I think that Courtney Williams will start at PG and Kayla McBride at SG, with Hiedeman backing both of them up. Miller will be the starting SF, with Carleton backing her up. Collier is obviously the starting PF, and I think that Smith will probably start at Center, with Dorka as the backup at both positions. Since Shephard isn’t playing in the WNBA this summer, and since Banham and Lindsay Allen have both signed with other teams, they will need to sign at least one other big (perhaps Hirsch, if she comes over) and probably another guard, though there should be enough guards available when they pick at 7 that they may choose to solidify the backcourt through the draft. That gets them to 10 players, with one more needed to complete the roster. It looks like they will be competitive, though as Clay said, not quite at Las Vegas’ or New York’s level.
This is ancient history, but Ceci was the number 4 rated prospect in the Hoopgurlz Recruiting Rankings for 2015. She was also the number 2 rated Wing, behind only Katie Lou Samuelson. From her time with the Lynx, I remember her as not only a good outside shooter, but pretty athletic as well, with great size for the position.
wonder why now for Zandalasini returning to the W. regardless of the reasoning, she’d be an instant contributor for the Lynx – especially assuming she’s improved since 2018.
Carleton and her unprotected deal better be careful at the season’s midpoint upon contracts getting guaranteed…
We did improve our PG play by getting both CWill and Hiedeman. Also much better defensive guards than what we had. I liked TMitch as a player but she didn’t really fit the team that we had constructed and then forced to play PG didn’t work.
Smith is an upgrade from Shepard on paper rn. Much better shooter who can space the floor for Phee downlow. Also solid defender.
If Ceci comes over, I’ll be thrilled. Reeve and Duwelius are certainly trying to get more athletic and more shooting.
Now we still need a center IMO and I wouldn’t mind if we found a young PG. I am not opposed to moving the 7th pick to someone if we are able to get a good return. Interested in what is the next step.
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
i could see the Lynx as-is overachieving into a Top-4 finish, but not a Top-2. they need to make one more solid acquisition imo.
with all the middling free agent centers still out there, i can see the strategy being to wait it out until they can get someone they like on the cheap. Stef Dolson for example on a regular contract is less than ideal, but on a training camp deal… 🤔
and that’s why i agree with you that the Lynx could trade the #7. no PGs really worth taking maybe, and it doesn’t make sense to take a center with Juhász already there.
I am not sure if Te-Hina Pao Pao is coming out, but is she does, she is a great shooter who also knows how to operate an offense, and Reeve could work with her on her defense. I think that she's worth taking a look at, and if she declares, she should be available when the Lynx draft at 7. Jacy Sheldon and Charisma Osborne both need to come out, and Osborne at least will probably be available at 7. (Sheldon may also be available, especially if Dallas uses the 5th pick on an international prospect like Pouch, but I'm less certain of that.) Anyway, while neither Sheldon nor Osborne are PGs, Sheldon definitely knows how to operate a two-player pick-and-roll, and Osborne is currently averaging 4.3 assists against 2 turnovers. I think that both could help out with the flow of the offense, both are much better defenders than Pao Pao, and either could add some needed youth to a veteran-heavy Lynx guard corps. Sheldon in particular is also a very good shooter, and even Osborne has shown a great deal of improvement in that area, despite cooling down a little from her torrid pace at the start of the year. I think that both would be worth a look if available, though of the two, I prefer Sheldon. Charlisse Leger-Walker is probably returning to school, but she is an excellent passer and would also have been worth a look but for her injury. Finally, while pick number 7 is way too early to draft her, I really like Nika Muhl. If the Lynx could get something decent for trading down, and if they were pretty certain of getting Muhl at the spot to which they traded down, then perhaps that would be worth considering. Anyway, those are guards that I'd think about drafting if I were Lynx management.
i wouldn’t take any non-PG at #7 overall if the need is PG, but that’s just me. if by that time the Lynx are looking for a defense-oriented guard or even just a two-way guard plain & simple, different story. Paopao at 7 is plausible, but because she’s a so-so defender at best, i’m just not sure she’d be a good fit. Muhl at 7 seems like a clear reach, especially as she appears to have a very low ceiling, but if they think she has a higher-than-average floor, then maybe. or maybe they think they’d be able to get her in the second round, which is what i’d think.
