2026 WNBA Draft (Official Thread)

[#1 pick]

Welcome to thecoli's WNBA Draft thread.
Draft day: 4/13/2026

WNBA Big Board for the 2026 - Tiers 1-5

Tier 1 - Elite Cornerstone Prospect

None

Tier 2 - All-Star Potential

2026 WNBA Big Board Pre-Draft Scouting Edition | LOTTERY / FIRST-ROUND TIER

Awa Fam | C | Valencia | Spain
6'4" | 19.8 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 12.3 pts | 8.3 reb | 2.3 ast | 1.2 blk | 2.0 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~52-55% FG / limited 3PT attempts / ~65-75% FT
MPG: ~22-28 across Spanish domestic and EuroLeague

NBA Comp: Joel Embiid
WNBA Comp: None

The last time a prospect generated this kind of pre-draft buzz from international play, her name was Lauren Jackson. Fam belongs in that conversation, and she is 19 years old. What separates her from every other big in this class is not just the obvious physical tools but the feel. She passes like a guard, moves without the ball like she has been doing it for a decade, and her footwork in the post is already at a level that most pros spend years chasing. Her body composition for her age is exceptional, and she clearly understands leverage and positioning in ways that cannot be quickly coached.

She is not ready to be a franchise centerpiece on day one, but here is the thing: Malonga was not either when Seattle drafted her, and Fam is already further along. The rim efficiency is elite, she keeps turnovers low for a young big asked to create, and her defensive awareness in drop coverage and on the weak side is legitimately plus-level. The free-throw numbers need work, but the mechanics are clean enough that improvement is real and expected.

This is the one. She is the best prospect in this draft, and it is not particularly close once you watch the film. The translation concerns that come with international bigs simply do not apply the same way here. She has the movement patterns, the instincts, and the size to become the best player in the WNBA within five years. An elite prospect by any measure.

Olivia Miles | PG | TCU
5'10" | 23.2 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 19.9 pts | 7.3 reb | 6.8 ast | 0.3 blk | 1.8 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~48% FG / ~35% 3P / ~84% FT
MPG: ~35+ across 38 GP

NBA Comp: Jason Kidd without the defensive upside
WNBA Comp: Chelsea Gray

There have been better scorers in this class. There have been better shooters. There is no better point guard. Miles operates the offense with a composure and intentionality that you rarely see at the college level, and the fact that she is doing it at this statistical volume while keeping her turnover rate manageable tells you everything about her feel for the game. She reads the second and third layers of the defense before most guards have finished processing the first.

The Jason Kidd comparison is not casual. Miles is not going to be asked to carry an offense in isolation the way a two-guard would, but she makes every teammate measurably better when she is on the floor. Her pick-and-roll processing is WNBA-ready right now. She gets to spots, she creates advantages, and she has the pull-up efficiency to punish defenders who cheat off her.

The one thing that keeps her out of the one spot is that her defense has lapses. Not wholesale breakdowns, but moments where her engagement wavers, particularly in transition and in pick-and-roll coverage. That will tighten in a professional system with real accountability. Everything else about her game is already there. She is the most pro-ready prospect in the class, and a team that lands her at two or three wins that pick.

Con't

 

[#1 pick]

Tier 3 - All-Star Possibilities

Flau'Jae Johnson | SG | LSU
5'10" | 22.4 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 20.3 pts | 6.0 reb | 3.6 ast | 1.0 blk | 1.8 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~46% FG / ~40% 3P / ~68% FT
MPG: ~32-36 across ~35 GP

NBA Comp: Dwyane Wade
WNBA Comp: More dynamic and smooth Kahleah Copper

The senior year on paper does not tell the whole story, and good scouts know that. LSU's roster construction this season did not put her in positions to thrive the way she thrives. When you watch the film in isolation rather than through the lens of team results, what you see is the best translation prospect in the entire draft. Not just the best pure scorer. The best player whose game will carry over to the WNBA level most cleanly and most immediately.

The Dwyane Wade comparison is going to raise eyebrows, but watch her attack the basket and tell me it does not fit. She has that same capacity to create contact, absorb it, and finish through traffic, although she struggles with her left hand. The 40% from three on improved mechanics is real, and it is not fluky. What makes this so compelling is that she does not need the ball in her hands exclusively to impact a game the way some high-usage college scorers do.

I was all-in on Angel Reese in her draft class the same way. Had her at three. You can debate the results there, but the evaluation logic was sound, and I stand behind it. With Johnson, the faith is the same. She is a Hall of Fame trajectory player if she finds the right organization and the right development environment. The free-throw splits are the one note worth watching in her first training camp, but do not let that number talk you out of the talent.

Azzi Fudd | SG | UConn
5'11" | 23.4 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 21.7 pts | 3.2 reb | 3.9 ast | 0.6 blk | 3.2 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~49% FG / ~45% 3P / ~95% FT
MPG: ~28-30 across ~39 GP

NBA Comp: Klay Thompson with more on-ball creation ability
WNBA Comp: None

The numbers are almost absurd when you look at them straight. Forty-five percent from three on real volume, 95% from the free throw line, almost no wasted possessions. By pure efficiency metrics, she is the best player in this draft class. The reason she sits at four instead of one is that the range of outcomes at the pro level is narrower than it is for the players above her.

