← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
2025 WNBA pre-draft predictions + players to know
00:55:21
Loading summary
Transcript86 lines
- [00:01]
Zena Keda
21 year old flaw J Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But Flaw J's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For Flauje, the this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauje trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. MassMutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like flaujay can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more. There are people out there all across the country pushing boundaries to grow the game of golf, like champion speed golfer Lauren Kupp, who plays faster than anyone else, and Will Lowry, whose work in the golf community inspires more kids to get into the game. As a champion partner of the Masters, bank of America supports everyone determined to find out what's possible in golf and in life. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America bank of America America NA member FDIC Copyright 2025 bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. McDonald's meets the Minecraft universe with one of six collectibles and your choice of.
- [01:36]
Sabrina Merchant
A Big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets with spicy nether Flame sauce.
- [01:40]
Zena Keda
Now available with a Minecraft Movie meal at participating McDonald's for a limited time. A Minecraft Movie only in theaters. Hello everyone and welcome to no off season presented by MassMutual. I'm Zena Keda.
- [02:04]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:06]
Ben Pickman
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:07]
Zena Keda
Today on the show, the WNBA draft is upon us and we are here to tell you what to look out for on Monday night. Beyond the obvious, obviously, I'm talking about what are the most interesting pivot points and spots in the draft this year? Which picks could be the most consequential and why? And who are some of these international stars? I know Ben is ready to talk about them. International stars who are poised to make a splash in the W and most importantly, what chances do all of these players actually have to make the teams they're being drafted into. That's a big differentiator with the W and other leagues. But first Got a little no off season roundup, little couple of news items to catch you guys up on. First and foremost, NCAA transfer portal has been crazy. It's feeling like the WNBA free agency in college, which is very different than the experience in the NCAA that I had. But just some big news of course, Cody McMahon coming from Ohio State has committed to Ole Miss. That is going to be a very tenacious offense and defense. They were already pretty defensively savvy there but great fill in with Madison Scott graduating. UCLA just announced at the time that we're recording this, London Jones and Janiyah Barker are in the transfer portal as well as their entire freshman class. Yes, ucla, the team that just went to the Final Four losing some big time outside shooting and some really great post presence in Janiyah Barker and also the next generation. I don't, I don't know what's going to happen in UCLA, but that is happening. Last week, Elena Deldon, two time WNBA MVP 2019 champion. She scored on me when I was at Yale, talked some S after. I was like, girl, I'm a fan. You don't have to talk s to me. I'm good. I love you. Well, she announced her retirement from basketball. Shout out to Alayna Deldon on a phenomenal career. Will be very cool to see her jersey retired up in the rafters in Washington, maybe in Chicago, but up. Unbelievable, unbelievable legend. Seriously, Elena Deldon, congratulations on a wonderful, wonderful career. And careers are still going and that includes one of the ongoing or current WNBA champions, Brianna Stewart is returning to the New York Liberty. Big surprise. And they're going to help. She's going to help them defend their title. Ben, I know you covered this. You extensively followed this team in the last few years as they ramped up to a title. Of course you and Sabrina covered them extensively through the title and now Brianna Stewart is extending one year for $208,400. Anything interesting about this extension?
- [04:55]
Ben Pickman
I mean the fact that it's a one year deal was not surprising at all considering that every single, pretty much every other veteran player who is in free agency this year also signed for a one year deal. And it's also consistent with what brand histor did last off season after she had initially signed with the New York Liberty where she signed a one year deal so she could hit free agency this year and again maximize her leverage and kind of lay the foundation for next offseason when we'll see what the salary cap looks like, what a max salary looks like and what Brianna Stewart can then get she's been pretty clear that she wants to stay with the New York Liberty. This news was not a surprise. New York kind of just had to figure out the rest of their cap sheet and who else was going to be on the roster before they ended up signing Stewart and landing on that $208,000 number. But again, this is another reminder of another example of a star player setting out the foundation she wants to be in New York. She's made that pretty clear. They just rolled out plans on a new practice facility. She's been open already about being involved in the design process, wanting to take, you know, be part of that practice facility going forward. So it seems like New York still her home, but it's a little bit just procedural I guess. Xena, though, I want to know more. Wait, you mentioned Elena Delladon scored a basket on you. What, what kind of basket was it? Was it in, was it a. At the dribble?
- [06:15]
Zena Keda
Was it, was it singular? Ben, that's, that's the real question. For fun fact for everyone out there. I was actually supposed to go to Delaware. I originally signed to go play at Delaware and Yale came calling and I got the opportunity to go to Yale. So that for me was a little bit of a no brainer. But shout out coach Tina for recruiting me. I did really love their program and Elaine and I essentially switched swaps schools. Like I knew she was coming to Delaware when I signed, but she was at UConn playing for Gino Auriemma. For those of you that don't know, she originally was at UConn. She had some health issues, eventually wanted to come back home to Delaware. Transferred to become a Blue Hen.
- [06:57]
Ben Pickman
That's correct, I think.
