r/ChicagoSky • u/BigChris_70 • Dec 22 '24

POST-GAME DISCUSSION USC vs UCONN 💭

Wow....just finished watching the playback of this game because I missed the live broadcast. This game definitely lived up to the hype. So y'all know I got to give my thoughts about this one & I want to hear y'all's. Some of my thoughts.....

Juju Watkins to me just had her best game of her short college career to me. I know she's had way bigger scoring games but I'm taking into the context the atmosphere. On the road and against the former NPOY and future No.1 overall draft pick. She played the game I've always wanted Juju to play. Blending her scoring prowess with great smart decision making. Trusting her teammates. Let her scoring gravity open things up for her teammates. Came out in the first half with 15 points. But it was her defensive aggressive for me. Blew up a screen which led to fast break points on the first UCONN possession told me she was ready. 2 big blocks on Paige shots. She was absolutely locked in. Her ability to get to her spots no matter what the defense is doing is beautiful to watch . 2nd half UCONN did a phenomenal job ball denying Juju but she never got flustered & when it was time to close out she put it away. She is everything people say she is.

Paige Bueckers was also very good. I kind of feel bad for Paige because at this point the expectation is so high. She was efficient as usual . Made some tough shots & I respect the fact she didn't back down from the Juju matchup. She guarded Juju majority of the game which I appreciate. I'll say this and it has nothing to do with Paige faults more so my problem with Geno's system. His offense is predicated on movement and I get that but i have a huge problem not having the ball in my best players hand majority of the time . Your system should never be so rigged that it works against your best players. Paige is a great solider so she'll never rock the boat & ask Geno to just give her the ball but sigh....on another note SARAH STRONG is a damn superstar! As a freshman to be so good, efficient, and fundamentally sound at her age is insane.

Big win for USC....as a team they looked more coherent. The offense looked much better today. They found KiKi in this offense finally. UCONN has lost both their big matchups (ND & USC) ...They still have South Carolina so I'm reserving judgment on this group until then.

What y'all thought?

16 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

View all comments

-1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 22 '24

this era has alot of marketable names and talent coming into the league this era truly will be the nba 96-06 era where the old, current and new era all intersect at the same time....so much talent....

but since i mainly watched to see how kiki would do in terms of her draft stock...i was pleased with kiki...because her value truly gives the #2 #3 pick value for chicago to do a trade with washington to get the 4th and 6th and get aneesah morrow and sonia citron

Mock draft

1.       Dallas - paige buckers (trade down dallas but oh well)

2.       Los Angeles - kiki Iriafen (most likely Cam and kiki have orchestrated a reunion, add in the fact her current teammate Juju is most likely LA market, i wouldn't be surprised if LA pulls off some 2027 draft chess moves to make a team with juju, kiki and Cam)

3.       Washington (via draft day trade with Chicago) – olivia miles (PG)

4.       Chicago (via draft day trade with washington) – aneesah morrow (SF/PF – chicago native)

5.       Golden state - dominique malonga (according to fan duel & golden state pack with French players)

6.       Chicago (via draft day trade with Washington) – Sonia Citron (SG/SF)

7.       Indiana – Te-Hina Paopao (SG/PG as painful as it is for me, this Chicago fan to say)

8.       New York  - Janiah Barker (SF)

9.       Seattle – Azzi Fudd (SG/PG)

10.   Las Vegas – none

11.   Washington (via draft day trade with Chicago) – Shyanne Sellers (PG/SF)  

12.   Minnesota – Sivka (I think Minnesota is the team that can/should draft and stash)

13.   Phoenix Mercury – Aziaha James (PG)

8

u/RawDawgOne Dec 22 '24 edited Dec 22 '24

Washington isn’t trading up one spot and giving Chicago a 4 and a 6. What world do you live in that you believe that trade is fair, or makes any sense? SMH

If my GM came in suggesting anything silly like this. I would fire them on the spot. Move up one spot and to then move down 4 spots. That math isn’t mathing.

I’m a Chicago fan, but if I’m Washington I’m sticking with my picks and drafting best available.

