{"id":308470,"date":"2025-11-26T16:42:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/308470\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T16:42:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:42:09","slug":"best-fits-for-top-prospects-after-wnba-draft-lottery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/308470\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Fits for Top Prospects After WNBA Draft Lottery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA got the Feast Week party started early Sunday with the lottery for the 2026 WNBA draft.<\/a> For the second year in a row, the Wings will have the No. 1 pick, followed by the Lynx, Storm, Mystics and Sky.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s still a lot for the WNBA and its players’ union<\/a> to figure out before we even get to draft day, our writers and editors started playing matchmaker. Let\u2019s see how they pair up some of the top prospects<\/a> with the lottery teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Baccellieri: Awa Fam and the Lynx. (Though it\u2019s worth noting that Fam\u2019s ceiling is high enough that she might end up being an incredible fit anywhere.) The 19-year-old, 6-foot-4 Spaniard, who plays for Valencia Basket in Spain, will likely need a while to fully develop her talent. But if that happens in a universe where Minnesota\u2019s core is still intact after this upcoming round of free agency\u2026 look out. A versatile, mobile big like Fam playing with Napheesa Collier inside and balanced out by the Lynx\u2019 guard talent could potentially be very scary for the rest of the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Clare Brennan: Azzi Fudd and the Wings. Dallas desperately needs to boost its frontcourt (and the opportunity to draft a potentially generational player in Fam is tempting), but it can do that in free agency. The Wings also need shooters, ranking 11th in three-pointers made and 12th in three-point percentage last season. Fudd could certainly help jumpstart and diversify Dallas\u2019s offense as the best shooter in the 2026 draft class. The UConn guard already knows how to play with franchise star Paige Bueckers, and the two could be a compelling core for new coach Jose Fernandez to build around. While she isn\u2019t the consensus No. 1 pick, Fudd\u2019s game translates very well to the pros, making her a tempting prospect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dan Falkenheim: Flau\u2019jae Johnson<\/a> and the Mystics. If Georgia Amoore can return to form after she tore her right ACL in late April, an Amoore-Johnson backcourt duo would offer a tantalizing amount of on-ball shot creation. Her defensive upside can also help stem the loss of Brittney Sykes. Between Johnson, Amoore, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics would have a fun core to build around for years to come.<\/p>\n

Syla Swords shot her way onto the national stage this week. The Michigan sophomore drained a career-high eight three-pointers in her team\u2019s narrow 72\u201369 loss to No. 1 UConn. Three of those came in the game\u2019s final minute to pull the Wolverines within one with seconds left on the clock. She finished the night with 29 points, nine rebounds and three assists, bested only by UConn star Azzi Fudd\u2019s 31 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are two of the best shooters in the country playing tonight against each other,\u201d Geno Auriemma said of Swords and Fudd after the game, \u201cand they both put on quite a show. Not easy for them to get those shots, but they seem to be able to make shots other people have a hard time making.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Water \ud83d\udca6 pic.twitter.com\/TdXNxFXD98<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Michigan Women\u2019s Basketball (@umichwbball) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old not only knocked down clutch shot after clutch shot as the clock wound down, but also exhibited her range, pulling up from well beyond the arc. Her flashy shooting ability is matched by her poise, acting as the Wolverine\u2019s anchor down the stretch as they went toe-to-toe with the nation\u2019s top team. Swords\u2014along with her fellow sophomores Olivia Olson and Mila Halloway\u2014is one to watch on this ascendant Michigan squad. \u2014Brennan<\/p>\n

Riser: Iowa. While Notre Dame deserves credit for bouncing back against USC, Iowa\u2019s play to date also warrants praise. Senior forward Hannah Stuelke has been as reliable as ever and merits more attention. But her frontcourt partner, sophomore Ava Heiden, came through in a big way last week. She led the Hawkeyes in scoring in tough wins against No. 7 Baylor and Miami, taking Most Outstanding Player honors at the WCBA Showcase in Orlando. After averaging less than 10 minutes per game last year, she\u2019s taken a second-year leap. Iowa has also benefited on both ends of the floor from the arrival of sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (day-to-day with an upper body injury), and has quietly been one of the nation\u2019s top teams on the defensive end.\u00a0 \u2014Falkenheim\u00a0<\/p>\n

Faller: NC State. While the Wolfpack opened the season with a win against Tennessee<\/a>, they then lost to USC on Jazzy Davidson\u2019s go-ahead layup with 8.2 seconds left, fell to TCU by double-digits and lost to unranked Rhode Island on Sunday. (It was NC State\u2019s first loss to a mid-major opponent at home since December 2015.) So, what gives? The Wolfpack have a middling offense (199th in field goal percentage) that doesn\u2019t generate opportunities at the charity stripe (346th in free throw rate) and lacks three-point shooting. That\u2019s not a recipe conducive to success, and the team will need more efficient play out of guard Zoe Brooks and forward Khamil Pierre. \u2014Falkenheim<\/p>\n

\u201cOH MY GOODNESS MARLEY WASHENITZ\u201d \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

Relive yesterday\u2019s insane game winner by @sundevilwbb<\/a> courtesy of @Vincemarotta<\/a> & @SunDevilPBP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xRek0XNxft<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) November 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve eaten up every angle of every replay of this game-winner from Marley Washenitz. It takes guts to call game and grab the ball from a teammate like that. Washenitz made sure it paid off. \u2014Baccelierri<\/p>\n

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