- [06:58]
Zena Keda
Yep, I almost became a Blue Hen. Oh, okay. Just remembering here guys. But yeah, she became a Blue Hen at Delaware. They were amazing. I mean, for what was considered a mid major school, they did really well under Elena. But my freshman year, my coach and coach Tina at Delaware, they, they, they knew that there was a little bit of, you know, they got one of my recruits or coach Tina said, yo got one of the recruits. And so we've played them as a small school going to a big school. And Elena Deldon came into our gym my freshman year and I had to start on her. Yeah, for those of you that can't see me, I'm just blinking my eyes repeatedly. Yeah, I had to start on her and she was crossing half court and putting up shots and then being like, yeah, like in my face. I was like, girl, there's no reason to Talk like. You don't have to talk crap to me. I know what you're capable of. I'm not even trying to, like, fight this. She's solidly, solidly six'four that shot that she had, the jumper that she had, that everyone called, you know, at the time, people compared it to Dirk Nowitzki. Yeah, yeah. I remember our Yale men's basketball team was in the building and they just kept yelling out Dirk. And I was like, really, guys? Really? Do we have to do this against us right now? Yeah, they took care of business against us. It was a little painful, but, yeah. Elena Deldon. I'm always honored that Brittney Griner and Elena Deldon took serious buckets on me when I was at Yale. So, anyways, let's keep it moving. Thinking about the draft, other places that I have not been, but there are great talents that are gonna cycle through. Let's switch gears here a little, folks, because there's a lot to talk about. But first, you know, we gotta get into draft 101. For those of us that are here that still are learning about the W and the women's basketball space. Welcome. You are welcome here. We don't wanna assume you know everything or know anything about this space. So, Sabrina, I'm gonna ask you, for those of us that need to know, break down the WNBA draft. Take us through how this whole thing works.
- [09:02]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. So the WNBA draft is three rounds long. Each team gets a pick in every round at the outset. And then, of course, they end up trading those picks ahead of time. So the order gets, you know, muddled around a little bit. There is no pick for the Las Vegas Aces this year in the first round because of the violation for impermissible benefits to Derick A. Hamby back in the day. So they will not be picking in the first round, but Golden State expansion team will get its very first draft pick at number five. So that's one of the big highlights in this year in the first round. If you're looking at the players who are most likely to eventually make a WNBA roster, that's probably just the first rounders. Even looking back to the 2024 WNBA Draft, which is a very, very deep draft, only three of the players in the second round ended up making their teams. So it's a tough business. Even though the draft does go three rounds, really, the first 15 picks or so is where the players who are going to end up hitting a rotation are going to land. So that. That's the fun stuff.
- [10:00]
Zena Keda
Okay. All right. And so the Thing is, with the draft and the picks, as I think we mentioned earlier, like teams switch them up all the time. Like last second draft picks can be switched, swapped out and. And switched up. And so, you know, just because you see your team there doesn't necessarily mean that that's when they're going to pick. So now we have a sense of the basics. Let's talk about the actual recruitment process, because this is the part that's crazy. If you follow both the WNBA and the NBA. In the NBA, there is this extensive process. Having worked at the warriors and with the Warriors, I know how long they take to interview each player. They're talking to coaches. They're talking to their coaches in college, they're interviewing with sports psychologists. Like it's this whole thing in the W. Yeah. NCAA season just ended like last Monday and now. Or Sunday and now draft is on Monday. You have that amount of time from last Sunday to Monday to interview and figure out would this be a good fit. Ben, I need you to make this. How does this work? How is the process all happening?
- [11:07]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, what you outlined, Zena, is the process for someone like Paige Beckers or Saniyah Fagan in this year's class or Tahina Powpow players who played in Sunday's national championship and then are entering and part of the draft this upcoming Monday. For all other players, it's once their college season ends, then WNBA teams and they've renounced their eligibility and made clear that they are intending to go to the draft. That's when teams can kind of begin those firsthand conversations with prospective draftees. But you're right, it's a much abridged process from the NBA. It's also like, you think about the NFL, like that season, the college football season ends in what, November, December, January. And that draft isn't until the end of April. Like, you basically have four months of just mock drafts and rumors and all that kind of stuff. Like, you don't get any of that in the WNBA because again, this process is so abridged. WNBA teams deal with scouting a player all season long and then having them suddenly elect to return to school. And this has especially been a case over these past couple years because of the additional Covid eligibility rule. So, you know, think about even Caitlin Clark will use her as the extreme. Last year, she could have come back to Iowa this season because of the COVID year. And it wasn't until she had kind of made it official towards the end of Iowa season that she was going to go pro. That Everyone was like, okay, phew, she's finally going to go pro. You know, in the case this year, Olivia Miles, for instance, could have turned pro because she had an extra eligibility, year of eligibility because of her medical red shirt. She elects not to. And so suddenly teams that have spent all year scouting Olivia Miles preparing for her be in the draft, that work is either scrapped and or just rolls over in terms of other kind of notable parts of the process. You mentioned it. In the NBA you have this extensive interview process. You also have the NBA's official combine. And I want to say that's in May, right around the middle of the NBA postseason in Chicago every year and.
- [13:03]
Sabrina Merchant
Around when the lottery happens. Yeah, right.
- [13:05]
Ben Pickman
It's a multi day event. It involves not only measurements but interviews and also a scrimmage. The WNBA doesn't have nearly anything as comparable. This past weekend in Tampa, there was I guess the easiest way to say an unofficial official combine. A company called Interscope kind of puts on this combine for all seniors. It's not regulated by the wnba. It was something that a lot of the top seniors in the country who weren't playing in the NCAA tournament at that time took part in. And I want to say there were at least maybe two thirds of WNBA representatives were at the eventual scrimmage on Saturday evening. There was also combine measurements on the Friday morning. But this is only the second year of this event. Right. So we heard from some executives that said, you know, they really appreciate getting some of the testing data on wingspan or shuttle drills or vertical jump because if not, they're reaching out to teams individually and by teams, I mean colleges individually for all those measurements. So the process is very different. You know, GMs can still scout and go to college practices, get to know college coaches, do all that kind of work. But the kind of firsthand first person interaction is a lot more limited in the WNBA space.