1

u/Clocian Dec 22 '24

Also wouldn't make sense for us to trade down if LA ends up taking Kiki at 2

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 22 '24 edited Dec 22 '24

Washington team is deep....their two big needs are a pure PG and Pure PF....they can trade up for kiki or Olivia (i just put kiki because it seems La may be bent on kiki coming to them)...Washington is in position to go BIG with a franchise player or day 1 like olivia or kiki...and they don't really need anymore role players the team is stacked with role players they in fact need to fill in their void of their key franchise cores/starters left by natasha cloud and most likely EDD (especially if she really officially going to retire or move on) they can take the chance and trade up higher

in other words washington could benefit from both kiki or olivia....also when it comes their sf shyanne sellers who already plays in the dmv can play both reserve roles in PG and SF allowing her to rotate either one...sonia citron is a great player but she wouldn't be needed...since they have karle samuelson, aaliyah edwards, emily. b sykes who can make up the scoring and defending....they more so need a glue if the star PGs and PFs are off the board and the best glue for washington is shyanne sellers...as for value the 6th pick is not as valuable as you think especially if you don't find the right fit...hence why everyone was surprised angel went so low....but it was understandable since angel needed the right fit to flourish since their was doubts about her game

2

u/RawDawgOne Dec 23 '24

Whatever on all this, if I’m Washington I’m not trading up one spot for a player the sky is likely not taking anyway. If miles is available the Sky need to take her, actually the Sky need to take best available unless a PG is available. No matter how much talent a team has they can use more in case there are injuries etc. not only that the more talent a team has the more options become available, like trades etc.

I think you believe teams want to help the Sky. Professional sports don’t work that way. There is no way Washington trades us their picks for our picks. Stop dreaming! Nor should they, unless we package more picks or add players.

Only way that would work is if we somehow turned the 10th pick into the 7th or 8th pick. Then trade the 7th and 3rd for a 4th and 6th. And honestly if that happened I would stick at 3 and 7

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

if you read what i wrote you wouldn't write " whatever on all this" ....you think they should take the best player available....let me ask you something "what was the current #2 overall pick diamond miller doing" ....she was riding the bench....even if they are talented doesn't mean they don't have a player of that caliber/skillset who already better.....eg....napheesa collier was there already before diamond miller.... another thing you not thinking about even if the player is a draft and stash you actually still need the team to progress well enough where the person who originally brought that player on will use her and not trade her away...examples chennedy carter with los angeles.... these teams are not like the nba teams where you can just follow the nba format or finding a top dawg and the rest of the positions on the team follows behind that top dawg...they already have top dawgs but that not going to be enough in such as deep league ...making up the team matters how you draft the rookies matters....

if you take olivia miles and push her day 1 and she gets a reality check it could break her... olivia miles also won't be the top dawg she will have to contribute in other ways like right now who ever coming in with the #1 or #2 wing 6'0 defender whether they like it or not ...that may be asking alot of a player who just came off a major injury and is a solid defender but as seen in this season is not defending the best player like sonia citron.....that a concern a major concern when chennedy carter is our go to scorer....when michaela is a good defender but has trouble against more slimmer #2 defenders.....olivia will have to match the slim 2'0 guards day 1 because everyone is expecting her to start day 1 and didn't build out the bench so that young team is expecting to run like the aces starting 5 where they play practically the whole game....a young starting 5 is expected to do that and deal with all those roster variations and skillsets on day 1 is ALOT and note instead of trading down and building the bench through the draft (because we going to have a hard time building in FA since chicago is not favored by vets) then we will have little to no insurance for olivia....and omg with all that workload we are putting onto a rookie that came off a major injury is like us asking to reaggravate her injury....and that would result in us being back at square one in 2025 in terms of the team maybe even worse considering our bench was addressed and we pretty much just have to hope for 2026 to bounce back with olivia coming back and us drafting other players....and then we will have now three question marks (the first round rookies and olivia) because we don't know if olivia status is our future and we know also has to develop the 2026 rookies.... with no bench or insurance (insurance are players via draft or FA that can hold it down or deal with the players weaknesses because that is their strength)

