Inside The W with Michelle Smith: Post-Draft RankingsMichelle SmithApril 19, 2021
With just 10 days between the WNBA Draft and the
start of training camps for the league's 25th season, the time to assess how the teams did in bringing new players to the league to fill needs and help their teams is short. The proof will be in the proverbial pudding soon enough.
But on paper, because that is what we have to go on at this point, all teams added talent and youthful energy to their training camp rosters. It remains to be seen how many of those players will be able to hang on to a roster spot in a highly competitive environment, with just a handful of spots likely to be available.
Here's a ranking of how the WNBA teams fared in last week's WNBA Draft 2021 presented by State Farm.
9. Indiana: The Fever opened the draft with a truly surprising pick in West Virginia's Kysre Gondrezick at No. 4 and traded with Seattle to get
Aaliyah Wilson of Texas A&M. Neither of these players had been particularly high on draft boards, so it will remain to be seen whether Marianne Stanley and Tamika Catchings knew something a lot of other people didn't. Gondrezick averaged a career-best 19.5 points and 4.5 assists per game this season.
11. Phoenix: With just one pick at No. 32, the Mercury picked center
Ciera Johnson of Texas A&M, but the numbers in this draft don't suggest that Johnson will be able to earn a spot on a roster that will likely only include 11 players coming opening day.
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