{"id":889754,"date":"2026-10-21T07:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T07:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/889754\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T07:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T07:12:18","slug":"sinclairity-grading-ucla-womens-basketballs-historic-2026-wnba-draft-class-after-its-first-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/889754\/","title":{"rendered":"Sinclairity: Grading UCLA women\u2019s basketball\u2019s historic 2026 WNBA Draft class after its first season"},"content":{"rendered":"

This posted was updated Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m.<\/p>\n

As the 2026 WNBA season wraps up, Daily Bruin assistant Sports editor Sinclair Richman grades the six rookies from UCLA\u2019s historic 2026 draft class.<\/p>\n

Looking at the league\u2019s Rookie Class of 2026, it is clear that Minnesota\u2019s Olivia Miles \u2013 the unanimous Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year \u2013 is the A+ on the grading scale. The guard averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and six assists per game while starting every game for the Lynx.<\/p>\n

With Miles\u2019 performance as the top of the scale and factoring in expectations, draft position and impact on the team, Richman breaks down her scores of the former Bruins in their first season at the professional level.<\/p>\n

Kiki Rice
Team: Toronto Tempo
Grade: A-<\/p>\n

Kiki Rice was drafted sixth overall by the Tempo, making her the expansion team\u2019s first-ever selection. After four years at UCLA, Westwood fans were familiar with what she could bring to the team.<\/p>\n

And she made the Bruin faithful proud, becoming the first former UCLA player to be named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team since Michaela Onyenwere in 2021. Rice\u2019s success in Toronto mirrored that of her time at UCLA \u2013 she impacted every aspect of the game.<\/p>\n

Rice averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game through her first season. Her scoring mark sat third among drafted rookies, behind only Miles and Seattle\u2019s Flau\u2019jae Johnson, and fourth when factoring in Chicago\u2019s undrafted rookie Sydney Taylor.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin guard Kiki Rice dribbles up the court. Rice spent all four years of her college career at UCLA and was selected sixth overall by the Toronto Tempo. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

Rice\u2019s efficiency boosts her grade.<\/p>\n

The former Bruin scored at a clip of 47.2% \u2013 a mark placing second of the players above. That efficiency sets her apart from the rest of the rookie pack, especially considering her consistency across the season.<\/p>\n

I expected Rice\u2019s consistency at the collegiate level to transfer when she entered the WNBA. During the 2025-26 season, she reached double-digits in all but three games. And in her opening season in the WNBA, she achieved that in all but seven games \u2013 an impressive tally for a rookie.<\/p>\n

She also posted 12 games with 15-plus points, including a career-high performance of 28 points and eight rebounds in her final game of the season against Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Rice immediately looked comfortable in the league and could fill whatever role the Tempo asked of her, whether it was a starting position or coming in off the bench.<\/p>\n

Her score is, unfortunately, docked due to availability.<\/p>\n

Like much of the Toronto roster, she was struck by the injury bug. A Grade 2 ankle sprain took her out for 16 games in the middle of season, bringing her total games this year to just 28.<\/p>\n

Despite her injury, Rice finished third on her team in points and assists per game and sixth for rebounds \u2013 her impact on the franchise\u2019s opening season was undeniable. Rice\u2019s future in the league looks bright, so long as she can stay healthy and on tempo.<\/p>\n

Charlisse Leger-Walker
Team: Connecticut Sun
Grade: B+<\/p>\n

Selected as the third pick in the second round, league-wide expectations weren\u2019t sky-high for Charlisse Leger-Walker.<\/p>\n

Personally, I always believed the scoring abilities she showcased at Washington State and the court vision she displayed at UCLA made her a steal.<\/p>\n

She proved me right.<\/p>\n

Since 2020, the players selected in the same spot as Leger-Walker have not done much in the league \u2013 with the exception of Atlanta\u2019s Naz Hillmon, who was honored with the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (center) speaks to her team in a huddle. Leger-Walker played with UCLA in the 2025-26 season and was selected in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

But in the former Bruin\u2019s first professional season, she averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while appearing in all 44 games for the Sun and starting 32. Racking up 23.7 minutes a game for a total of 1,041 minutes, Leger-Walker logged the most court time of anyone in the UCLA draft class.<\/p>\n