What she does with off-ball movement, catch-and-shoot actions, and shot creation off screens is legitimately some of the best work anyone has done at the college level in the last decade. The Steph and Klay era redefined what shooting excellence looks like in basketball, and she is the only woman in this draft class who operates in that same register. That is not hyperbole. That is watching a film and being honest about what you see.

The honest caveat is that outside of the shooting creation, the rest of the offensive package has a ceiling. She is not a plus playmaker, and she will not be asked to be. What she is, in the right situation, is one of the most effective and dangerous offensive pieces in the entire league. There is a version of her career that is quietly elite for a long time. That is an excellent outcome.

Gabriela Jaquez | SG/SF | UCLA
6'0" | 22.4 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 16.0 pts | 6.5 reb | 2.4 ast | 0.1 blk | 1.3 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~54% FG / ~39-41% 3P / ~87% FT
MPG: ~30+ across ~38 GP

NBA Comp: More talented Jamie Jaquez Jr.
WNBA Comp: Allisha Gray

The most undervalued name in this draft. Full stop. She ended the year as UCLA's top overall prospect, which is remarkable given the depth of talent on that roster, and the reason she is here at five instead of lower is that I genuinely cannot find a flaw that concerns me about her game.

The shooting splits are quietly incredible. Fifty-four percent from the field for a wing who plays as many creation reps as she does is the kind of number that should be getting more attention. She shoots it well from three, gets to the line and converts, and she plays with a physicality and competitive edge that translates directly to the pro game. The comparison to her brother Jamie is not a limitation; it is a floor. The ceiling here is higher.

I genuinely do not know why I have Fudd ahead of her. The honest answer is that the shooting creation Fudd possesses is rarer. But in terms of overall prospect profile and likelihood of becoming an MVP-level player in this league, Jaquez deserves to be in that conversation right now. She is not a project. She is a pro who is ready to play meaningful minutes from opening night. A potential MVP candidate is sliding under the radar while louder names get the headlines.

Tier 4 - Role Player Potential

Lauren Betts | C | UCLA
6'7" | 22.5 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 22.2 pts | 11.4 reb | 4.1 ast | 2.7 blk | 1.3 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~60-65% FG / negligible 3PT / ~65-75% FT
MPG: ~28-34

NBA Comp: Better defensive prospect, worse offensively than Rudy Gobert
WNBA Comp: None

This is where the tier break sits. Everything above this line is a player you are building around or a player who changes your roster identity on arrival. Betts is neither of those things right now, but she has a clear developmental pathway, and the physical ceiling is real.

The defensive case is easy to make. Her block and altered shot rates are elite, her defensive rebounding percentage is about as high as it gets, and at 6'7" with real mobility, she already profiles as a top three to five defensive center in the league. That alone has value in a league where paint protection is scarce.

The offensive translation is the question mark that keeps her here at six. Now, to be fair, Aliyah Boston was actually a more polished offensive prospect coming out of college than Betts is. But even Boston had to grow significantly as a screener once she turned pro, because the WNBA demands that skill in ways that college simply does not require or develop. Betts faces that same learning curve, and then some. The four assists per game are encouraging and suggest she understands how to play with others. The development timeline on offense is real, but so is the upside.

Charlisse Leger-Walker | PG | UCLA
5'10" | 24.6 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 10.8 pts | 5.1 reb | 7.2 ast | 0.4 blk | 2.0 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~47% FG / ~28-33% 3P / ~70-78% FT
MPG: ~30-34 across ~35-38 GP

NBA Comp: None
WNBA Comp: Better passing, worse shooting, Ta-hina Paopao

That 7.2 assists per 36 from a college point guard in a high-level program is the number that anchors this evaluation. Leger-Walker is not going to dazzle anyone with athleticism or pull up and hit threes at a Fudd-level rate, but she makes the right play at an extremely high and consistent clip, and that skill set has proven value in a WNBA that still rewards traditional guard intelligence.

The shooting volume at three is lower than you want from a starting-caliber guard, and the free-throw percentage suggests there are mechanical things to clean up. But the arc inside and mid-range is efficient, and the passing is genuinely at a professional level right now. She finds cutters, she manipulates the defense off the pick-and-roll, and the assist-to-turnover profile holds even under pressure.

The WNBA still has room for guards who play this way, and she profiles clearly as a high-quality rotation piece who could grow into a starter depending on roster construction. The defense is functional rather than impactful, which keeps the ceiling where it is. But the floor here is real and dependable.