Charlisse Leger-Walker is probably returning to school, but she is an excellent passer and would also have been worth a look but for her injury.
she is not returning to school, the press release re: her season-ending injuries mentioned this would be it for her. she’d be a deferral pick this year for a team, so for that reason alone i think she’ll still get drafted. needless to say though, one wouldn’t consider taking her #7 overall anymore.
I am not sure if Te-Hina Pao Pao is coming out, but is she does, she is a great shooter who also knows how to operate an offense, and Reeve could work with her on her defense. I think that she's worth taking a look at, and if she declares, she should be available when the Lynx draft at 7. Jacy Sheldon and Charisma Osborne both need to come out, and Osborne at least will probably be available at 7. (Sheldon may also be available, especially if Dallas uses the 5th pick on an international prospect like Pouch, but I'm less certain of that.) Anyway, while neither Sheldon nor Osborne are PGs, Sheldon definitely knows how to operate a two-player pick-and-roll, and Osborne is currently averaging 4.3 assists against 2 turnovers. I think that both could help out with the flow of the offense, both are much better defenders than Pao Pao, and either could add some needed youth to a veteran-heavy Lynx guard corps. Sheldon in particular is also a very good shooter, and even Osborne has shown a great deal of improvement in that area, despite cooling down a little from her torrid pace at the start of the year. I think that both would be worth a look if available, though of the two, I prefer Sheldon. Charlisse Leger-Walker is probably returning to school, but she is an excellent passer and would also have been worth a look but for her injury. Finally, while pick number 7 is way too early to draft her, I really like Nika Muhl. If the Lynx could get something decent for trading down, and if they were pretty certain of getting Muhl at the spot to which they traded down, then perhaps that would be worth considering. Anyway, those are guards that I'd think about drafting if I were Lynx management.
If South Carolina wins the championship, I think Paopao enters.
Jacy Sheldon has been playing very well recently and is probably a top 7 pick at this point.
Puoch isn't coming over this season, so she probably goes later than people are expecting.
Osborne's not a PG and is inconsistent with her shooting. Still a top ten pick though.
I'm not expecting any of the UCONN players to enter this year's draft.
i wouldn’t take any non-PG at #7 overall if the need is PG, but that’s just me. if by that time the Lynx are looking for a defense-oriented guard or even just a two-way guard plain & simple, different story. Paopao at 7 is plausible, but because she’s a so-so defender at best, i’m just not sure she’d be a good fit. Muhl at 7 seems like a clear reach, especially as she appears to have a very low ceiling, but if they think she has a higher-than-average floor, then maybe. or maybe they think they’d be able to get her in the second round, which is what i’d think.
I don't think the Lynx need to draft a PG, having just acquired both Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman. However, with only three backcourt players (Williams, Hiedeman, and McBride), they probably need to draft a guard of some kind. For that reason, I could see them drafting either Paopao, a PG, or Osborne, a SG, especially since both should be available at 7. Personally, I would prefer that they draft Sheldon if she's still available at 7, since I think that she's the most complete player on both sides of the ball. However, it's certainly possible that she'll be taken earlier, even if Dallas probably does need to draft an international player, or an injured player like Leger-Walker, with one of their first round picks.
Nika Muhl is someone that they could consider drafting, but as I said, only if they traded down since 7 is far too high for Muhl and they no longer have a second-round pick.
fwiw, i only mentioned “PG” as something for the Lynx to take at 7 since lynxmania mentioned it originally. but like i said, if the need by Draft Night for them is simply “guard depth”, then Sheldon or Osborne [in that order] is who to take.
other than re-signing Carleton, i like what the Lynx have done this year. barring injury, which hopefully not since the Lynx have had so many absences over the past 3-4 seasons or so, these should shape up to be good signings for the Lynx.
that said, i don’t root for the Lynx and so i hope they end up mediocre because none of the pieces will have meshed this year. 🙂