve on the defensive end?
• If she can’t make significant defensive strides, how good of a shot-creator does she have to be to make a WNBA roster?
• Can Spear develop a more advanced downhill scoring process?

Strengths:

• Quickly improving PnR ball-handler with good burst and feel for navigating tight spaces
• Provides consistent rim pressure, can finish with either hand and plays through contact
• Good spot-up shooter with repeatable mechanics
• Decent help defender

Questions:

• Can an undersized 2 with no value-added passing play in a W rotation?
• Is she a WNBA-level athlete?