2018 WNBA Draft (April 12) Preview

[lethalweapon3]

Oh, Michael Cooper, at least you tried. In recent years, WNBA Drafts, like the one upcoming on April 12 (First Round on ESPN2, 7:00 PM Eastern; Rounds 2 and 3 on ESPNU at 8:00 PM), proved to be a boon for the last coach granted virtual player-personnel autonomy for your Atlanta Dream.

But Cooper dealt away Atlanta’s first-rounder in late July last year, hoping in vain to secure a playoff spot. Now, Cooper is on the outs. The lottery pick that might have drawn a local talent (former Norcross and Tennessee Vol star Diamond DeShields, currently biding her time overseas in Turkey) to the Dream’s marquee now goes to conference rival Chicago.

 

In Coach Coop’s place, the Dream went for a reorganization that has a definite Connecticut Sun feel to it. Chris Sienko acquired the first formal GM job Atlanta has fielded in years, perhaps the first legitimate detachment from the head coach position the Dream has had in its history.

A UConn grad like the Dream’s 2017 All-Star Tiffany Hayes, Sienko managed the Sun for 14 seasons, overseeing decisions that brought former Dream players Jasmine Thomas and Alex Bentley to the Nutmeg State. Later, he negotiated the 2016 Elizabeth Williams trade to Atlanta, a deal that allowed Connecticut to draft Jonquel Jones, 2017’s Most Improved Player and an All-WNBA second-teamer in just her second season. In hindsight, one can see why the Dream brass were a tad skittish about having gambled yet another lottery pick away.

 

Even before his own hiring, Sienko played a key role in convincing the Dream owners to bring former Sun assistant coach Nicki Collen into the fold, in the vacant head coach role. The Sun were the surprise of the league in 2017, finishing fourth overall despite the loss of star Chiney Ogwumike to injury. While the former Purdue player (and mechanical engineering grad) has never held a head role, in nine collegiate seasons prior to joining the Sun, Collen helped as an assistant in getting teams into the postseason eight times. She will serve in a collaborative role at draft time, but not a decision-wielding one, reflecting a change of pace around here.

Among Collen’s college stops was Louisville. Coach Nicki crossed paths during the recruitment of Angel McCoughtry to the Cardinals. Thirteen years later, she and Sienko get the opportunity to build a contender around their 31-year-old star, who took last season off largely to recuperate.

 

Barring a wild trade, we won’t see the Dream adding a first-round talent. But history has shown that doesn’t mean contributors of first-round quality won’t be available where the Dream pick at #16 overall. That draft slot comes courtesy of Cooper’s 2017 deal that brought, essentially, this year’s primary developmental prospect, 6-foot-7 center Imani McGee-Stafford, to Atlanta.

Here are some primary considerations for the Dream going into this year’s WNBA Draft.

 

 

Aww, Shoot: We are in season #3,857 of needing steadier perimeter shooters. Atlanta, in 2017, was the only WNBA outfit shooting below 30 percent on threes (29.1 3FG%), and yet that accuracy was a mild improvement over 2016 (WNBA-low 28.7 3FG% in 2016). The Dream have resided in the bottom-half of the league in three-point accuracy every year from 2009 on, ranking dead-last six times in the past nine seasons, next-to-last in two of the other three. Their greatest-ever single-season performance, the 4-30 inaugural team that shot 33.8 percent, would have ranked 7^th out of 12 this year. There is not one other statistical factor that has inhibited the growth of this franchise more than this one.

Some second-round rookie isn’t going to turn it all around by her lonesome. The addition of free agent veteran Renee Montgomery to the backcourt rotation, the hopeful improvements (knock on wood) by Layshia Clarendon, Damiris Dantas, 2017 All-Rookie Brittney Brittney Sykes and McCoughtry beyond the arc, and the lightly-demonstrated potential of free agent forward-center Jessica Breland offer some hope. But it remains essential to find someone off the bench who can provide a jump-shooting spark without being an all-encompassing liability on the defensive end.

March Madness stars Kia Nurse (UConn; career-best 47.4 3FG% as a senior) and Victoria Vivians (Mississippi State; career-best 39.8 3FG% her senior year) have deservedly rocketed up draft boards in recent weeks. We won’t know for a few more days (due date April 2) how many blue-chip talents will declare early eligibility, but such additions to the draft pool would likely push these shooters’ availability down to where Atlanta presently resides in the second round. For similar reasons, Oregon’s Lexi Bando, Texas’ Ariel Atkins, Minnesota’s Carlie Wagner and Duke’s Rebecca Greenwell may also be second-round options that slip into the third round, where the Dream pick at #27.

 

Wow, That’s Deep: Discounting training camp contracts, Atlanta is currently nine-deep on a minimum 11-player (max of 12) roster. The bun happily warming in Bria Holmes’ oven will keep the Dream forward from raising the guaranteed-contract volume to ten this year, while longtime starter Sancho Lyttle soon will ply her wares in Phoenix. The roster room allows ample opportunity for training camp players to stick, but also for a second-rounder and maybe even a third-rounder, if they can serve as a reserve in a position of need.

The team re-signed reserved free agent Dantas to a deal, perhaps to support continuity within an otherwise evolving frontcourt rotation. Atlanta could use a player capable of filling in the 3-and-4-spots, as Holmes would have done, behind and occasionally beside Angel.

A collegiate double-double machine and a defensive thief, Myisha Hines-Allen could be a quick study in relief of her fellow Louisville alumna McCoughtry. On an Atlanta team long known to struggle with free throw shooting (76.3 team FT% 11^th in WNBA), Hines-Allen would need to improve in this area to see much of the floor in her first pro year. Early-declarer Jill Barta of Gonzaga has the size and versatility, but would have to demonstrate a flair for passing she has yet to demonstrate at the college level. As a shooter, Jaime Nared seemed to regress a bit at Tennessee in her senior year, but it could be a function of the added defensive attention once drawn to her ex-teammate DeShields, something McCoughtry and the revelatory Sykes could alleviate.