Con't

 

[#1 pick]

Tier 4 - Role Player Potential - Con't

Gianna Kneepkens | SG | UCLA
6'0" | 23.1 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 16.4 pts | 4.0 reb | 3.7 ast | 0.3 blk | 1.4 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~52% FG / ~44-45% 3P / ~80-85% FT
MPG: ~28-32 across ~38 GP

NBA Comp: None
WNBA Comp: Lexie Hull

Forty-four percent from three on real volume at 6'0". The hands are better than advertised, and the defensive engagement is better than most draft profiles are giving her credit for. There is a version of this evaluation where she creeps into the back end of the top five because of the shooting purity, and a team that needs a floor-spacing wing should be looking very hard at this pick.

The comparables are going to sell her short in some circles because Hull is a quality role player rather than a star. But the shooting here has a chance to be meaningfully better than what Hull brought in, and the size plus shooting combination is exactly the profile that WNBA rosters are always hunting. She is not a creation engine, and she does not need to be. She is an elite shooter who plays with composure and makes winning plays. There is consistent value in that.

Nell Angloma | SF | Lattes Montpellier | France
6'0" | 19.8 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 19.0 pts | 6.8 reb | 3.2 ast | 0.7 blk | 1.6 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~47% FG / ~32-36% 3P / ~75-80% FT
MPG: ~24-30 in French domestic and EuroCup

NBA Comp: None
WNBA Comp: Betnijah Laney

The modern WNBA was practically drawn up for players like Angloma. She is 19, she is 6'0", she defends multiple positions, she can put the ball on the floor, she can shoot off movement, and she gets to the free-throw line. That profile does not need to be a finished product to have real value, and the fact that she is already logging this kind of statistical output in professional European competition at her age is encouraging.

What she needs is consistency. The shot selection has volatility that limits her true shooting efficiency right now, and the three-point shot needs the kind of refinement that comes from a real professional development program. What you are betting on here is the versatility and the youth, and that is a reasonable bet at this stage of the board. She fits seamlessly into the modern game. Now she has to show she can do it at the highest level with regularity.

Madina Okot | C | South Carolina
6'6" | 21.6 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 19.8 pts | 16.4 reb | 1.5 ast | 2.2 blk | 2.0 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~60%+ FG / no 3PT / ~65-75% FT
MPG: ~30-36 in conference play

NBA Comp: Taller, less-shooting Jabari Smith Jr.
WNBA Comp: None

The rebounding numbers are not a typo. Sixteen-plus boards per 36 in high-level SEC competition is a number that demands respect, and the combination of her size, her instincts on the offensive glass, and her block rate makes the physical case for her as a legitimate pro prospect. The issue is that college physicality and WNBA spacing tell very different stories for bigs with her offensive profile.

She is going to need significant seasoning on the offensive end. There is no perimeter game, the creation is limited, and the free-throw numbers suggest the touch needs work. But she is also 21 and built like she was assembled for this specific sport. The ceiling here is a starting-caliber defensive anchor who cleans the glass at an elite level and does not ask for more offensively than a team can give her. The floor is a strong backup who earns her minutes every single night. Both of those outcomes are worth a first-round pick.

Raven Johnson | PG | South Carolina
5'9" | 23.1 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 12.4 pts | 5.0 reb | 6.3 ast | 0.8 blk | 1.9 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~40-43% FG / ~28-32% 3P / ~70-75% FT
MPG: ~28-34

NBA Comp: Rajon Rondo
WNBA Comp: None

The Rondo comparison is one of the more honest assessments you will find on a draft board this year. Rondo was a pure point guard in an era when the league was beginning to devalue the position, and he made it work for a very long time because his processing, instincts, and ability to make other players better were genuinely elite. Johnson operates in that same conceptual space.

The shooting numbers are the obstacle that every team is going to wrestle with during pre-draft evaluation. The three-point percentage is below the threshold that makes opposing defenses pay for sagging, and the free-throw splits confirm this is a real mechanical concern rather than a sample-size issue. Those limitations are real, and they will affect her ability to earn meaningful minutes in lineups that need offensive floor spacing.

What she does in the pick-and-roll and off-ball navigation is WNBA-ready right now. She is a high-quality prospect despite the shooting, not because of it. The team that takes her needs to build lineups that compensate for that liability on one end while fully leveraging what she does on the other. That is a manageable construction challenge for a player with her feel for the game.

Kiki Rice | PG/SG | UCLA
5'11" | 22.2 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 17.4 pts | 6.9 reb | 5.0 ast | 0.5 blk | 1.8 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: 48% FG / streaky 3P (33-36%) / ~78-82% FT
MPG: ~30-34 across ~38 GP

NBA Comp: None
WNBA Comp: None

The résumé is strong enough to generate top-ten conversation, and the numbers support a legitimate first-round grade. The evaluation concern is not just about what is on the stat sheet; it is also about positional identity. What is her best position in the WNBA? Genuinely unclear. She is not a true one because of the ball pressure and turnover concerns, but the shooting is too streaky to fully trust her as an off-ball two. That in-between quality is something teams will probe hard during pre-draft workouts.

None of that makes her a bad prospect. She is an excellent half-court player, a capable scorer, and the rebounding from a guard of her size is a genuine asset. The work ethic is not in question. The ceiling is a dependable starting-caliber guard who makes winning plays in structured settings. That is good. The positional ambiguity just adds a layer of risk that keeps her right here.