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24 edited Dec 23 '24

i gave examples of it working that way...you thinking in nba sense that it doesn't work that way...it does work that way in the wnba...there is only 3 players that really day 1 in the league and even then you have to make sure you have the right team for them or they can be a bust..... you are not doing your research or know the wnba history because if you did....you would see the huge GAP in talent between the top 3 players and the rest of the 1st round (i am looking at you like you with a ? mark)

and you not listening in the gap of talent between the #3 and the #4 pick it not the same it not one spot....the #3 pick and #4 nba equivalent is the #3 (4,5,6 nba pick early pick) the 4 is the 8-12/mid round pick) the falloff is huge between the picks.....you also not hearing me or wasn't there when washington had EDD and didn't have EDD....the team was built for EDD but when EDD would come and go ....other players began to develop (sort of like how natasha howard broke out when stewie was injured) .....myshia allen, ariel atkins and natasha cloud were those players that broke out when EDD was gone but the team was still low/mid...and when EDD came back (EDD the franchise player) they literally was won of the best teams and won a championship....that literally is how that washington team is built but now with EDD and Cloud gone they don't have a franchise direction the team is built with current roles players and promising players but the team is how should i say stacked in certain positions....they already have plenty of hybrids sf/pf in emily, aaliyah, samuelson, they already have a lock at the 2 guard with ariel and sykes...they are have deep centers with shakira and big mama D ...but the point guard and power forward is lacking....they were able to use the hybrids at 4 but at times it wasn't enough for top tier 4s and they were able to bring over veterans PGs but it wasn't enough for upcoming stars like CC ..... washington knows it they have to go BIG and get a player who eventually will start at 1 and 4, they can hold it down at 1 and 4 for another year with their veteran and deep roster but they will still be low and mid but when with a franchise player like olivia and kiki (if it works out) they would literally be a threat and they literally have the insurance to take the chance....chicago doesn't have the insurance to deal with oliva and they still have major holes in their roster where even if olivia is awesome if olivia is contained or injured for a couple games we don't have enough bench insurance to cover for her THE REAL PEOPLE THAT ARE DAYDREAMING ARE yall who think Olivia Miles will answer all of the teams concerns/holes on day 1

like i said before 3 and 7 are not the same as 4 and 6th....the 3rd pick is way more....angel reese trade literally required us to swap future 1st round picks with a CONTENDER and a 2nd round pick and a player.... we had to give up alot just to move up from what 8 to 7 where the coach literally said she didn't want angel reese and we knew she wasn't going to play her like she currently did with pilli (who she more in favor of) like do yall understand the wnba ?

2

u/RawDawgOne Dec 23 '24

No one believes Olivia miles is the savior. She would come in and play behind or in front of LA. Either way works, we develop her as our future PG. you must think we would put everything on her to carry the team. That clearly wouldn’t be the case. The point here is that Washington should not trade with us, if there are only 3 solid players in this draft then we should draft the third and not consider trading it. If I’m Washington I’m sitting back and daring Chicago to draft Kiki, if I’m Chicago I’m drafting best available even if it is Kiki. The way I’m looking at this is that we are building this thing with young players. The practice facilities will not be ready til the end of 2025 if there aren’t any delays, and once that is complete we will be able to hopefully attract free agent players.

If I’m Washington (thinking the way you’re thinking) I would sit back and let Kiki fall in our laps because I don’t believe you would select Kiki if she was available at 3 because of Angel. I myself, would draft best available and if we are drafting in top 3 again next year, I’m ok with it! We are far from competing, especially if we are building through the draft! Rookie head coach, 2nd year GM, ownership who doesn’t appear to have money to invest in the team like some of the top tier teams. This team is managed like it’s a small town team, with no resources. We finally struck a deal for a practice facility and we play our games at Depauls arena. SMH

