![\"UCLA\u2019s](\"https:\/\/platform.swishappeal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/154\/2025\/10\/imagn-25737386.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=1.6790289952798,0,96.64194200944,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nUCLA\u2019s Lauren Betts is a frontrunner to be the first pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
As the Big Ten preseason Player of the Year and preseason All-American, Lauren Betts does not have to prove much, if anything, to maintain her hold on a top draft projection. There are no reasonable doubts that Betts will be an impactful player in the WNBA; however, there are certainly valid concerns about whether she can scale her dominance to the next level.<\/p>\n
Some voices have theorized that Betts stardom could be dependent on expanding her game outside the 8-to-10-foot range, offensively. I harshly disagree, not for the fact that this wouldn\u2019t make her a much better prospect, but simply for the reason that I do not think it\u2019s at all realistic for Betts to meet that expectation. She is not a capable 3-point shooter, and is hesitant when left open in the midrange. Her 6-foot-7 frame and inability to play low prevents her from ever bursting downhill off the dribble against a decent defender. Rather than blindly manifesting some outlier perimeter development, I think Betts needs to show scouts one of two things: She needs to either display a reliable facilitation ability outside of the low block, or she needs to elevate her play-finishing motor to a WNBA-level.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the former. I am very, very high on Betts\u2019 passing ability. When doubled or heavily stunted at, she consistently makes the correct read and is quick to spray the ball out from the post. However, her passing mastery outside of the 10-foot range is vague. She will occasionally throw an impressive skip pass, but she doesn\u2019t often hit cutters or make advanced reads out of ball-screen or dribble-hand-off situations. Against WNBA defenders, she won\u2019t be afforded the elementary-level advantages from the post that she has easily punished as a collegian. As a traditional big, an archetype that has not thrived recently in the W, much of her work will be done in ball screens. Many professional teams \u201cice\u201d screens, forcing the screener to catch the ball on a short-roll and make a play from the elbow area. Betts has the height to see over defenders\u2014something that\u2019s heavily underrated when talking about passing ability\u2014so she has potential to be a threat from that spot.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Betts will need to show a willingness to do the dirty work. Not to beat a dead horse, but Betts will no longer be posting up against the inconsistent block defenders of the NCAA next year. She can\u2019t rely on her post game to carry the weight of her offensive expectations when defended by A\u2019ja Wilsons and Napheesa Colliers. Betts needs to up her motor, whether that be mentally or physically, to become a high-level play finisher. She\u2019s already a strong offensive rebounder and roller, which is more than half the battle. The next hill for her to climb is as a transition rim runner. There are a lot of, frankly, unskilled bigs that have made a lot of WNBA money by sprinting up and down the court for easy layups. If Betts wants to dominate without a perimeter game, she will need to find another gear in transition to get touches before halfcourt defenses can set up. She\u2019s not the fastest player, but rim running is often more mental than physical. Betts could easily be complacent towards the dirty work this year, coasting in her role until the ball is passed to her in the post. Or, she could work her tail off to sprint the court and show scouts that she knows where she can impact high-level basketball.<\/p>\n
As I stated earlier, Betts is a guaranteed top pick in next year\u2019s draft. However, there are moments where 6-foot-4 Spanish prospect Awa Fam looks like everything that Betts isn\u2019t. Fam is an intriguing, if not fully capable, 3-point shooter. Fam is a rim-running monster. Fam is also only 19 years old. I\u2019m not trying to start some sort of invisible rivalry between Betts and Fam, but you better believe that lottery teams are looking at the two of them while trying to determine who the best big in the draft will be. If Betts improves upon her facilitation upside and shows a willingness to turn on the jets in transition, it may be hard to pick her second.<\/p>\n
Azzi Fudd: Anything besides scoring<\/p>\n