- [14:20]
Zena Keda
Also, it is crazy that you know, Intersport. You meant Intersport, right, Ben? Not the Interscope records.
- [14:26]
Ben Pickman
Not as correct. Cena. Good catch.
- [14:27]
Zena Keda
Okay, okay. Yes, Intersport. You know, putting this on for the first time, for the second year for the wnba, it's crazy it's taken that long. Should be something the WNBA should look into to partner and make sure that they're getting accurate information and also thorough information every year. But I can't imagine that coaches right now, as they're trying to re recruit their players and keep an eye on the transfer portal, are also paying attention to, oh wait, let me go get that senior who's probably trying to Enjoy their senior, their last semester on campus. Let me go get them in the gym for a shuttle run and get them, you know, get jumps and things like that. So it's, it's a lot to track. So I'm sure that they appreciated that. So. So let's talk a little bit about what you guys are hearing in your conversations with general managers. Because as I mentioned, I was not drafted, nor would I even been in the conversation. I don't even know what it looks like or feels like to have a potential GM or a potential scout or whomever show up to a practice. Like what? First of all, like, how much do players know that they're being drafted or scouted? Excuse me. And then what are the conversations with the general managers about this upcoming draft and the talent pool that's available?
- [15:40]
Sabrina Merchant
So in terms of how much players know if they're in the pool to be drafted, I think the coaches do a very good job of communicating who has been reaching out to them, just relaying those conversations. Because again, the WNBA executives are not allowed to directly speak to the players until their season is over. So over the course of the regular season, you have a sense of, oh, there is GM from team X appearing at my practice. I wonder who they're here to see. And then the coach can tell you what that conversation has been like, even if it's not a one to one thing. But I mean, these scouting trips happen all throughout a player's career, right? Like, even if a player is not necessarily draft eligible that season, this is the kind of work that you want to put in. Like even from when they're a sophomore or junior. Because one, you don't know when they're actually going to declare for the draft, right? Because even though technically speaking, most WNBA players play four years and then go to the draft, if you are 22 in the calendar year of your draft year, like as a junior, you can still declare early. We saw that with like Jackie Young and Satyu Sable back in the day. It doesn't happen as often now that college players can make some money. But you want to be ready, right? And you just want to have the film for when you're actually getting ready to make that pick, right? Because a draft pick is so valuable from a contractual perspective for a WNBA team to have four years of contract control over a player at a relatively low cost. You want to make sure you're doing the right thing with those picks. So the scouting takes place, I wouldn't say it just over the course of the senior year or Even over the course of this one combine, it's. It's a four year process for most of these WNBA teams. Wow.
- [17:12]
Zena Keda
Yeah. I remember the first person I remember declaring early, which was like a huge deal, was Amanda Zaoui B. That was from Minnesota, a Swedish player. And I feel like that happens a lot more with the overseas players. But in terms of the conversations that you guys are having with these GMs like in the talent pool, Ben, what has that been like? Especially considering what you just mentioned, that some of these players are taking advantage of those extra years of eligibility and what you think is going to be available may not be by the time the draft comes around.
- [17:43]
Ben Pickman
I mean, top line, I think the consensus on this draft is it is very deep in the backcourt. You know, I think the top end of the draft might have some balance in the first five picks between guards and forwards. But if you kind of go down the line about prospects that GMs are either most excited about or think are most pro ready, it's a lot of guards and there's kind of a lot of jumbling about, especially once you get to the kind of 5 to 10 to 15 range about where certain guards are going to get taken and who's going to get slotted where. Right. For an example, you have a lot of guards. Georgia Amor, Serena Sundell, Isaiah James, Sanaya Rivers, Tahina Powpow. I'm just rattling off names. Haley Van Lish, Cheyenne Sellers, like those are just some of the guard names. Sarah, Ashley Barker, that, you know, some combination of. All those players I would bet go 5 to 15 to 18 and that's 10 picks I just threw out there. Right. Like Paige Beckers is going to go number one and Sonya Citron I would bet is going to go number three. And then how the draft transpires from there on out is more of an open question. And that second group of guards is really going to be the meat of the first round and the second round. From our reporting between Sabrina and I and what we've heard and are expecting, there are some frontcourt players in Isamoro, Kiki area, Fenn, like Dominique Malanga to kind of keep an eye out on. But in terms of especially college frontcourt players entering this draft, I think it's regarded more for the depth of guards than the frontcourt.
- [19:16]
Zena Keda
21 year old flaw J. Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But flaujay's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For flaujay, this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauje trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. MassMutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like flaujay can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more. Lowes is the destination for EGO outdoor power equipment this spring. See what's new and exclusive like the 17 inch string trimmer with line IQ technology that auto feeds to save you time and the 22 inch select cut self propelled mowers with a multi blade system for precise cutting. Shop EGO days happening now during Spring Fest at Lowe's we help you save. Selection varies by location while supplies last.
- [20:47]
Ben Pickman
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless Way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for.
- [21:09]
Sabrina Merchant
Three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first three months.
- [21:12]
Zena Keda
Only, then full price plan options available.
- [21:14]
Sabrina Merchant
Taxes and fees extra.
