Now that the dust has settled and a champion has been crowned, the beginning of several new careers in the WNBA is upon us. Thursday marks the beginning of a new era for a brand new crop of collegiate athletes to compete on the grandest stage as the WNBA Draft begins in New Jersey.
For the Phoenix Mercury, this draft should be approached with tact and caution, as the team doesn’t have a single pick until the end of the second round. While this year’s draft class has already shown to have 14 exemplary standouts, Phoenix likely won’t see any of them fall to the 24th overall selection. Truth be told, the Mercury may just be drafting to fill out their training camp roster with players who will not make it to opening night.
For other teams, like the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx, the draft is going to give them the ultimate opportunity to build into a contender. With UConn stars Tina Charles and Kalana Greene joining the massive Stanford center Jayne Appel, several of the first round picks in this year’s draft are expected to dazzle.
The Sun possess the number one and number seven overall picks, and while nothing is certain, they are expected to select one of these three players first overall, with reports leaning towards Appel or Charles. Keeping Charles or Kalana Greene in the Connecticut area seems like a dream come true, yet the Minnesota Lynx, with both the 2nd and 3rd overall pick, are rooting for Appel to disappear first. If Appel is drafted 1st overall, it means that the Lynx will most definitely select the two UConn champions with consecutive picks.
Again, Phoenix is outside the hectic first round and is looking more towards the late rounds for either a steal or a nice role player. Throughout history, late round WNBA draftees don’t hang around too often in the league, often departing or retiring before the first few seasons of their run. Let us also not forget that Phoenix’s blockbuster trade for Candice Dupree is likely the only move they intend on making before the start of the season.
Phoenix also owns the last pick in the draft, 36th overall, which they have the right to pass on if they do not feel there is a player available that can help them win another WNBA championship. The draft is set to begin within the hour.
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