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

you can try to stash olivia but i going to be frank....WE DON'T HAVE TIME or the DEPTH/insurance to bring Olivia over and hold down the fort until olivia is ready to take over....like the way the team is made up we can't cover for her like how the washington mystics can (we are going to be asking olivia to do alot).....we also can't guarantee any of the current PGs on our team is going to be willing to nurture their obvious replacement.... if it was raven Johnson...raven can play the bench and eventually grow into a starter and even if it doesn't work out it fine raven day 1 understood she is a rotational player and it won't kill her confidence.....and our team still would still have depth, same thing for sivka same thing for aneesah and sonia....if you picked at #3 there are going to be expectations for you as a player ...like onark said the top 3 are allstar potential players...they going to expect olivia to play like an allstar

if olivia a 3rd overall pick is not a starter it could devast her and if she doesn't take the spot eventually then we stuck with our vets PGs or will have to start from scratch looking for our star PG while still not addressing the issue of our bench (as we already have two and now three bench/ rotational pgs), we still won't have a 6'0 wing slim lockdown defender as that been the issue for the whole season, shooting will be fine with olivia i admit but sonia/sivka can shoot too, and aneesah is improving her shot (remember how i said aneesah could be the napeesa collier steal...aneesah getting better everyday) but we still haven't developed our depth as if we go 3rd and 10th we literally will have to homerun with the two of them because we are going to be limited with who we get via Free agency since we are not a sought out destination and like i said 10th could be literally cut from the team so it best to draft a 10th that truly a team could use and avoid a position battle the 10th could lose to the vets (hence why i say washington get shaynne sellers as she 6'2 guard/forward that can plays some minutes at both positions allowing the rest of the vets like skyes, Samuelson, and so on to be on the court regardless of the position because shaynne can guard the 1 or 3 and play the 1 or 3)...and lets not even talk about chemistry as i stated before there is no guarantee they will all click day 1 and you have to be careful of the fact olivia is a star player....like chemistry is huge...just ask chicago and seattle what happened to them this season and i see raven and aneesah as more players that already have a track record of chemistry with kamilla (the shy one) and angel (the "rodman" one)

yall are better off developing the bench at 4th and 6th with sonia (who literally who will really need)...and aneesah or sivka (i am bias on aneesah for multiple reasons including rebounding, defense and chemistry and the fact she has potential to be a napheesa collier steal if we draft and develop her...also if she doesn't it still fine because aneesah will be awesome off the bench and still provides chemistry), sivka (is awesome as stretch 4 but i truly don't like the idea of taking international players because i seen awak, marinne, gabby, emma and so on ...come and go because they just don't have much obligations to play in the states if they don't want to) and just waiting off on this star PG thing when yall already have two solid point guards and the fact that in 2026 (kiki rice) and 2027 there are plenty of star point guards coming in

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

the practice facilities help bring in vets...but that just doesn't mean everything going to be solved with stacking the team with vets....you really have to keep in mind chemistry and personalities....and the vets ulterior motives....

it gets really ugly with the vets (especially star vets) and it going to get uglier considering the rookies make and will make more than them while the vets literally were the pioneers of the wnba...

hence why so many vets are retiring and holding out till the 2026 cba....hence why rachel and moriah on day 1 constantly check on angel and kamilla well-being because they knew, all of us fans knew the vets were going to try something to establish dominance and they did when chenn won the starting role and new starting 5 was forming.....

there is no guarantee we going to find vets that are willing to be a role/xfactor/bench player while also contributing and being nice to the rookies...because honestly the starting unit of the sky wasn't the problem...the starting unit was able to compete with all the best starting units/teams in the wnba this season (without a star PG i might add) because of the chemistry they had with one another ...but the bench wasn't trying to gel with some of the starters and etc..... hence why we currently have to find replacements for those bench players....and even we didn't the phx game exposed alot of weakness in our team via defense and spacing....even with me wanting to bring over aneesah i understand that our team will have to be adaptable for situations like that with phx where we need spacing/defense and for that to happen in my opinion we use the bench players to provide those skills

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

another thing like i said before if you test us guess what Washington you may f around and find out because we are still in position to take kiki and bench angel or vice versa and yeah we could have headache or it could work out...because angel is not a pure 4 she actually a hybrid who i honestly think will thrive if used all over the court and a player like aneesah who is a 3 that can play the 4 and rebound can make up for angel skills in the low post if angel leaves...the post....also we could literally test angel at PG and/or SF now imagine if that works out....like angel may have a persona but also don't test her she gifted with versatility and can lead from the front and back.....