Angela Dugalic | PF | UCLA
6'4" | 24.3 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 13.6 pts | 8.5 reb | 3.3 ast | 1.0 blk | 1.7 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: 48-52% FG / occasional 3PT (30-33%) / ~70-78% FT
MPG: ~26-32

NBA Comp: Hedo Turkoglu
WNBA Comp: None

One of the more intriguing forward profiles in the entire class, and she is not getting nearly enough national attention. The Hedo comparison might read as a stretch until you actually watch her move. She is 6'4", she defends four positions with legitimate effort and intelligence, she passes the ball at a level you rarely see from a college forward, and the versatility to play both four and five, depending on the matchup, makes her a valuable roster construction piece for any team that values switching and multi-effort defense.

The three-point shot is not a weapon yet, but the mechanics are clean enough that range could develop with professional coaching. The short-roll and mid-range efficiency is already there. Three-plus assists per 36 from a forward of her size tells you she understands the game conceptually and can function as a secondary creator rather than a passive floor spacer.

I see this as a high-end quality backup with starter potential, similar to the ceiling I projected for Ta-hina Paopao coming out. The difference is that the size and defensive versatility give Dugalic a higher floor. She will be in a WNBA rotation, contributing meaningful minutes quickly. She deserves more attention than she is currently getting.

 

[Controversy]

The coronation of The People's Princess tomor

Fudd around and be a top pick and the topic

 

[#1 pick]

2026 WNBA Big Board -- Part 2

Tier 5 -- Backup Tier (Could Develop Into a Starter in the Right Situation)


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Ta'Niya Latson | SG/PG | South Carolina
5'8" | 22.5 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 18.1 pts | 3.7 reb | 4.6 ast | 0.4 blk | 2.2 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~44-47% FG / ~34-36% 3P / ~78-82% FT
MPG: ~26-32

The scoring pop is real, and the steal numbers show she competes defensively at moments. The translation concern here is the most significant of the top fourteen. She is too small and not polished enough as a point guard to carve out a reliable role at the next level. The turnover risk when she is forced into high-volume creation off the dribble is significant, and the size creates matchup vulnerabilities that will be harder to hide than they were in college.

Yes, someone will bring up Courtney Williams. But how many Courtney Williams are there? One. For every CW who defied the archetype and carved out a long and impactful pro career, ten players with similar profiles never found a lane. The exception does not rewrite the rule. Still watching, still not convinced she becomes a quality starter.

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Hannah Stuelke | PF | Iowa
6'2" | 22.8 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 15.8 pts | 10.7 reb | 3.5 ast | 0.5 blk | 1.5 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~52-56% FG / limited 3PT / ~70-78% FT
MPG: ~28-34

The rebounding is legitimate, and the paint scoring efficiency is strong. The perimeter limitations are real, and they will compress her role at the next level. But the screen-and-roll value, the assist numbers from a forward, and the physicality she plays with give her a second-round case that is grounded in actual pro-level skills. Still evaluating the full picture.

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Cotie McMahon | SF | Ole Miss
6'0" | 21.9 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 23.4 pts | 6.2 reb | 3.6 ast | 0.5 blk | 1.3 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~47-50% FG / ~34-36% 3P / ~78-82% FT
MPG: ~34-38 as primary scorer

The scoring load she carries is impressive, and she creates off the bounce better than her current national profile suggests. The efficiency for a player with that kind of usage is solid. Still working through the film to determine how much of this translates against professional length and athleticism. The tools are interesting. Still scouting.

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Iyana Martin | PG | Perfumerías Avenida | Spain
5'9" | 20.2 yrs
2025-26 Stats: 19.4 pts | 4.4 reb | 7.7 ast | 0.0 blk | 2.5 stl (per 36)
Shooting Splits: ~45-48% FG / ~32-35% 3P / ~78-85% FT
MPG: ~26-32 in EuroLeague and Spanish domestic

Seven-plus assists per 36 in professional European competition at 20 years old is the line that makes you stop and pull the tape. The turnover control is a genuine strength, the scoring is efficient for her role, and the upside here could push her into late first-round conversation before the draft arrives. Still scouting the full body of work, but the early returns are worth significant attention.

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Janiah Barker | F/C | Tennessee
6'3" | 21 yrs
2025-26 Per Game: 14.3 pts | 6.6 reb | 1.2 ast | 1.1 blk | 0.9 stl
2025-26 Per 36: 21.5 pts | 10.0 reb | 1.8 ast | 1.7 blk | 1.3 stl
Shooting Splits: 46.5% FG / 36.5% 3P / 73.0% FT
MPG: 23.9

NBA Comp: DeMarcus Cousins / Jalen Johnson / JaVale McGee / Scotty Hopson
WNBA Comp: None

Let me start here because this is genuinely one of the most complicated evaluations I have put together in years of watching women's basketball. Barker is a tier 1 talent sitting inside a tier 7 decision maker (flaws), and the honest question is which version shows up when it matters most.

