There was no spectacular surprise at the top of the 2024 WNBA Draft, simply spectacular fits.
On Monday night, the Indiana Fever picked Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 choice. That fortune, naturally, makes the Fever specific winners. Who else is left the Brooklyn Academy of Music sensation pleased? Should anybody be feeling a bit sheepish?
Here are 3 winners and 3 losers from the 2024 WNBA Draft:
Winner: Caitlin Clark
Ask not what Caitlin Clark can do for the Indiana Fever, ask what the Indiana Fever can do for Caitlin Clark.
Yes, the awaited arrival of Clark in Indianapolis has actually led to 36 nationally-broadcast video games and a need for tickets so extreme that the group has actually needed to restrict sales of single-game tickets to 2 video games each day. For all the methods that Clark will benefit the Fever, it’s crucial to acknowledge how lucky she is to be landing in Indiana. She might be entering the WNBA with mountains of appeal and pressure, just to be prepared to a group with a poorly-constructed lineup ill matched to magnify her prodigious skills. Rather, the Fever are fit to raise Clark.
That starts with Aliyah Boston, who, after publishing among the most effective scoring seasons in WNBA history as a novice, profiles as a best pick-and-roll partner for Clark. Boston’s protective intelligence and impulses likewise will cover for Clark’s weak points on that end of the flooring. There’s Kelsey Mitchell, one of the gamers Clark passed on her method to the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record and one of the purest shooters in the video game. Mitchell owns a share of the WNBA record with 9 3-pointers made in a single video game, ensuring she will require the attention of protectors and produce area for Clark to work her magic. The Fever likewise included Katie Lou Samuelson, a shooter with size, throughout the offseason. NaLyssa Smith brings the kind athleticism at the power forward position that makes her a perfect target for Clark’s hit-ahead passes. Include the management of Erica Wheeler, the two-way flexibility of Grace Berger and the border protective perseverance of Lexie Hull. While the Fever may not be poised for a playoff advancement, they are established for Clark to be successful.
Winner: Rivals to Teammates
The 2024 WNBA Draft, where previous college rivals end up being expert partners.
The Fever’s vibrant duo of Boston and Clark sets a South Carolina Gamecock and Iowa Hawkeye, joining 2 fanbases who were on opposite sides throughout the 2023 Final Four, when the Hawkeyes disturbed the Gamecocks, and the 2024 championship game video game, when South Carolina got vengeance. Indiana likewise included among Clark’s Big Ten enemies with the No. 15 choice in Celeste Taylor, a defensive-first guard who invested her senior season at Ohio State.
The Chicago Sky turned SEC competitors Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese into colleagues, with the forward from LSU,