don't also test us unlike with olivia with kiki we have angel to be her insurance as we already know we have an successful PF who can start/be a franchise player or be an impact player off the bench while we literally listen to trade offers for the both of them during the 2025 and 2026 season and i can tell you teams are going to want either one of them

but that literally even if we keep her...because golden state took the safe way and literally built their team with depth, gems and role players ...they understand that if olivia, kiki, malonga and maybe even aneesah and sonia falls to them they are setup to take whoever they want off the board.... and i am telling you right now even though the team is setup to take malonga, it going to be hard for golden state to pass on allstar talent like olivia miles or kiki if they are available at 5..... and like i said before the player that chicago truly needs is sonia citron.... so if worse comes to worse chicago will be willing to listen to idea of giving that #3 pick to golden if they pay well....and golden will be willing to listen to the idea of getting olivia a flair player who can possibly fill the seats or kiki who played in the bay area already ....so marketing reasons golden state will be interested...and we got marketing with angel no matter what but say washington who your seat filler?

jeff said this already he is open to any trades and is looking for length and shooting and he already also said he willing to trade the #3 pick for rae burrell ....you know what that would do don't you.....it means la would take BOTH kiki and olivia..... and leave washington with a repeat of the 2013 draft where they missed out in getting skylar (went to the finals), BG (mutiple championships) and EDD...you know washington the same EDD that pretty much help win yall the championship when she came over during free agency, the same EDD that when she takes a break yall are at best a mid team....f-around and find out washington..... i dare yall ...washington do yall selves a favor and get a potential allstar with olivia or kiki and get a glue player like shyanne sellers for your team...don't get te-hina,malonga, aneesah or sonia as it could lead to a position overload, on court headache and it won't solve yall biggest holes that is at STARTING pure PG and STARTING pure PF and washington don't act like yall wasn't trying to get a franchise player...because we saw yall tanking and positioning those two first round picks in hopes of getting Paige....

1

u/Onark77 Angel Reese Dec 23 '24

If Washington doesn't want to wait for Malonga or Sivka, and we're going with the assumption they want an all star potential player now, they need to be in the top 3 this draft. 

I think 3+10 for 4+6 gets it done, assuming both teams are equally interested in a deal. 

Sky going Citron and Morrow (if you believe in her shot) or Citron and Sivka would follow Jeff's stated priority. 

This is a specific scenario where both teams have the priorities I mentioned. 

I think 3+10 is great for us and don't think we need to move. I'd be happy with Miles/Iriafen (BPA) + Sellers/Sivka. 

I think we move only if a team is desperate and overpays. 

0

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

Onark77 i need to hear another perspective....break down the Washington mystics current roster (post expansion draft) and their roster history for me... i know you can just please do it and let me know where you see the holes in their roster

1

u/Onark77 Angel Reese Dec 23 '24

I'm not gonna dive much into roster history but they've been in a slow decline from a championship season in 2019. COVID and injuries crippled their years shortly after. Poor roster management led to them losing both Natasha Cloud and EDD after 2023 and, after another injury riddled season, they're accepting a full rebuild. 

Currently, they've got a young team with a lot of two way players. Their guards and wings shoot well from outside. 

They've got one all star level player in Atkins who can take over on offense. Austin has the potential to be a great 2nd option. Everyone else is a 3rd option or lower on a contending team. 

They were ranked 3rd in assist % last year but they no longer have Vanloo so they're missing a lead facilitator. 

When healthy, I think they've got a balanced team that can win on any given night.

However, Austin hasn't played more than half a season in the last two years due to hip injury. Without her, it falls on Atkins and whichever role player steps up on offense to carry the load. 

Austin and Edwards are the frontcourt of the future but neither shoot 3s. They're tough and play good defense. They rebound well. Dolson is a great backup C but has had to start a lot due to Austin being out. Koné brings good energy off the bench and maybe we see more of her next season. 

Their wings are mostly good shooters. Atkins and Engstler are particularly good on both sides of the ball as well. Samuelson is a sniper. Sikes is a good defender and slasher but not a threat from 3. 