- [21:15]
Zena Keda
See full terms@mintmobile.com let's actually dive into the draft on Monday night and how it might play out. Sabrina, you've got your piece already on the Athletic with your official predictions. All of you guys can go check that out on theathletic.com you know, for the purposes of the conversation today, we're not gonna run through all of the first round picks. Some of them are obvious, of course. You know we've been talking about Paige and the Dallas Wings for so, so long. Um, you know, particularly since the draft lottery, um, Arike Gumbawale was very excited about that, even recently telling Dallas, go do your job now you're ready. So instead, instead of, you know, going to the obvious things, we're going to take you through the most important and interesting hinge points for this draft. You know, picks that we'll be keeping a special eye on On Monday night, some players you might be less familiar with. Ben just rattled off some names, including some international names. I definitely want to go into that. So, Sabrina, I'm going to start with you. As I mentioned, you've got your predictions, but is there anything that you're looking at teams that you're looking at? I'm going to start with the team I just referenced. With Elena Deldon retiring, the Mystics feel like a team that they need to make some moves and they got some early draft picks. What are your thoughts there?
- [22:35]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, so the Mystics have 3, 4 and 6. So that's three of the top six picks, which historically has not been a great indicator for teams because it means you've been really bad and have collected a lot of draft picks. I'm just thinking about teams in recent years that have had three of the top six picks, like Dallas in 2021, Indiana in 2022, and a lot of those players are no longer with the teams that originally drafted them. I think in both cases, other than a wat kuir, all of them are not on those teams. So it seems like a lot of assets to potentially collect. But it's also a big responsibility to make sure you're finding players who are going to fit together and that you have room to develop all of them. As Ben said, this is not a particularly deep draft for frontcourt players domestically, but there are a lot of frontcourt players internationally who have, you know, caught some eyes. And what's interesting from that perspective is they don't have to come over necessarily right away. Right? You can draft them, hold on to their rights, and then let them develop in Europe a little bit longer before bringing them in. So that helps you from a perspective of, you know, overloading your roster right away in 2025 and then also just seeing what these players turn out to be because college players are mostly drafting 22, 23 year olds. A lot of these international players, they're like 19, 20, and so they just need a little bit more seasoning before they can come over and play against grown women in the wnba. So I think Washington is going to be an interesting team in terms of how they value the international players versus the domestic players. I think, you know, Ben and I are pretty adamant that Sonia Citron is going to be selected by the Mystics at some point in those three picks, but what they do with the other two is like kind of up to anyone's guess. And I think, you know, Juste Josite, this Lithuanian player who has played internationally for Lithuania for like five years. Like I think, you know, she was originally called like the female Luka because she was playing at 14 years old professionally in Europe. That's a name that has, you know, come up. But like, there's a lot of frontcourt players internationally who could potentially get drafted in this draft. And like I said, because they're so young, because EuroBasket is this season and they'll probably be missing some time to play with their international teams this season, they might not want to come over right away.
- [24:35]
Zena Keda
You know, it's interesting when we talked to Rashid Mezian and the whole conversation around the new Connecticut sun head coach was that he had this tap on what's going on internationally. He had this, he had the connection and he was, he's been in this world. And that could give Connecticut an advantage in being able to recruit these players overseas and then also convince them to come over rather than, you know, just have the team own the rights. So I'm looking at ct, Ben, they got the number seven and number eight pick. This is an opportunity. You just said that might be a guard heavy situation. But knowing that Rasheed Mezian and Morgan Tucker are going to be working to see if they can tap into that international flavor, what do you think that might actually play out like?
- [25:21]
Ben Pickman
It's a good question. And frankly, because of where Connecticut is picking, they most likely won't have their choice about which international players they want to take. Dominique Malanga is going to go in the top three and she is the best international prospect in this draft. Sabrina mentioned Yosite like, I think she is probably the second best highly regarded by people sitting there at number five. You have the Golden State Valkyries. They also have a very international heavy roster. They do. Their GM has some experience at USA Basketball. She's scouted around the world. Her assistant GM is a woman named Vanya Chernovic who used to be an executive at the London Lions, which was the winning Euro cup team from last year and has worked for the NBA Academy internationally on the girls basketball side and, you know, was an international scout for the Bulls before the bend and is super plugged into international basketball. So, you know, Connecticut might have a foreign born head coach, but that doesn't mean they're the only team that is kind of scouting the world in this setting. If I'm the Connecticut sun, my guess is what they do is take best player available, at least in one of those two picks. They have the number seven and number eight selections. Seven they got from the New York Liberty and the trade that sent Natasha Cloud to New York and eight is from the Indiana Fever in the trade that I guess it's the big trade that eventually we'll say netted Sophie Cunningham. Going to Indiana, like Connecticut, whether they want to say it or not, is appears to be rebuilding or at least retooling their roster, if you're going to be generous here, and has a lot of holes to fill. So to me, maybe they take, you know, best player available and best international player available, so you can both get someone in the building right now and also get someone in the future. But it also wouldn't be shocking to see them take, you know, two of the best players available. Also, it is Morgan Tuck's first year as a general manager, so I think there's a lot of questions and just curiosities about what does she value as a gm? What is Connecticut going to value going forward? Because there isn't that history that we can fall back on to say, you know, she traditionally likes this kind of player or, you know, this is the kind of player that they have taken in past years.