 

Trader Chris?: While Atlanta enters the Draft with a shallow roster, many WNBA clubs cannot say the same. Many teams with pending first-rounders are right at the upper bound of guaranteed contracts already, if not past it.

The Dream could simply hold out until the inevitable third-stringers get waived, then choose among them and the camp contracts to complete the roster. Alternatively, it’s conceivable Sienko could use a player, and possibly a pick, to slide Atlanta back into the first round. Or, he could build depth by acquiring multiple active players via trade from a contract-congested team.

Not out of spite, I’ve been advocating a trade of Hayes (career-best 37.2 3FG%) for seasons on end. Reasons have long varied, but her expiring six-digit contract is the most compelling in 2018. While Sienko is a fellow Huskie, there may not be a more opportune time to sell-high on the guard who drew the highest tally of All-Star votes in the Eastern Conference last season.

Another Dream player potentially at peak trade value is Clarendon, who might not again be the assist-maker on the scale she (and we) enjoyed last season. Finally, if Sienko harbors reservations on going forward into the season with either Williams, who he drafted in 2015 and traded here, or inherited project big McGee-Stafford, the Draft may be the ideal time to act on them.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It's rare to get comprehensive coverage of the past couple months of WNBA free agency movers 'n shakers in the lead-up to the draft, from ESPN (or anybody else, nationally). Rarer, still, for the most rave reviews to be about the home club.

http://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/23020498/wnba-free-agency-winners-losers

Quote

 

Biggest winner

Atlanta Dream: First-year coach Nicki Collen and general manager Chris Sienko didn't waste time making a splash in free agency, signing Renee Montgomery away from the Minnesota Lynx on the first day. As the most coveted unrestricted free agent, Montgomery brings championship experience along with her 35 percent 3-point shooting. She should help shore up Atlanta's outside shooting, which ranked last in the league in 2017 at 29 percent.

The Dream also signed unrestricted free agent Jessica Breland, who shot a career-high 38 percent on 3-pointers in 2017. She'll fill the defensive and rebounding void left by Sancho Lyttle's departure to Phoenix.

In addition to signing two of the top unrestricted targets, the cherry on top was extending and bringing back Angel McCoughtry, giving Atlanta the top-tier talent needed to win in the playoffs.

 

~lw3

[KB21]

I might actually follow the WNBA if the Atlanta team gets Victoria Vivians.  

[NBASupes]

6 hours ago, KB21 said:

I might actually follow the WNBA if the Atlanta team gets Victoria Vivians.  

She will be long gone before we pick

[lethalweapon3]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

She will be long gone before we pick

I'm afraid so! Winning is just too infectious. Vivians slipped down to mid-second on mocks before the Other Bulldogs made their second-consecutive Final Four run. Azura Stevens declaring early helped a bit, but the only hopes are that foreign prospects push Viv down, or that Atlanta moves an asset to trade back up into the 1st.  I've got her going at 9 to Connecticut.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

A preview straight from The Mothership!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

^ not much in the way of a hint, but...

Quote

After a solid offseason, the Dream enter the draft with two picks (Nos. 16 and 27 overall) and will be the second-to-last team to make their first selection on Thursday night. With those picks, the Dream can always look to add more shooting to the roster, as it all just depends on which players fall to the middle of the second round.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

A dash of Dream news ahead of the draft. It looks like Queen Elizabeth will stick around The A a little bit longer!

http://dream.wnba.com/news/elizabeth-williams-signs-multi-year-contract-extension-atlanta-dream/

Quote

“We are so thrilled to sign Elizabeth Williams to a multi-year contract extension,” Collen said. “Elizabeth’s game has grown each year in this league and her ability to play at both ends of the floor effectively is a key to success here in Atlanta.”...

“Elizabeth is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder at the defensive end of the floor which allows us to get into transition more quickly,” Collen added. “Offensively she runs the floor so well and is a consistent threat on the offensive boards.  This season we will utilize her in a lot more screening actions because her separation skills are so good.”

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

TradeQuake!

Great pickup for the Sun, depth for 2019!

Let's see what more Sienko and Company have up their sleeve. For the moment, make that TWO second-rounders!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Can't pass up the highest-rated PF in the draft falling to us at #15. Welcome Monique!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

We got a stash guard under control. Strong defender!

Kristy tore her ACL right before March Madness kicked in, so maybe a late competitor for a final spot!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Hey, a surprise Georgia player goes at the end of the second-round to Minnesota (EDIT: check that... already traded to Vegas)!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Hey, what's one more Georgia surprise... from the successful UGA flagship! Welcome, Mackenzie!

Now, that's one way to scout... New Dream assistant Darius Taylor is the husband of UGA Head Coach Joni Taylor! Pillow talk! lol

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Nobody's asking me, but if I had to dish out a Draft Grade, it'd be a B-minus. Big win taking a first-round-quality talent in Billings, plus a third-round prospect familiar to the coaching staff who can give Damiris a run for her money during training camp. I can only assume we moved Holmes to free up roster space, and to assure they didn't miss on a draft-dropping talent like Billings.

The grade would be higher if Kristy Wallace could be healthy in time for the start of the season, but I have my doubts. Wallace is a good shooter and defender. But it's more likely that if we're going to fill out the final few roster spots, it will be with training camp pickups and waiver-wire veterans.

~lw3

[TheNorthCydeRises]