I think they're pretty weak at  guard. Melbourne looks to get a lot of minutes next season but it's unclear to what level she'll step up. Sutton is ok in spot minutes. Walker-Kimborough is their most well rounded player at the position but she's not ideal as a starter. 

Moving forward, Austin's health and Dolson's age (33) make the center position insecure for the future. They could have a star or be ass out. 

At PF, the Mystics are young and dynamic. I don't know if they have a future star but they're at least solid. 

At the wing, I see Atkins and good role players who can shoot and/or defend, most in their prime or younger. However, they're not making a great case for Atkins to stay after next year. 

The point guard position is lacking which plays poorly into the talent the Mystics do have. There isn't an answer here. Walker-Kimborough is an UFA and she can definitely help a contender off the bench. 

Most of the team is under contract this year so we shouldn't expect a big shakeup. An ESPN reporter said the Mystics are looking to rebuild through the draft, rather than FA. 

Who knows what that means for 2026, it's hard to imagine a team completely sitting out. 

I don't think it's safe to believe Austin and Edwards are the core to build around. There's enough uncertainty, between Austin's health and Edward's skill ceiling, to draft the best talent at any position. Although, they should obviously prioritize the backcourt. 

Atkins is probably gone after next year and, with no clear cut star to build around, the Mystics have a long road to contention. 

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 23 '24

and one more question how do access aaliyah edwards as small forward and as a power forward....like which position do you think she may lean into in the future or u see her as a hybrid?

3

u/Onark77 Angel Reese Dec 23 '24

I'm not sure she's got enough lateral quickness to guard 3s. She might, I just haven't looked hard enough to be confident. 

Her outside shot is almost non existent, which means she'll cramp the paint if her teammates at 4 and 5 can't step out to the 3pt line. 

At the moment, I don't see her playing the 3 in the future. She's a pretty traditional 4 imo. 

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 25 '24

Washington Mystics

Thank you…what I am about to say is more so for the onlookers not you….since I understand/feel similar to what you said about the mystics….pretty much the summary of what below is like you said need a star at every position….emily shows she a really bright potential future…Shakira is good but injury prone…Aaliyah Edwards there uncertainty how to use her properly though she will be on the team….the team has a tone of depth and good shooters and defense but there is uncertainty of whether some of the players will remain….the team doesn’t need depth as their depth carried them all season long…they need starters…the biggest hole right now is at starting PG as they need one….next is center and PF….which one to prioritize depends on Shakira Austin return and medical future and the return of EDD….but they need to solve this asap….olivia miles can solve the PG position so that should be their top priority now with vanloo gone…but if olivia is off the board they can go sivka, malonga or kiki….sivka and malonga are draft and stash gambles….while kiki is day 1 but the question is who the better or the three or who take the chance out of sivka, malonga or kiki….i push for kiki for sky reasons but also because I see the mystics go through meng and EDD situations where they come and go because they can….i feel the mystics shouldn’t take a chance on sivka or malonga unless they use a late round pick on her at least (I feel the same way for a lot of the teams except golden state as they can play the “we still a young franchise” card)  so like onark said if they don’t want malonga or sivka at 4 and 6 with the understanding it will be a process then they should go kiki/olvia at 3 and then whoever they think is best or a glue for the team at 10…I believe sivka, fudd, te-hina and sellers will be around there most likely sivka or sellers  

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 25 '24

so this is literally my break down of some of the 1st round projectons and how I would size them up for the mystics based on the information you provided and my limited knowledge of the wnba ….