Start with the weaknesses because they are real and they are significant. Her awareness grade is one of the lowest I have given in ANY draft class (male or female). Her decision-making is worse. The feel for the game is exceptionally low for a player with her physical profile, and the shot selection will make you talk to your screen. She has a body language problem that was visible at UCLA and carried over to Tennessee, surfacing anytime she was not directly involved in a possession. The team defense is inconsistent at best. She is, in the most honest basketball terms, consistently inconsistent, and Josh Smith with the Hawks is the right reference point. The stats were always there. The actual play was frequently wonky.

Now watch her move.

Outside of Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, and Breanna Stewart, I have not seen a female prospect with this combination of bend, handles, shooting variety, and freak lateral and vertical movement. She takes the ball off the rim on defense and goes coast to coast the way Jalen Johnson does in the NBA, and the truth is, she is a superior athlete to even Johnson comparatively, with better handles right now. When she is locked in as a switch defender, she can make things genuinely uncomfortable for guards as good as JuJu Watkins. She can protect the paint. She can pass in space. The ceiling, when everything is clicking, is a legitimate Tier 1 player.

That gap between her strengths and negatives is what makes this evaluation so difficult, and it is what makes the Boogie Cousins comp feel painfully accurate. Cousins was one of the most gifted big men of his generation and also one of the most frustrating. Barker operates in that same emotional and tactical space.

Here is why she still lands in tier 5 and why I think the right team should take a real swing. The WNBA center market is genuinely thin. Look at what teams paid for starting fives this past free agency cycle. The position is scarce in a way that creates real opportunity for a player with her physical tools, even with the warts attached. She projects better as a five than a four in this league because her strength for her size is rare, and teams need that more than they need a competent four who does not move as she does. If she lands in an environment with a strong roster core, veteran guards who can manage possessions, and a coaching staff willing to hold her accountable while protecting her, give her touches, and allow her to play in space, and give her the freedom to make mistakes often, there is a real starting center here. The kinks may never fully leave her system. Scotty Hopson never got them out. But the talent is too special to dismiss. Elite traits. Tier 5 overall. That tension is the whole story.

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Cass Prosper | W/F | Notre Dame
6'2"-6'3" | turns 21 in late June
NBA Comp: Jaden McDaniels
WNBA Comp: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton

The youngest college prospect in this tier and the one whose value is most front-loaded on the defensive end right now. What Prosper does as a point-of-attack defender is already translatable. The lateral mobility, the hip flexibility, the hand-eye coordination -- these are not developmental traits. They are real tools she owns today, and they will earn her minutes at the next level immediately.

The offensive side of the ledger is where the work is. The finishing at the rim is choppy, the handle is hesitant under pressure, and she is turnover-prone when she tries to create. The shooting is below average, and it needs to improve for her to develop into something more than a defensive specialist. But the model here is Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and that is a genuinely good outcome. If Prosper develops any kind of consistent offensive game around her defensive foundation, she becomes a starter. Right now, she is a reserve who impacts winning through effort and disruption. That is a real WNBA role.

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Frieda Buhner | PF | Germany
21 yrs
NBA Comp: Jamie Jaquez Jr.
WNBA Comp: None

Buhner is the kind of prospect that gets undervalued on draft boards because her game does not produce highlight moments. What she does is win plays. She cuts well, she drives with purpose, she contributes in transition, and her team defense is solid. The feel for the game is legitimately one of the better grades I have given a forward in this tier, and at 21 with professional international experience already in her résumé, she is ready to contribute in real minutes right away.

The three-point shot is the variable. The mechanics have some choppiness, and there are hand concerns worth monitoring, but if that shot develops into something consistent, the floor-spacing plus the cutting plus the feel combination makes her a clear WNBA rotation player for a long time. She is a late first or early second-round pick who will not need a development runway. Twelve to fifteen minutes on a good team from day one is a realistic ask. The Jaquez Jr. comp is honest because that is exactly the kind of winning, process-driven play she brings.

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Shay Ciezki | CG | Indiana
5'7"
NBA Comp: Tyler Herro
WNBA Comp: None

The size is a legitimate concern, and it will be the first thing every front office discusses. She is 5'7", and the WNBA does not hide matchup problems the way some college programs can. That is the ceiling conversation, and it is fair to have it.

Now watch what she does with the ball in her hands. Ciezki is the best shot creator and pull-up shooter in this range of the draft. The Herro comparison is not a reach. She makes pull-up mid-range jumpers that most guards her size cannot even attempt with confidence, and she does it off live dribble with a defender attached. There is a real microwave scorer role in this league for a player who can come off the bench, create her own shot in a half-court set, and give a team fifteen efficient points in limited minutes. Ciezki has the offensive tools to do the same if a team trusts the role.

