Today, there are countless instant reactions proclaiming winners and losers from Monday evening’s WNBA Draft. Time will tell how accurate they are, but the biggest winner might have been watching the draft on TV.
The first two picks in the WNBA Draft were UConn’s Azzi Fudd and TCU’s Olivia Miles. Two weeks ago, South Carolina freshman Agot Makeer shut down both in a five-day span.
South Carolina beat Miles and TCU 78-52 in the Elite Eight, and then Fudd and UConn 62-48 in the Final Four. In both games, Raven Johnson started out as the primary defender on the future top-two picks, but Makeer took over for much of the game.
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Miles managed 18 points, but she shot just 6-20 and committed four turnovers to go with six assists and three rebounds. She certainly didn’t play up to the normal standards that made her the number two pick in the draft.
In addition to her defense on Miles, Makeer scored 18 points on 8-14 shooting and had four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. The rookie definitely outplayed the veteran.
In the national semifinal, South Carolina held previously unbeaten UConn to 48 points, its second-lowest tournament point total ever. Fudd scored just eight points on 3-15 shooting, including 2-9 from three. She had five assists, but also two turnovers.
On the other side, Makeer scored 14 points on 5-9 shooting and made both of her three-point attempts. She also had four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and no turnovers. Again, the rookie definitely outplayed the veteran.
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Makeer didn’t outplay Miles or Fudd all season, of course. She didn’t hit her stride until the NCAA Tournament. But she sustained that level of play for three weeks against the toughest competition of the season.
Makeer averaged 14.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 steals with only 1.2 turnovers in the tournament. She shot 55.0% overall and 46.2% from three. Makeer also shut down fellow freshmen Jazzy Davidson and Aaliyah Chavez along the way, two other contenders for the top pick.
But Makeer was just a freshman when she outplayed a fifth-year and sixth-year senior. She’s got three more years to get better. Who knows how good she’ll be as a senior who is preparing for the 2029 WNBA Draft?