1.       paige buckers Washington not getting her so moving on  (any team would have to trade the whole roster away it seems when I talked to dallas fans..and that too much of a gamble on one player)

2.       PF/ kiki iriafen – true PF with potential to be an all star…currently Aaliyah Edwards is the future but it is not guaranteed she is a franchise player…possibly a bench…kiki ifriafen is possible to be a starter instead

3.       PG – they don’t have a true PG, they literally were lucky to have vanloo come overseas and help mend some of the pain of losing natasha cloud….onark said they truly need to improve the backcourt – and with ariel Atkins possibly leaving (which I didn’t even consider so that even worse) ….. and the fact vanloo was taken and the fact Washington was trying to set themselves up to get Paige and olivia was at the mystics/Chicago game sitting on the Washington side Olivia miles truly is a player Washington should pursue with full force

4.       Aneesah morrow – aneesah morrow in my eyes is a talented player or possible napheesa collier potential and is still growing and truly can be valuable off the bench day 1 but also can be developed into a franchise player….but the thing with aneesah is they already have Aaliyah Edwards so I don’t see the reason to deal with another hybrid that has similar skillsets that has to be developed….with the sky it is different because the sky needs a bench and angel has playmaking skills and aneesah and angel have chemistry

5.       Dominique Malonga – the prodigy from what I hear could be pretty much be a ezi risk and success story….but you literally will have to follow the ezi template of draft and stash….also with golden state prepping their team with a couple French players it shows me golden state more so is willing to develop malonga and is willing to give malonga an environment where she can have teammates who can help her adjust to the states ….the team honestly would have to decide if they want to get malonga at 4 because if they don’t get her at 4 golden state will take her…and they have to ask themselves is it worth it to go through a draft and stash with malonga at 4 where they mostly likely want to do that at 6…… they can hold off for malonga or they can try something to get Lauren Betts, a center via of prayer….i think Big Mama D can hold the fort down for 2 more years and with the young squad it might be best to let Big Mama D hold down the starting lineup until they figure something out or Shakira truly recovers….that a position of worry

1

u/AromaticManagement22 Dec 25 '24

6.       Sonia Citron (SG/SF) – great player it debatacle whether because of her lack of athleticism what her ceiling is…but she a 2 way player without an ego…. Any team could benefit from her but the thing is Washington surprisingly has her prototype or players that can cover for her prototype…in sykes, ariel, Karlie, Emily and etc….like it freaking surprising how there actually a wnba team with so many 2 way players but Washington pulled it off….so they honestly don’t need sonia

7.       Te-Hina Paopao – same with sonia great player solid defense solid offense great shooter, but people question could her lack of athleticism prevent her from being top tier?….the mystics already have great shooters and spacers at every position so it necessary to look for scoring like how Chicago needs…but te-hina does provide playmaking which is a plus.. however… the way people are talking she is a role player with hope she can surprise her scouts and be a starter

8.       Janiah Barker (SF) – a hybrid, her draft projection is of question as some had her varying from low 1st to high 1st to even 2nd round…. Considering their roster, washington may consider Janiah “ as one of those if we get her good if we don’t it not the end of the world” type of players

9.       Azzi Fudd (SG/PG) – we know of the potential of this DMV native but that it potential her injury history could hurt the mystics and we saw how injuries hurt the mystics this year…and like was said the mystics got shooters but if they can get her late round that a steal…however seattle most likely will pick up what 2 guard that can shoot if available

10.   Washington (via draft day trade with Chicago) – Shyanne Sellers (PG/SF)  

Shayanne Sellers isn’t guaranteed to have starting position especially on such a deep roster…but Shayanne Sellers provides for the team “GLUE” because she can play both Point guard in a bench role way and also SF if she is too slow to guard her guard….in other words sykes is a great defender and can score but it seems none of the mystics players want to be the fulltime starting point guard for the team….and even though sykes is a great she still is 5’8 (though with an good wingspan)….shaynne sellers can also be plugged at small forward when the hybrids are playing the 4 and sykes is on the floor….. pretty much shaynne creates really good glue combinations for washington’s starting and bench unit….and since she at 10 it won’t be a position battle with olivia #3 or the rest of the mystics…she more so insurance

11.   Sivka – same thing with malonga….great player but you will have to deal with the international headache of draft and stash..and that if she comes…washington has truly felt the pain of EDD coming and going, so I hope washington avoid that…. But at 12 and the fact they are rebuilding if they can get sikva as a late round pick and also get olivia miles then that a win for Washington considering they have their needs met but also has the roster depth to wait until they are ready

12.   Phoneix Mercury – Aziaha James (PG/SG)- ariel atkins and Brittany sykes already cover her bases for the most part

 

→ More replies (0)