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Ashlon Jackson | SG | Duke
6'0"
NBA Comp: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
WNBA Comp: None

Jackson is a high-IQ guard who has built her game around knowing exactly where to be at every moment of an offensive possession. The movement shooting is legitimate, the relocation off screens is clean, and she is a real three-point threat on genuine volume. She is not going to create much off the bounce, but she does not need to. The secondary playmaking flashes are real and the perimeter defense is solid because she uses her size and anticipation rather than relying on pure athleticism.

The NAW comparison works because Alexander-Walker carved out a long professional career by being exactly this: a versatile wing who could shoot it, defend multiple positions when engaged, and function as a secondary creator without needing to be a first option. That is a real and valuable WNBA archetype, and Jackson fits it cleanly.

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Serah Williams | PF/C | UConn
6'4"
NBA Comp: P.J. Washington
WNBA Comp: None

Williams is a high-motor big man who scores efficiently inside the paint, runs the floor as well as any forward in this tier, and brings genuine length and athleticism to the defensive end. The face-up game gives her versatility that most interior prospects in this range do not have, and the rebounding effort is consistent across the film.

The perimeter game is developing, and she is not a primary shooting option right now. But the P.J. Washington comp is accurate because Washington never needed to be a primary creator to be a legitimate NBA contributor. Williams has that same winning role-player quality. She competes every possession, she makes the right play more often than she forces one, and she translates as a mobile post defender and energy big at the next level. The right team will love what she does inside their rotation.

 

[#1 pick]

Tier 5 -- Backup Tier (Could Develop Into a Starter in the Right Situation) Con't
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Lonnie White | OG
NBA Comp: Sam Hauser, guard version
WNBA Comp: Sami Whitcomb

There is a very specific skill set here, and it is elite within its lane. White is an exceptional movement shooter, particularly off screens, and the percentages in those situations are among the best in this class at any tier. She understands how to use her body to create separation in off-ball actions, she runs the floor cleanly, and she knows exactly where to be.

The ceiling is defined by what she cannot do. The defensive concerns on and off the ball are real. She is limited as a passer and has almost no creation ability. This is a specialist role, and in the right offensive system with enough shooting infrastructure around her, she earns consistent rotation minutes. The Whitcomb comp matters because Whitcomb built a solid professional career by being exactly what her team needed without trying to be more. White has the same path available to her if she takes it.

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Justine Paddio | PF | Vanderbilt
6'4"
NBA Comp: Channing Frye
WNBA Comp: Katie Lou Samuelson

The Frye comparison is essentially the entire scouting report in two words. Paddio is a 6'4" forward who can make threes, and that combination at her size is legitimately rare enough to warrant a second-round pick. Frye built a long and productive NBA career almost entirely on that single skill, paired with good decision-making, and Paddio has a similar profile with room to grow.

The shooting is streaky, and the athleticism is modest, but the length plus spacing combination gives her a path to rotation minutes if a WNBA team needs floor spacing from the four. The Samuelson comp is honest about the ceiling. That is a real professional player. The bet here is straightforward: size plus shooting translates, and Paddio has both.

---

Marta Suarez | PF | TCU
6'3"-6'4"
NBA Comp: Nikola Mirotic

There is an interesting prospect buried inside the turnovers and the shot selection. Suarez can make threes at her size, and she has the length to be a factor defensively. But the decision-making concerns are persistent, the shooting is streaky rather than reliable, and the athleticism is not at a level that compensates for the processing issues. She tries to do too much, too often, in situations where the simple play is right in front of her. A team that can structure her role tightly and limit her decision-making burden might unlock something here. Right now, she is a developmental swing worth a late second-round look.

---

Maggie Doogan | W | Richmond
NBA Comp: Duncan Robinson
WNBA Comp: Lexie Hull

Mid-major scorer who is efficient, makes threes, and knows her role. The concerns about ball-handling and defense translating against WNBA competition are real and worth taking seriously. But the shooting specialist model is a known quantity in this league, and Doogan fits it. She is not trying to be more than she is, and there is real value in players who understand exactly what they are. Late second round, specialist role, useful in the right system.

---

Tionne Cooper | PF/C | Kentucky
NBA Comp: Isaiah Jackson
WNBA Comp: NaLyssa Smith lite

The athleticism and length are the entire argument here. Cooper is a switchable, mobile big woman who can protect the rim and defend in space, and those tools translate immediately, even if the offensive feel and jumper consistency are still works in progress. NaLyssa Smith lite is the right framing because Smith was not a finished offensive product entering the league either, but her physicality and defensive versatility earned her meaningful minutes while the rest of the game developed. Cooper has that same pathway.

---

Tyiana Mayer | PG | Duke
NBA Comp: None
WNBA Comp: Crystal Dangerfield

Tournament performer with genuine passing instincts and solid floor-reading. The Dangerfield comparison is accurate because Dangerfield has shown exactly what this type of player can be in the WNBA: a crafty, pass-first backup guard who flashes in big moments and gives a team trustworthy minutes without overwhelming it. The consistency questions are real, and Mayer will need to clean those up to hold a roster spot long-term. But the basketball instincts are there, and the tools are pro-ready enough to earn a look.

