WNBA draft grades

Drafted No. 1 overall Caitlin Clark heads to the WNBA for its 2024 season and looks to continue to bring viewership and fans to the league. The league reached over 36 million viewers throughout the 2023 season, up 27 percent from the 2022 season.

Let’s take a look at how each team fared in the 2024 Draft.

Eastern Conference:

Atlanta Dream: C

Nyadiew Puoch (12), Isabel Borlase (20), Matilde Villa (32)

The Atlanta Dream drafted three players in this year's draft. They come off a season where they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

They selected three international players, all 19 years old and all not expected to play this season. After adding veteran players to their roster over the offseason, it is hard to predict how this draft class will perform because the team’s roster may look very different by the time they play in Atlanta.

Chicago Sky: A-

Kamilla Cardoso (3), Angel Reese (7), Brynna Maxwell (13)

The Sky drafted a power duo with Cardoso and Reese. Both players enter the league off of explosive SEC collegiate basketball careers.

They moved up one pick in the draft losing a 2025 second-round which could have future implications as next year’s draft features all the seniors with an extra year of pandemic eligibility.

Swapping a 2026 pick with Minnesota as well, the Sky look to rebuild this season and capitalize on the picks they traded up for to set up a deep playoff run.

Connecticut Sun: C-

Leïla Lacan (10), Taiyanna Jackson (19), Helena Pueyo (22), Abbey Hsu (34)

The Sun secured what they needed in this draft, a stronger backcourt.

Lacan plays in the French League club, Angers, and averages 13.1 points per game this season. It is too early to know if she will be able to join the team in Connecticut this season.

Hsu stands at 5 '11'’ and was a late draft pick who looks to contribute greatly to the team.

Indiana Fever: A

Caitlin Clark (1), Celeste Taylor (15), Leilani Correa (27)

With the first pick of the draft, the Fever selected Caitlin Clark. A once-in-a-lifetime player, Clark looks to bring the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.

Aliyah Boston joined the team last season and alongside Clark, another power WNBA duo was created.

New York Liberty: C-

Marquesha Davis (11), Esmery Martinez (17), Jessika Carter (23), Kaitlyn Davis (35)

The Liberty were knocked out in the championship series 3-1.

They lacked some physicality last season and that is a quality Martinez and Carter bring.

A roster with likely only one open roster spot, it will be interesting to see which draft selection makes the team.

Washington Mystics: B-

Aaliyah Edwards (6), Kaylynne Truong (21), Nastja Claessens (30)

Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Mystics look to make a deeper run with their new talent.

Edwards excelled throughout her tenure at UConn and brings an explosive offensive spark to the Mystics who had an offense averaging just 80.5 points per game.

Western Conference:

Dallas Wings: A-

Jacy Sheldon (5), Carla Leite (9), Ashley Owusu (33)

Losing in the semi-finals, to the eventual 2023 champions, Las Vegas Aces, the Wings look to enter the season better than last year.

They added an all-around player in Owusu who joins current Wings, Maddy Seigrist and Lou Lopez Sénéchal.

Sheldon is another young player who brings a 3-and-D mentality to a team that needed to pick up guards in this draft.

Las Vegas Aces: B+

Dyaisha Fair (16), Kate Martin (18), Elizabeth Kitley (24), Angel Jackson(36)

The reigning 2023 league champions picked up four players in the draft.

Fair finished this season at all-time third in NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring with 3,403 points. She also became the fastest player to score 1,000 points at Syracuse in women’s basketball history in 50 games following transferring from Buffalo in 2022.

Martin attended the draft without an official invitation in support of her teammate at Iowa, Caitlin Clark. Her authentic reaction to being drafted at No. 18 is incredible and shows how hard she has worked as a four-time captain at Iowa to be able to be given an opportunity to perform at the next level.

Los Angeles Sparks: B

Cameron Brink (2), Rickea Jackson (4), McKenzie Forbes (28)

The Sparks picked up the national defensive player of the year in Brink. Although there are some questions surrounding her fouling out twice in a row in the last two NCAA tournament games, she looks to be a player who can become the face of the franchise.

Jackson and Forbes are both players with excellent shot-making abilities who bring their talents to an offense that averaged 78.9 points per game last season.

Minnesota Lynx: A-

Alissa Pili (8), Kiki Jefferson (31)

The Lynx’s trade with Chicago sets them up for future success.

At Utah this past season, Pili averaged 21.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a game. She is a strong forward at 6’2” and provides defensive help in the paint and on the offensive end looks to power her way into the post and score over defenders.

Phoenix Mercury: C+

Charisma Osborne (25), Jaz Shelley (29)

Osborne was one of 15 players to receive a draft invitation, so it is lucky the Mercury were able to snag her.

Shelley averages a high 3-point percentage and is never afraid to take a shot.

Finishing last in the league in 2023, any addition to the roster will help the Mercury improve.

Seattle Storm: A

Nika Mühl (14), Mackenzie Holmes (26)

With Mühl the Storm secured a generational defender. She was one of the only players to be able to stop Caitlin Clark from driving and shooting all over the court.

Holmes will not play in 2024 to address lingering injuries.

They are a team with strong starters and Mühl looks to contribute as a rookie off the bench. After an 11-29 2023 campaign, the Storm look to improve with this new talent.

Julia Henry is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her please email jbh6443@psu.edu.