- [27:34]
Zena Keda
Right. This is an opportunity for now to kind of see how she thinks in terms of building a team or rebuilding because there are so many key portions of that Connecticut sun team that are gone. There's no more Alyssa Thomas. There's no more dejuanna Bonner. There's no more Dijonay Carrington. There's no more Breonna Jones. Like, there. There's. There's so much to. So much space to work with. And this will be really interesting to see how Morgan approaches that space. But I'm really happy you brought up Golden State because that was gonna be the other team I talk about from particularly the international perspective. And also, um, thinking about long wings, I feel like this team is so tall already, um, and. And filled with a lot of long wings. And I'm. I'm curious for both of you guys. Golden State doesn't quite have a standout star just yet. They've got great players like a Tiffany Hayes, you know, sixth woman of the year, Kate Martin, coming with her from the Aces, Julie Van Lew. Their list goes on, but they don't have any superstars yet. They're a new team. They're the newest team in the wnba. How much pressure is on them for this, for getting the first pick right in this draft? Sabrina?
- [28:44]
Sabrina Merchant
You know, I think it kind of depends on what pressure they put on themselves. Right. Like, they could easily take this as an opportunity to just start fresh. You know, we have a Long Runway to try to succeed. There's already a lot of really good teams and the whole league is going to be free agents next year. So we can take this slow, you know, and just sort of build a fan base, build a brand and see what we have with some of our young players like Carla Layte, Kate Martin, you know, Leticia and me here. To me, it's not so much like we have to get this first pick right as it is. We just need to build a team that people want to come see in 2025. And I don't think that's going to be the difference between like drafting Kiki Iriafen versus an international player who might not be able to come over. Like, I think with Tiffany Hayes, with Kate Martin, you have enough local flavor. Like people know who those players are. They want to see them, they're going to be captivated by them. So I think with this draft it'll just kind of tell us like whether they're trying to compete right now or whether they're okay sort of kicking the can down the road and letting this season just be a Runway into what is eventually to come for Golden State.
- [29:42]
Ben Pickman
And the other thing about their roster already, and not all these players are going to make the team, but they have a bunch of rookies on their team currently. They just happen to be players who have, they have signed and never played in the WNBA before. Right. Someone like Chloe Bibby, Carla Late, Kiara Lynskens, Alyssa Kunaine, you know, was drafted a few years ago, but she never stuck initially. Janelle Salouan is a French prospect that a lot of people are super, super high on and promises to make a big impact for them. Like they've already done some of their rookie work, so to speak. Just they happen to do it in January, not just in, you know, in April. So some of those players that I mentioned, they're going to be rookies and they're being these all rookie conversations. And usually when you think about rookies that make all rookie team, you know, think about Julie Van Leeu, another member of, you know, the Golden State Valkyries. Last year was her first dub all WNBA season. She played for the Mystics. And I want to say she made all rookie team. Sabrina, or did she just miss it?
- [30:45]
Sabrina Merchant
I don't think she made it.
- [30:46]
Ben Pickman
She was one of the players in.
- [30:47]
Sabrina Merchant
The conversation, certainly in the conversation and.
- [30:49]
Ben Pickman
She just happened to be an older rookie. Right. They've kind of gone that route over just going with the standard, so to speak. You know, 23 year old former college player entering the WNBA.
- [31:00]
Zena Keda
No, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, I definitely talked a lot about Julie Van Lew last year, just being a floor setter and a pace setter for Washington and being surprised that she was kind of hiding out overseas and was able to bring that veteran presence to a young Mystics team. Now what I want to know is more about Dominique Malanga. Well, you guys know we have a lot of contributors on our site at the Athletic, and one of them, Mark Schindler, did a piece not for the Athletic, but in general about Dominique Malanga that allowed me to finally watch some film on her. And one of the things that he talked about at length and I saw this, and I say at length with a pun intended, is that as tall and as long as Dominique Malanga is, the fluidity of her movement is surprising. I mean, she, she moves like a guard at 6. 6. Is that how tall she is? I mean, it's crazy how she comes off of pick and rolls, how she drives to the basket. Everything about her game is very smooth. And she's so young. There's still more to develop. Ben, you are international player expert. Like, give us some insight as to why Dominique Malanga is so special.
- [32:15]
Ben Pickman
I mean, I think a few years ago when I first met Sabrina, it was like, hi, I'm Ben. Have you heard about Dominique Malanga? Like, I think that might have been our first conversation to a T. Like I remember a couple of years back when executives started to tell me about her and just like, what kind of prospect she should be, like, hey, have you heard about this person? Go watch some of these videos. Go watch all this tape on her. Like, that was when she kind of was put on my radar. And it's been fascinating to just kind of watch her explode from there and suddenly, you know, make the French Olympic team have a really good season in France right now for, for Lyon in Euro cup play and now suddenly be like, yeah, she's almost, you know, going to be two or three in this WNBA draft. And some people think she could be the best prospect in this draft. When we look back at it, you know, five, 10 years down the road, she's that kind of talent because of just physically, like, there are not a lot of players in the WNBA who kind of have the kind of raw athletic tools that she presents. Right. It's often the kind of thing when we think about the NBA draft, you see a lot of these kind of high upside athletes get chosen early, but traditionally in the W, you either don't have that kind of prospect or teams don't settle on them early. I think this is definitely an exception because we've seen just how skilled she is and how impactful already at 19 years old playing professional basketball. Our colleague Mike Vorkanoff, a little bit of a tease here for those on Monday, he actually spent some time earlier this year in Paris doing some work on the W and NBA side during the Paris games. And he actually sat down with Dominique with Dom and learned more about her story. So I would recommend people who are curious to learn more about her as a person and her interests come back to the site on Monday morning and you'll be able to read a little bit more about her journey, who she is as a person, her work ethic, how she feels about being compared, say, to someone like Vic Victor Wembanyama, obviously the French star for the San Antonio Spurs. So she's been a prospect on people's radars for a while. She could be the best player in this draft when it's all said and done. It's just that again, she's 19 and so people have not heard about her. But she has had a lot of success in Europe already for being someone that young. It's why so many people are so excited about her prospects and have been for, you know, three, four years now.