---

Tonie Morgan | PG | Kentucky
NBA Comp: Immanuel Quickley lite
WNBA Comp: None

There are creation flashes here that deserve attention. Morgan is a combo guard who can generate her own shot and make plays off the pick-and-roll at times. The questions at this stage are about consistency and whether the translation to professional competition is clean. The Quickley comp represents the upside: a guard who can score in short bursts, give a team energy off the bench, and develop into something more meaningful with the right infrastructure. Still more questions than answers, but the flashes are real enough to watch.

---

Cara Dunn | W/F | USC
5'11"
WNBA Comp: DiJonai Carrington

Dunn is a hard-nosed wing who has improved her shooting, brings a unique post scoring element that most wings her size do not have, and plays with consistent defensive energy and rebounding effort. The handle and passing are genuine limitations, and they will restrict the offensive role she can be trusted with at the next level. But the DiJonai Carrington comp captures something important: Carrington built a professional career on exactly these qualities, competing on defense, doing the dirty work, and making winning plays without needing the ball in her hands to be useful. Dunn has that same competitive DNA.

---

Ines Pitarch-Granel | SG/SF | France
~6'0"
NBA Comp: Matisse Thybulle
WNBA Comp: None

The Thybulle comparison tells you everything and nothing at the same time. The defensive tools here are legitimate: the length, the quickness, the point-of-attack disruptiveness are all real and already translatable to professional competition. The scoring production is limited, and the offensive game needs significant development for her to be more than a defensive specialist. But Thybulle made real money in the NBA on that foundation alone, and Pitarch-Granel has a similar path available in the WNBA if the defensive tools hold at the next level. International experience helps. The offensive development is the question mark she has to answer.

---

Laila Phelia | G/W | Syracuse
6'0"
NBA Comp: Josh Hart hustle wing
WNBA Comp: None

The multiple program stops are going to follow her into every pre-draft conversation, and teams will want to understand the full picture there. What is not in question is the physicality, the defensive competitiveness, and the steals production. Phelia brings size and strength to the perimeter, contests shots, and competes on every possession. The scoring (13-14 PPG) is encouraging, but the efficiency and finishing need to improve for her to hold a rotation spot long-term. The Hart comp works because Hart built his career on hustle and physicality rather than offensive creation. That is a legitimate and sustainable WNBA role if the shooting comes around.

 

[#1 pick]

Tier 5 -- Backup Tier (Could Develop Into a Starter in the Right Situation) Con't

Payton Verhulst | SG | Oklahoma
6'1"
WNBA Comp: Sophie Cunningham

Verhulst is a big-bodied guard who uses her size to get shots off against smaller defenders, contests everything on the other end, and rebounds at an elite rate for the position. The motor is consistent, the defensive effort is real, and she operates as exactly the kind of glue player that winning teams need on the second unit. The shooting runs hot and streaky in a high-volume system, which will need to stabilize at the next level. But the Cunningham comp is accurate, and Cunningham has been a useful professional for a long time. That outcome is very much in play here.

---

Rori Harmon | PG | Texas
5'6"
NBA Comp: Fred VanVleet lite
WNBA Comp: Jordin Canada lite

Everything about Harmon's game is built around processing the game faster than her physical limitations would suggest she should be able to. The defensive instincts are elite for a player her size, the playmaking vision is genuine, and she gets to places on the floor that 5'6" guards have no business reaching. The reason both comps are qualified as lite versions is that she is not close to VanVleet or Canada as a shooter, and at her size in this league, the margin for error on every possession is essentially zero. She has to be right about everything, every time, to earn and keep minutes. That is a real and demanding standard. But both VanVleet and Canada were tier 5 prospects coming out, and both built meaningful professional careers. The path exists.

---

Yarden Garzon | SG | Maryland / Israel
6'3"
NBA Comp: Joe Ingles
WNBA Comp: None

The Ingles comparison captures the archetype almost perfectly. Garzon is a 6'3" perimeter specialist who shoots it at an elite level on heavy catch-and-shoot and movement volume, understands spacing and off-ball action at a level that suggests genuine basketball intelligence, and adds secondary playmaking value as a connector. The athleticism is modest, and the defensive limitations are real. But Ingles built a long and productive NBA career on exactly this foundation: shooting, smarts, and knowing precisely when and where to be in every offensive system. Garzon's international polish and 3-plus assists combined with that shooting profile make her a plug-and-play floor spacer who will find minutes quickly in the right environment.


For Basketball, I have my women-to-men height scale. Only for height, not for weight, as women lie on that.


4'9 is 5'3

4'10 is 5'4

4'11 is 5'5

5 is 5'6

5'1 is 5'7

5'2 is 5'8

5'3 is 5'9

5'4 is 5'10

5'5 is 5'11

5'6 is 6'

5'7 is 6'1

5'8 is 6'2

5'9 is 6'3

5'10 is 6'4

5'11 is 6'5

6' is 6'6

6'1 is 6'7

6'2 is 6'8

6'3 is 6'9

6'4 is 6'10

6'5 is 6'11

6'6 is 7'

6'7 is 7'1

6'8 is 7'2

6'9 is 7'3

6'10 is 7'4

6'11 is 7'5

7' is 7'6

7'1 is 7'7

7'2 is 7'8

 

[#1 pick]

Tier Breakdown for the 2026 WNBA Draft

Tier 1: 0. There are no Tier 1 players in this class. That is not an indictment of the talent; it is just the reality of how rare true franchise-altering prospects are. One in a great class is exceptional. Zero is normal.

