Locked on Women’s Basketball: WNBA preseason power rankings Part 2

And then Jackie and Isabel break down who they believe won’t make the postseason and will be in the 2024 WNBA Draft lottery. A disclaimer: The pair didn’t consider the fact that, even if the Chicago Sky are in the draft lottery in 2024, their first-round pick belongs to the Dallas Wings via the Marina Mabrey trade. The Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm are covered in this episode, in addition to the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky.

Isabel on who she has as her No. 8 team:

“My eight is the diametric opposite of the Phoenix Mercury, in my opinion, which is the Indiana Fever, so I think the Indiana Fever this is the bigger year. I think this is the next step for them. Christie Sides is the best decision that they have made outside of picking Aliyah Boston at number one. She is such a great leader for younger players. And with so many draft picks on this roster, so many players you’re trying to figure out their way. I think it was just a really smart move.

“And the whole franchise just seems like they are excited, but at the same time, they have reasonable expectations, which I think is going to benefit them in the long term they know that it’s going to be hard and I think going in with that understanding is going to go a long way. I think that she is going to be like the next big thing. And yeah, I’m so excited to see how that turns out. Grace Berger, another huge awesome pickup for them. She’s so athletic and versatile, and I think she will play great with Boston and the rest of the lineup.”

Isabel on who she has as her No. 10 team:

“So I have Seattle Storm at my 10 spot, currently, which I think might shock a lot of people because a lot of people don’t know many names on this roster. And that’s fine. That’s totally okay. But this roster is literally my dream in terms of international players getting a big shot in the league players that have played majority overseas getting a big shot in the WNBA. This is like a dream come true. And then you add Jordan Horston, who I loved in Tennessee, it’s perfect for me. And I also am a big believer in Ezi Magbegor or just in general; she could run for president in the United States. I know she’s an Australian citizen, but I would vote for her. So I think of the team’s like the growing pains will be huge for all of them.

“But in terms of Seattle, they’ve lost so much. And this is clearly a rebuild. Like this is a ground-up from the bare bones rebuilt, and they’ve brought back some of those players that really helped define the Storm in the past five-ish years, like, a Sami Whitcomb and a Kia Nurse. I think having those players back in Seattle means a lot. And so bringing them on with, of course, Jewell Loyd, who is a franchise-defining player in so many ways. They’ve got a shot and I don’t think it will be all like all bows and sorrows in Seattle. I think there’s a chance and I think there’s a spark of youth, joy and excitement to try and actually make something out of this that I don’t necessarily see in the other two remaining teams.”

---

Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

---

Make sure to subscribe to Locked on Women’s Basketball, where we have new shows every weekday.

For more coverage of the WNBA, click here.