- [34:28]
Zena Keda
I just love that, you know, France is showing up and showing out. You know, I, I didn't quite get the same water that was in the Victor Wembanyama water and in the Dominique Malanga water when I was growing up. But clearly France has just elevated all of their basketball prospects, particularly on the men's side. But now we're starting to see this with Carla Lay, Janelle Salon and Dominique Malonga. Now, everyone keeps saying she's amazing. Sabrina, she's amazing. She's amazing. She's a great prospect. She's like I to know in a league that is forward dominant, right, you think Asia Wilson, Nafisa Collier, Brianna Stewart, these are forwards that are killing the game and they're leading their teams. What can Dominique bring to a roster?
- [35:13]
Sabrina Merchant
I think all of that. You know, she has the skill set to do everything that those great power forwards are already doing or great centers, depending on how you want to classify. You know, Asha Wilson, right, She's capable of handling, like running an offense, running a pick and roll, coming off the pick and roll, right? Like, she can do a little bit of the guard stuff, a little bit of the big stuff. She's already a pretty good rim protector. She's just Skinny right now. She has like the Sylvia Fowles length, I would say in height, but definitely not the toughness and like you know, build of a strong defensive rim protector. But you know, she's 19 and it'll take some time to grow into that body. But I think, you know, if she does end up in Seattle, for example, it's a great landing spot because they've sort of seen this growth trajectory with Ezzy Magbagor, who they drafted very young and have allowed to develop in their system and who's another long, athletic, really toolsy, big. Dominique Malanga is just a better version of what Ezzy was when she came in to the wnba. So I think it would be a really good spot for her just in terms of an organization that knows how to give her some space, give her some time, but also put her in situations that are gonna allow her to succeed at a really high level.
- [36:20]
Ben Pickman
And Sabrina mentioned it like time to allow a player to develop is really important here because that is often the other thing that holds a lot of international prospects back when they transition to the wnba because contracts are shorter term, because there's usually, you know, around 11 players per team, not even 12 because there aren't two way deals because there isn't a G league. Like players are often not afforded the same opportunities to just develop because teams tend to also be a little bit more win now because the rosters kind of turn over and just the cycle is different. It's something, you know, we've seen with AWA Coir, for instance. She was the number two pick a few years ago by the Dallas Wings. She's now going to sit out two consecutive WNBA seasons. I mean, she's still what, 22, 23 years old, playing in Europe, working on her game there. But she wasn't afforded those same opportunities to develop on court in Dallas because they had a really deep roster and they just weren't kind of giving her the run in the same way. It's one of the things that's super interesting is, you know, you think more about some of these other international prospects. Josite is another one we talked about and Aja Sifka is kind of the other. I want to say she's Slovenian, like another young, like 19 year old, 6, 3, 6 4, super skilled, has good size. Like I saw her playing a few years ago for the first time in person in Skio, Italy when she was practicing against Ryan Howard and Marina Mabry. Right? You think about that, that's two, three years ago at this time, going up against top pros.
- [37:49]
Zena Keda
Right.
- [37:50]
Ben Pickman
We saw her, Sabrina and I, at the Global Academy or the NBA camp that was this past summer that the league puts on at All Star. Right. Like she was the most skilled player there probably, or one or two of them that really jumped out. Like you just have to think when you're making those picks, am I giving them an opportunity to develop here in the W or they're going to develop internationally with their foreign clubs. We've seen, you know, the LA Sparks have invested, you know, Shanice Swain is an Australian point guard who's going to come over this year. They had picked her a couple years ago. She's coming over now. Atlanta has Internet invested some top picks in international players last year. We'll see what happens with those players. So those are some of the kind of questions and in a league with just 11 players, as I said, sometimes it's better to just draft and stash, let that player develop a little bit more with their international professional club and then have them come over than just have them develop in your, you know, US based system right now.
- [38:47]
Sabrina Merchant
And I think the best example of that would be like Leonie Fibich who was drafted in 2020 but then didn't come over until 2024 when she was 24 years old, clearly a successful player already. And now New York has her, a winning player who contributed to them winning a championship on a rookie contract for four years. Although she's definitely not a rookie level player.
- [39:05]
Zena Keda
Right, Right. Wow, that's amazing. I think that that is a really great point in all spaces, allowing rookies the chance to develop, but also making sure that your organization has the tools and the resources and the personnel to be able to develop that talent. And I think that that's one of the big things that you saw last year. I think about particularly the kind of retooling that Chicago has done with their, their coaching staff and some of the players that they have in Angel Reese, Camila Cardoso. Making sure that these rookies can continue to work on their post, their post play. I think about Stephanie White now coaching Caitlin Clark. I mean, all these different things and the relationships and backgrounds that some of these coaches have in these organizations is also, also huge. If you're bringing these rookies into your programs to develop their games there. Okay, before we close this conversation out around the draft over the course of Tampa Final Four, there's also the Lilly All Star Game which featured college players, college seniors particularly, that were all stars in the ncaa. And I'm wondering for you guys, was there anyone whose draft stock rose or fell or anything like that? I'm particularly thinking of one player, and that is Diamond Johnson from Norfolk State. 21 points in the All Star game. She's only five five. But I mean this player has performed in the ACC, in the Big Ten and now performed as the newcomer and player of the year in the miac. Yet you know, not a lot of folks are talking about her and you're wondering, is it just her size? But she goes up against these All Stars and performs incredibly well. Is there anyone throughout that game, diamond included, that like rose their stock or should GMs be really paying attention to a little bit more?