Although her numbers may not have been this high on a better team \u2013 the Sun finished second-to-last in the league \u2013 she certainly maximized the opportunity she was given and positively impacted the squad.<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker\u2019s court vision, combined with her immense experience from both collegiate basketball and the New Zealand national team, was put on full display throughout the year. She recorded at least one assist in every game in the 2026 season, had 14 games with at least five assists and had five with seven-plus.<\/p>\n

In addition to her ability to find teammates, she was a consistent scorer. Although her 37.9% field goal clip was not as efficient as Rice\u2019s, Leger-Walker still posted 15 double-digit games \u2013 the same amount she had during the 2025-26 UCLA season \u2013 including two 17-point outings.<\/p>\n

If she stays with the Sun through their move to become the Houston Comets, her role could stay the same. A move to a different team could put her in an off-the-bench position \u2013 one at which she could still excel.<\/p>\n

Considering her draft position, production and impact on the Connecticut squad, Leger-Walker\u2019s rookie campaign definitely surpassed the expectations many held for her.<\/p>\n

Lauren Betts
Team: Washington Mystics
Grade: B+<\/p>\n

As the fourth-overall pick, I would have liked to see a little more from Lauren Betts.<\/p>\n

Betts entered the league with a boatload of expectations set for her \u2013 she is a reigning national champion, the 2025 Naismith Women\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year, the 2026 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, 2026 Honda Cup winner and the 2026 ESPY winner for Best Women\u2019s College Athlete. With all of these accolades on her resume, some may have expected her to average more than 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game on a 52.4% clip.<\/p>\n

With that said, the former Bruin competed on a team filled with talented forwards and centers, limiting her playtime. Playing on a squad with Sonia Citron and coming off the bench behind center Shakira Austin and forward Kiki Iriafen \u2013 who were combining for almost 50 points per game \u2013 made it so that Betts wasn\u2019t a second, or even third, option.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin center Lauren Betts goes in for a lay-up. Betts was the Bruins\u2019 leading scorer and rebounder for all three seasons she played in Westwood. She was selected fourth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

At 6-foot-7, Betts\u2019 height is rare, even at the highest level. She was able to put that to use, recording seven-plus rebounds on 10 occasions through the year. Despite the Mystics getting swept in the first round of the playoffs, Betts showed her defensive abilities, recording three blocks in the opening game against Atlanta.<\/p>\n

That defensive prowess was consistent throughout the season. Betts was ranked seventh in the league for defensive rating, ahead of both of last season\u2019s co-defensive Players of the Year \u2013 including five-time MVP A\u2019ja Wilson.<\/p>\n

Some have critiqued Betts for her lack of scoring \u2013 but the Mystics, boasting the three players mentioned above, did not need her to come in and average double-digit points per game.<\/p>\n

She had a tough role off the bench to back two talented frontcourt players, and she still impacted the squad positively, especially as a defensive threat. However, having entered the league as a lottery pick, there\u2019s still some disappointment accompanying her performance.<\/p>\n

Her size is invaluable, and should she continue to adjust to the speed in the league, she will see significant improvement during her WNBA career.<\/p>\n

Gabriela Jaquez
Team: Chicago Sky
Grade: B-<\/p>\n

Gabriela Jaquez is an interesting case.<\/p>\n

Before the 2025-26 season, she was not on any draft board predictions. But after a breakout senior year, she ended up selected fifth overall. Before her final collegiate campaign, she was not a very consistent scorer, but she brought one thing to the table: effort.<\/p>\n

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Jaquez is an Energizer Bunny.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if she is hitting or missing every shot \u2013 one thing will not change. Jaquez will always be hustling. And that\u2019s something a coach cannot teach, likely one of the biggest factors explaining her early first-round selection.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin guard Gabriela Jaquez waves to the crowd while cutting down the National Championship net. Jaquez spent four seasons with UCLA before being drafted fifth overall by the Chicago Sky. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

With that said, the rookie guard did struggle to score throughout the year. She finished the season averaging 7.1 points \u2013 third among the Bruin rookies \u2013 and three rebounds a game.<\/p>\n

