2023 WNBA Draft: Will Diamond Miller be a member of the Minnesota Lynx?

Right here is the pool of gamers the Minnesota Lynx will likely be contemplating for his or her 2023 roster:

• Napheesa Collier, beginning PF ($202,154)
• Kayla McBride, beginning SG ($201,984)
• Aerial Powers, beginning SF ($201,984)
• No. 2 choose ($74,305)
• Jessica Shepard, beginning C ($120,000)
• Tiffany Mitchell, second SG ($135,000)
• No. 12 choose ($68,295)
• Natalie Achonwa, second C ($155,100)
• Bridget Carleton, third SF ($91,000)
• Nikolina Milić, second PF ($90,000)
• Rachel Banham, beginning PG ($74,305)
• Lindsay Allen, second PG ($74,305)
• Damiris Dantas, third PF ($74,305)
• Stephanie Watts, third SG ($62,285)
• No. 16 choose ($65,290)
• Kiana Williams, third PG ($62,285)
• No. 24 choose ($65,290)
• Maya Dodson, third C ($62,285)
• No. 28 choose ($62,285)

Diamond Miller (Maryland) appears to be the consensus No. 2 choose at this level, and what a participant the Lynx could be getting. She’s one of the best athlete within the 2023 draft class, with a WNBA-ready physique. It begins on the defensive finish for her together with her size and love of stepping into passing lanes or poking the ball away from the participant she’s guarding. She will be able to then get out in transition with lengthy strides and wreak havoc.

Miller’s ball-handling has improved and the sky is the restrict for her is she will watch movie of Kevin Durant and mainly do precisely what he does. As a result of she has the dimensions at 6-foot-3 and the athleticism to have the impression on the perimeter that Durant has within the NBA. Proper now she’s extra of a spin to the basket and end with a scoop layup sort of offensive participant. But when she will proceed to enhance her ball-handling and switch right into a three-level leap shooter, she could possibly be like Durant. Her 3-point taking pictures was good throughout her sophomore yr (38 makes at a 35.5 % clip) and respectable for her profession (30.3 %), however was not so scorching throughout her senior yr (22 %).

It’s seemingly that the Lynx will take Miller at No. 2 as an alternative of addressing changing heart Sylvia Fowles (retired) or level guard Moriah Jefferson (signed with Mercury in free company). This implies they might want to tackle the middle and level guard positions later within the draft. Proper now it seems that Jessica Shepard, a real energy ahead, could also be their beginning heart, and that Rachel Banham, somebody you may want off-ball to shoot threes, could also be their place to begin guard.

To get to a real heart within the Lynx’s pool of gamers, it’s a must to go all the way in which right down to Maya Dodson, a No. 26 choose with no WNBA expertise who would solely make the workforce to fill that positional want. To get to a real level guard, it’s a must to go right down to Lindsay Allen, who’s a strong WNBA contributor, however Minnesota might wish to do higher than that. 2021 nationwide champion from the Stanford Cardinal, Kiana Williams has extra upside as a scorer than Allen and is a real level guard. However she was a No. 18 choose and hasn’t had a lot success within the WNBA to this point.

For the reason that Lynx want BOTH a middle and some extent guard, they could wish to preserve each the No. 12 and No. 16 picks. To be able to do this, they’d have to let go of Shepard, Nikolina Milić or Banham since everybody else is both the workforce’s greatest participant in Napheesa Collier or on a assured contract. That’s except they commerce Natalie Achonwa’s costly contract to maneuver up within the draft and get a fair higher heart or level guard prospect, which might be what they need to do.

However let’s say they don’t commerce Achonwa. I personally suppose Shepard and Banham are transfer useful than Milić, who’s the one a kind of three I’d be prepared to surrender. However let’s say they don’t eliminate Milić both and solely preserve picks No. 2 and No. 12. At No. 12, I feel the wants for heart and level guard are equally nice. So who’re come facilities and level guards they could take?

ESPN has heart Aliyah Boston (South Carolina) going at No. 1 and heart Stephanie Soares (Iowa State) going at No. 4. They’ve Maia Hirsch (France) and Monika Czinano (Iowa) as one of the best out there facilities at No. 12.

Hirsch wouldn’t be a nasty comfort to Soares. At 6-foot-5, she is simply an inch shorter than Soares, and she or he shares Soares’ 3-point taking pictures skill.

Highlights: Maia Hirsch

Czinano is the famed partner-in-crime of NCAA Nationwide Participant of the 12 months Caitlin Clark. She is understood for getting nice place within the paint and barely dribbling on her technique to layups. She is extremely environment friendly (67 % profession discipline aim proportion), however is a bit undersized for a 5 within the WNBA at 6-foot-3. Czinano is from Watertown, Minnesota, which is about 40 minutes west of Minneapolis.

If Indiana level guard Grace Berger (No. 9 choose in ESPN’s mock draft) falls to No. 12, she could be possibility. ESPN has LSU level guard Alexis Morris out there at No. 12 and Morris is an electrical scorer who additionally averaged a career-best 4.1 assists per sport as a senior.