Tier 2: 2. High-end for any draft class. Two tier 2 players is the kind of outcome that makes a draft genuinely memorable at the top.

Tier 3: 3. High-end again. Most classes do not produce this many Tier 3 prospects. Two is considered a strong result. Three is a real haul.

Tier 4: 8. This is where the class separates itself. Six to eight tier 4 players is the high-end benchmark, and this class hits it. That is meaningful depth at a level that actually translates to winning basketball.

Tier 5: 20. Low end of the tier 5 range, but still a functional class at this level. For context, 25 is mid, 28 is high-end. The ceiling belongs to the 2021 class, which produced 48 tier 5 players, which remains one of the most remarkable outcomes I have ever tracked. The catch is that the 2021 class had zero players in tiers 1 through 4. Not one. It was a generational Tier 5 class built entirely on depth with nothing at the top. This class is the opposite of construction. Strong at the top, reasonable in the middle, lighter at the bottom.

---

Players I Am Higher On Than Most

Flau'Jae Johnson: I genuinely believe she has the tools to become an elite two-way scoring guard at the professional level. The only reason she is not a tier 1 conversation is the senior year. If she had played at the level her talent demands this past season, we would be having a different discussion entirely. The faith is still there.

Janiah Barker: This one keeps me up at night. The only scenario where she becomes something real is the right situation, and I mean that in every sense of the phrase. The right coaching staff. The right roster. The right freedom. My fear is Chennedy Carter and Liz Cambage. Both were talented enough to be stars. Both never found or chose the environment that brought it out consistently. The situation is not a footnote for Barker. It is the whole story. There is something about her that makes me want to put her in tier 2 and tier 7 at the same time, and I am not sure that tension ever fully resolves.

Charlisse Leger-Walker: The age critique follows her everywhere, and I understand it. But she can play at a high level right now, and she is ready to give a team real, winning minutes immediately. Ten to twelve per game from day one is not a projection. It is already there. She has pro strength, and that's critical for an SG, which I believe she is for the W.

Angela Dugalic: The motor is the thing people are sleeping on. The transition from college to the WNBA is difficult for forwards who have to completely reinvent their role into centers, and Dugalic's relentless competitiveness is going to make that adjustment shorter than most people expect.

---

Players I Am Lower On Than Most

Azzi Fudd: The shooting is real, and I am not taking that away from her. But a multi-time All-Star? I do not see it unless she is playing on a team that is winning at a high level, and the context inflates the recognition. Here is the honest take: you could draft Ashlon Jackson in the late second or early third round and get a better overall player within five years. The gap between them is smaller than the draft position suggests, and Jackson's two-way ceiling is higher.

Lauren Betts: I want to be precise here because I am actually higher on her defense than anyone else who will publish a board this cycle. The defensive impact is real, and I have given her every credit for it. The issue is the offense, and the offense is not good for the WNBA. I do not understand the top-three conversation from other evaluators. She has to master screening before she can ask a coaching staff to trust her in an offensive system, and that is a skill that does not come quickly or naturally for most bigs. The ceiling on the offensive end is likely what it is right now. The defense keeps her valuable. The offense keeps her from being great.

Kiki Rice: I have a legitimate tier 5 grade on her, and I think she is worse than at least half of the guards in that tier right now. The honest reason she is on this board where she is comes down to respect for the trajectory. She got meaningfully better every single year at UCLA, and that kind of growth arc deserves acknowledgment even when the current grade does not match the positioning. Haley Jones. Jarrett Culver. Johnny Davis. Sometimes you give a player flowers for what they showed, even when the projection stays conservative. That is where I am with Rice.

Marta Suarez: She is a good player, and I want to be fair about that. But I do not understand how she goes in the top thirty picks in this draft. The defense does not translate. The fouling is a persistent and serious problem. She cannot create separation against athletes at the next level, and the pick-and-roll reads, while legitimate, are essentially the only creation tool she owns right now. The shooting translates. The PnR concept translates. The athleticism, the defensive feel, and the impact at this stage do not. She could be a genuine starting power forward in 2030 or 2031 with the right developmental situation. But she is years away from being a reliable reserve in this league, and drafting her in the top thirty is paying for a future that is still very much hypothetical.

 

[#1 pick]

The coronation of The People's Princess tomor

Fudd around and be a top pick and the topic

The draft gonna be lit tomorrow.

 

[UpAndComing]

Is JuJu coming out of college and into the WNBA this year?

 

[DoubleClutch]

Is JuJu coming out of college and into the WNBA this year?

No but she about to win a championship for USC next year