Post by pilight on Apr 24, 2024 21:17:53 GMT -5
Which draft has the most games played by its players? Well, you already know the answer, but how to the other drafts stack up? Let's see...
The drafts in yellow still have active player(s). 2008 is as high as it's likely to get. Only Candace Parker remains and she doesn't have 700+ games left in her body.
2004 is also unlikely to get higher, though Diana Taurasi having 200 more games left than Parker wouldn't be the most shocking thing in the world.
2011 is just Sloot, Colson, and maybe the return of Danielle Robinson. That might get them past 1998.
2009 is just Bonner and the possibility of McCoughtry coming back. They're likely topped out.
Below that the drafts have more players remaining so there's much more volatility.
That tells us a little about the strength of drafts, but what about depth? I decided to check how many players from each draft have played 100 or more games...
The least recent draft to have a current player under 100 is 2017, so consider any draft before that locked in place.
I was curious how the #1 picks fared in their class in terms of games played. Turns out, every #1 is in the top 10 of her class. The #1 picks in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2023 (tied) have most games played in their class. For the rest
1998 Margo Dydek is 4th at 323 games. Tangela Smith had the most at 463.
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw is 8th at 279 games. Delisha Milton had the most at 499.
2000 Ann Wauters is 5th at 220 games. Helen Darling had the most at 322.
2001 Lauren Jackson is 8th at 317 games. Tamika Catchings had the most at 457.
2003 LaToya Thomas is 6th at 150 games. Plenette Pierson had the most at 444.
2005 Janel McCarville is 7th with 286 games. Tanisha Wright had the most at 457.
2006 Seimone Augustus is 4th with 391 games. Candice Dupree had the most at 494.
2007 Lindsey Harding is 5th with 270 games. Camille Little had the most at 431.
2009 Angel McCoughtry is 8th with 311 games. Dewanna Bonner has the most at 462.
2011 Maya Moore is 5th with 271 games. Courtney Vandersloot has the most at 398.
2013 Brittney Griner is 2nd with 285 games. Tianna Hawkins has the most at 297.
2014 Chiney Ogwumike is 10th with 170 games. Natasha Howard has the most at 309.
2016 Breanna Stewart is 5th with 223 games. Kahleah Copper has the most at 254.
2017 Kelsey Plum is 3rd with 197 games. Brittney Sykes has the most at 222.
2018 A'ja Wilson is 2nd with 189 games. Kelsey Mitchell has the most at 193.
2020 Sabrina Ionescu is 3rd with 105 games. Tyasha Harris has the most at 128.
2021 Charli Collier is tied for 6th with 45 games. Michaela Onyenwere has the most at 106.
2022 Rhyne Howard is 3rd with 73 games. Veronica Burton has the most at 76.
2023 Aliyah Boston is tied with Haley Jones and Kadi Sissoko for the most with 40 games.
The drafts in yellow still have active player(s). 2008 is as high as it's likely to get. Only Candace Parker remains and she doesn't have 700+ games left in her body.
2004 is also unlikely to get higher, though Diana Taurasi having 200 more games left than Parker wouldn't be the most shocking thing in the world.
2011 is just Sloot, Colson, and maybe the return of Danielle Robinson. That might get them past 1998.
2009 is just Bonner and the possibility of McCoughtry coming back. They're likely topped out.
Below that the drafts have more players remaining so there's much more volatility.
That tells us a little about the strength of drafts, but what about depth? I decided to check how many players from each draft have played 100 or more games...
The least recent draft to have a current player under 100 is 2017, so consider any draft before that locked in place.
I was curious how the #1 picks fared in their class in terms of games played. Turns out, every #1 is in the top 10 of her class. The #1 picks in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2023 (tied) have most games played in their class. For the rest
1998 Margo Dydek is 4th at 323 games. Tangela Smith had the most at 463.
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw is 8th at 279 games. Delisha Milton had the most at 499.
2000 Ann Wauters is 5th at 220 games. Helen Darling had the most at 322.
2001 Lauren Jackson is 8th at 317 games. Tamika Catchings had the most at 457.
2003 LaToya Thomas is 6th at 150 games. Plenette Pierson had the most at 444.
2005 Janel McCarville is 7th with 286 games. Tanisha Wright had the most at 457.
2006 Seimone Augustus is 4th with 391 games. Candice Dupree had the most at 494.
2007 Lindsey Harding is 5th with 270 games. Camille Little had the most at 431.
2009 Angel McCoughtry is 8th with 311 games. Dewanna Bonner has the most at 462.
2011 Maya Moore is 5th with 271 games. Courtney Vandersloot has the most at 398.
2013 Brittney Griner is 2nd with 285 games. Tianna Hawkins has the most at 297.
2014 Chiney Ogwumike is 10th with 170 games. Natasha Howard has the most at 309.
2016 Breanna Stewart is 5th with 223 games. Kahleah Copper has the most at 254.
2017 Kelsey Plum is 3rd with 197 games. Brittney Sykes has the most at 222.
2018 A'ja Wilson is 2nd with 189 games. Kelsey Mitchell has the most at 193.
2020 Sabrina Ionescu is 3rd with 105 games. Tyasha Harris has the most at 128.
2021 Charli Collier is tied for 6th with 45 games. Michaela Onyenwere has the most at 106.
2022 Rhyne Howard is 3rd with 73 games. Veronica Burton has the most at 76.
2023 Aliyah Boston is tied with Haley Jones and Kadi Sissoko for the most with 40 games.