- [40:46]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, I think diamond was the real standout there. I think she hit the shot that ended the game. It was an el amending situation for the All Star Game. So she had the game ending three pointer there. Really fun moment with Diamond. I do think a lot of it is just the size and the fact that she went from power conference in NC State to a mid major in the miac. And that kind of just gets you off a WNBA radar when you're not playing power conference opponents at all times. Right. And there are a lot of smaller players who do get into the radar of WNBA executives like a Georgia Amore. But her going up against SEC competition is very different than Diamond Johnson going up against MIAC competition. So it's cool that this All Star Game and the combine, those are two events that actually exist together that we had talked about earlier. That they exist to give these players an opportunity to just showcase themselves against the very best. Right. Diamond Johnson doesn't get to play against these players on a regular basis. So for her to have this performance is just an opportunity that didn't exist even two seasons ago in the NCAA atmosphere. So I would say diamond and Harmony Turner maybe were the ones who stood out to me in that game. But Ben, did anything else stand out to you?
- [41:54]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I think that's right. I mean we should say on Diamond Johnson listed at 5:5, but when we about combine measurements, five, four and a quarter, you know. So again this is when we talk about data that teams are getting that might they might not have gotten otherwise. Like that is one example. She's also, you know, as a shooter, like I think I was looking at the numbers here. She's just around a 30% shooter on threes from the top of the key, 27% on keys from the right side, threes from the right side of the key this year, which are like not great numbers. For a player of her size, you know, she was one of the best shooters in her conference, but like outside the top 100 nationally. So that kind of combination I think gives people some pause and frankly, players who are that size tend to historically not have a ton of success in the W. So I think all that kind of, you know, fights against her. Harmony Turner is a great call out by Sabrina. I think a lot of people impressed by her quickness. She was super aggressive during that game. It seemed like every time you looked up Harmony Turner was playing full court defense, she was attacking the lane, she was making shots, missing shots. She was just around like it was hard to kind of miss her two other players or two or three that stood out. Madison Scott, I think athletically really stood out. Just she looked like a pro out there. Mikayla Timpson from, from Florida State, another player that I think people are pretty high on. And Lucy Olson also had a really good game and I think someone who will get drafted, you know, a good year, a really good year at Iowa, being a centerpiece of them, you know, she can certainly score the basketball and I think acquainted herself pretty well in that like one off setting this past weekend. So those are some other kind of again, second and third round names to watch.
- [43:36]
Zena Keda
Shout out to the lily all star college game. Just being able to give another opportunity for scouts to see players, but also for players to help their chances to get into the conversation around draft.
- [43:51]
Ben Pickman
Ball or Lonzo ball for buzzballs ready to.
- [43:53]
Zena Keda
Go cocktails take 12 buzzballs just dropped their biggest blue balls.
- [43:58]
Ben Pickman
Script says Biggie's blue balls Lonzo take 13.
- [44:01]
Zena Keda
Blue balls just dropped their biggest buzz balls. Ugh.
- [44:04]
Ben Pickman
Let's try a vocal exercise.
- [44:06]
Zena Keda
Buzz Balls, Biggies, Blue balls. Buzz Balls, Biggies Blue balls.
- [44:10]
Ben Pickman
Big balls just dropped. Get blue balls this season with Buzz Ball responsibly.
- [44:17]
Sabrina Merchant
Buzzballs available in spirit wine and malt. 15 Alco Bavo and Buzzballs LLC.
- [44:20]
Zena Keda
Carrollton, Texas. Wow, this house is cute.
- [44:24]
Sabrina Merchant
But can I really get in the.
- [44:26]
Ben Pickman
Game in this economy?
- [44:27]
Sabrina Merchant
I do have savings and I am responsible.
- [44:29]
Ben Pickman
Ish.
- [44:31]
Sabrina Merchant
I should bury it. I'm being wild. But what if I'm not being wild though?
- [44:35]
Zena Keda
Could I actually score a kick off your home buying journey With Zillow's new buyability tool, it may it easy to find out what you can afford so you can get off the bench and onto the playing field with confidence. Check your buyability only on Zillow. Spring savings are in the air. And at Ross where they have savings.
- [44:55]
Sabrina Merchant
On all the brands you love from the latest fashion to outdoor decor and even pet supplies.
- [45:00]
Ben Pickman
Savings are in every aisle.
- [45:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Go to ross and save 20 to 60% off other retailers prices on your favorite spring finds.
- [45:10]
Zena Keda
So every year some story rises to the top and it becomes the story of the draft. Last year there were two big stories that stood out. Angel Reese, number one was her rebounding and her ability to play and be dominant. Was that going to translate from LSU to the league? It did. It absolutely did. She broke several records in those categories with her double doubles. But also, would her and Camila Cardoso get along? Right. Like that was a big thing too. Of these two players have been battling for years and how would they do well together on the same team? And that worked out as well. So now I'm looking at, you know, what's the big story of the draft for 2025? What are some of the things that you think are going to pop out from this year?
- [45:59]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, this is a, this is a challenge. I think Angel Reese was kind of telegraphed ahead of time with the 2024 draft because Chicago made the pre draft trade a couple days in advance to move up, you know, to get to a spot where they thought angel was going to be available. So it sort of signaled like, okay, this is gonna be a big deal. I thought the fashion was actually a really big story. The 2024 draft just like really good looks all throughout.