She opened the season with four double-digit games in the first six matchups \u2013 including one of her two 20-plus point games this year \u2013 before a knee injury sidelined her for a few games. Jaquez was relatively efficient in her 19.5 minutes a game \u2013 especially considering this is her transition year into the league \u2013 scoring at a 44% clip.<\/p>\n

A rough stretch of games during July and August, though, bumps her score down.<\/p>\n

Through the 20 games she played during those months, Jaquez only reached double-digits twice \u2013 both of which were in July \u2013 and averaged just 1.95 rebounds. In her 11 August games she averaged just 2.82 points per game and had an eight-game stretch in which she was held scoreless in every other matchup.<\/p>\n

However, Jaquez picked it up again during the remaining four games of the year, averaging 12.5 points and 3.25 rebounds.<\/p>\n

The glimpses of success at the beginning and end of her rookie season show that she could really impact her squad, but she first needs to clean up the inconsistency she showed mid-season.<\/p>\n

Angela Dugali\u0107
Team: Washington Mystics
Grade: C<\/p>\n

Angela Dugali\u0107\u2019s success came primarily at the beginning of the season, the opposite of her teammate Betts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the first 18 matchups of the season, her minutes played fell below 10 in just four games. But, beginning in July, she reached double-digit minutes in just one of the 22 other games she appeared in.<\/p>\n

Dugali\u0107 concluded the season averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in just 8.7 minutes per game. But before July, the 2026 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year had seven games with five-plus rebounds, a mark she did not hit for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin forward Angela Dugali\u0107 gets ready to shoot the ball. Dugali\u0107 was named 2026 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and was selected in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

The former Bruin also averaged 4.67 points through the aforementioned 18-game stretch before scoring a total of 17 points in the remaining 22 games of the season.<\/p>\n

Like Betts, Dugali\u0107 went in for Austin and Iriafen, all while also competing for minutes against Betts. As noted above, the Mystics did not often call upon their rookies to score, which is why Betts ended up taking a more off-the-bench role than Dugali\u0107, who was unable to differentiate herself across defensive stats.<\/p>\n

When she was not able to impact the team defensively, her playing time plummeted.<\/p>\n

With that said, I don\u2019t want to give her too low of a score, as she was not fully given an opportunity to showcase all of her talent. Washington may not have been the right fit for her \u2013 there are too many frontcourt players on the squad \u2013 but the opening stretch of the season proved that she can fit in the WNBA as long as she continues to grow her skillset.<\/p>\n

Gianna Kneepkens
Team: Connecticut Sun
Grade: C<\/p>\n

Gianna Kneepkens, a knockdown shooting threat, was the final selection in the first round of the draft.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for her, Kneepkens was not able to adjust her shot to the distance or speed required in the WNBA. She finished the 2025-26 UCLA season with a 42.9% clip from behind the arc, but in her first season with Connecticut, it fell to just 22%.<\/p>\n

A dip in efficiency is to be expected when entering the WNBA, but given the limitations with her shooting form, the decline significantly limited her time on the court.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Bruin guard Gianna Kneepkens dribbles the ball in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament. Kneepkens spent her senior campaign with UCLA and was selected as the last pick in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. (Daily Bruin file photo)<\/p>\n

Kneepkens ended her rookie campaign averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game. She was inconsistent with her scoring \u2013 her longest stretch of games with points on the board was the first 10.<\/p>\n

Through the season, she was held scoreless on 10 different occasions, but of those 10, she saw less than six minutes of action in six games and did not take a single shot in four. The former Bruin saw double-digit minutes in 17 games, including nine of the last 10 games of the season.<\/p>\n

Her two highest-scoring bouts took place in the last three games of the year, including a career-high 15-point performance when she shot five for seven from the field and 60% from deep. She scored 12 points in the final game to round out her rookie season with three double-digit appearances.<\/p>\n

These performances came from games where she saw more minutes. It\u2019s difficult for Kneepkens, a shooter, to find her rhythm with inconsistent minutes.<\/p>\n

Despite what might be considered a lackluster rookie season, her last three games gave me hope for a brighter future. Should she find the consistency she had with UCLA, she could flip a switch entering next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This posted was updated Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m. As the 2026 WNBA season wraps up, Daily Bruin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":889755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-889754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/889755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}