- [46:20]
Zena Keda
Yes.
- [46:20]
Sabrina Merchant
I will never forget Rekia Jackson changing in between the.
- [46:23]
Zena Keda
She changed. That was crazy. I was like, this ain't your wedding. But yes, I loved every look. It was great. Sorry. I love Rekia Jackson. So. Yes, go ahead.
- [46:33]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, so I'm trying to think just storyline wise, what is going to stand out here? You know, at the risk of stepping on Ben's toes, like, I think it's going to be an international heavy draft, like if Dominique Malanga emerges as the best player in this draft, which is a big if considering how incredible of a prospect Paige Beckers is. Like, it would probably be the first time in what, the last. I don't even know how many years that an international has been the best player in a draft. And like the WNBA just doesn't usually have players like that. The international players are complementary players. You know, they fit in around the domestic stars. So. So if this draft is able to produce an international star, I think that would be an incredible story.
- [47:09]
Zena Keda
Ben, what about you?
- [47:11]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I think that's right. In terms from a long term perspective, I mean, two shorter term things that we haven't really talked about. We Kind of talked about it in trying to handicap where these guards go. I'm interested one, Georgia Amor, someone who has a ton of college experience. A really, really good college player. Who. Where does she go? I mean, some people have mocked her as high as four, I want to say three or four throughout this process. And some people don't have her in the first round. Like, I think there's a huge range as to where she would go. And I guess I should use this opportunity to plug Sabrina and I on the site. You know, we talked to a half dozen executives for their thoughts on pretty recently about different prospects.
- [47:54]
Zena Keda
Oh, yes.
- [47:54]
Ben Pickman
For my money.
- [47:55]
Zena Keda
And I think everyone.
- [47:56]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, guards and posts. For our money. I think it's the most thorough thing out there from actual executives and decision makers who are making these picks. Commenting on players in this draft. It's the largest collection of both players and perspectives that you're going to find. So I'll plug our work there. In addition to Georgia Amore, where does Haley Van Lith end up is another question. Right. It's the same kind of thing. A smaller guard, but obviously a guard who had a ton of success in college for most of her career and had a great year at tcu. Is she a late first round pick? Is she a mid first round pick? Or, you know, is it more likely that she goes in the second round and where does she end up? Because the other thing, and Sabrina touched on this too, is that so often, like, if you're a second round pick, you better hope it's a fit where you can play and like make a camp because there are some teams that are picking in the second round who don't need players that, like, are going to take players that are there for training camp and will not make the team. And that's kind of the unfortunate reality. So, you know, keep an eye out on where she ends up because that is another, I think, name to watch certainly come Monday night.
- [49:05]
Zena Keda
Yeah, y'all didn't even make any real predictions. You're just telling us what to look for. I'm gonna make a crazy, crazy prediction. Just for funsies, I'm gonna say the Dallas Wings do something crazy and go with Dominique for the first pick. I don't expect that.
- [49:23]
Sabrina Merchant
I'd like to point out that I did make 12 predictions. I wrote a fricking mock draft cena. So they're all there.
- [49:27]
Zena Keda
I'm talking, I'm talking about here. I'm talking about here. Of course, of course.
- [49:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Of course you can read all five.
- [49:31]
Zena Keda
There's so much there's so much on the site. Yeah, she's probably. That's fair, that's fair. But yeah, that's gonna be. My crazy prediction is that the Dallas Wings are like, ah, gotcha. Thought you thought, you thought. But no, I don't know. I think it's gonna be a great draft. It's gonna be very interesting. I'm really excited to see who shows up for their teammates, you know, people who didn't declare, who's gonna be in the crowd. Um, I don't know if we're gonna have another Kate Martin situation where you just kind of go to the draft to support your friend and then you get drafted. That would be phenomenal and really, really cool. But yeah, that'll be it. All right, guys, that's it for today. We will be back bright and early on Tuesday morning with our hot off the presses takes from the actual draft. Ben, you'll be there in person, which is really cool. You're going to let us know about all of the best looks of the night. I know that's your fave, you know.
- [50:22]
Ben Pickman
That is definitely right. You gotta have, you gotta be. I'm planning my draft fit out right now too, Zeta. I'll take any and all suggestions until then.
- [50:29]
Zena Keda
All I know is the shoes are gonna be fired. That's all I know. And all three of us are gonna be in your feed to give our impressions of how it all went down. I'm actually gonna go to the Valkyries media draft event, so I'll give you guys some insights from what that looks like as well. If you're new here, hit the follow button wherever you are listening so you can stay up to date with us and please come Find us on YouTube. My facial expressions are so much better in real life. Okay, leave us a comment. Wherever you're listening, we read them and if you'd be so kind, give us a rating. And that rating should be 5 stars. If you don't have 5 stars, keep it in your pocket. It helps the good old algorithm connect us with more people. And you know, we want to make sure we spread the love. And don't forget, as always, there's way more to read, including Sabrina's predictions, all of her predictions, heathletic and also other content to read over at our partner at the Yahoo Sports hub. So check it out. Sports.yahoo.com women-sports on behalf of the athletic, I'm Zena Keda. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time. No off season is hosted by Zena Kada. With Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Perot. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Brenna Haupt is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is our Director of Audio Operations. 21 year old flaw J. Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But Flage's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For Flauje, this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauge trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. MassMutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like Flawje can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more.