2023 WNBA Draft Big Board: Latest Rankings for Aliyah Boston, Top Prospects
Nobody was trading the top pick of the WNBA draft this year.
The first overall selection has changed hands in each of the last two drafts, but the Indiana Fever were never going to go that route once they won the 2023 draft lottery.
They now have the luxury of selecting South Carolina star Aliyah Boston, who has been widely considered the top player in the class for years.
There was some uncertainty over whether the 21-year-old would declare for the draft or take advantage of her extra year of eligibility granted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A handful of college stars have exercised that option.
Once Boston announced she was leaving the Gamecocks, though, it removed any doubt as to the Fever's plans at No. 1. Everything else after that is far more uncertain in a year without many other standout prospects in the field.
Nos. 1-5
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1. Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina
If you aren't familiar with Boston's game and only looked at her stats, you'd be forgiven somewhat for asking what all of the hype is about. In four years with the Gamecocks, she averaged 14.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 54.6 percent from the field.
Make no mistake, though. Boston is the best player to enter the WNBA since at least A'ja Wilson in 2018.
She is an elite defender and rebounder, and her scoring numbers are somewhat skewed by the fact that she regularly faced double and even triple teams around the basket. The depth at South Carolina's disposal also meant the team didn't need to rely on Boston to be a singular offensive figure.
For the Fever and anybody else looking at this year's draft, there's no reason to overthink this. Boston is the crown jewel.
2. Diamond Miller, G, Maryland
Over the course of the 2022-23 season, Diamond Miller steadily cemented herself as the No. 2 player behind Boston.
The Maryland star averaged 19.7 points on 47.6 percent shooting to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The Terrapins lost their top two leading scorers, Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu, to the transfer portal yet still reached the Elite Eight thanks in part to Miller's production on the floor.
The 6'3" guard was a 22 percent three-point shooter as a senior, which is concerning. The offensive potential is there nonetheless.
3. Jordan Horston, G, Tennessee
4. Maddy Siegrist, F, Villanova
5. Haley Jones, G/F, Stanford
9.4 percent. That's what Haley Jones shot from beyond the arc as a senior at Stanford. She made three three-pointers for the entirety of the season.
The other problem for the 6'1" wing is that she's the proverbial jack of all trades and master of none.
"A lot of teams thought of Haley as a top-three player over the past 12 months, but as the draft gets closer, teams are always looking for one skill or something that a player does really, really well, whether it's rebounding or shooting the three ball or blocking shots," a WNBA general manager told The Athletic. "And Haley hasn't shown that yet."
Jones has a pretty high floor, but this year will have led WNBA talent evaluators to question how much better she can get from here.
Nos. 6-10
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6. Stephanie Soares, F/C, Iowa State
7. Grace Berger, G, Indiana
8. Brea Beal, G, South Carolina
Like Jones, Brea Beal suffers a bit from the fact that the standard of play in the WNBA is so high.
There are only 12 teams and 144 available roster spots, and the hard salary cap means that second number is even lower in reality. That makes it more difficult for players who specialize in one facet of the game to forge a long career in the league.
Beal, 22, is such a good defender that she'll have an opportunity to prove she can stick in the W, though.
The 6'1" guard was a finalist for the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year. She can guard multiple positions and loves the challenge of shutting down the opposing team's best perimeter-scoring threat.
The fact that Beal shot a career-high 38 percent on threes raises some hope she can grow into a passable shooter at the next level as well.
9. Ashley Joens, G/F, Iowa State
10. Laeticia Amihere, F, South Carolina
Laeticia Amihere could benefit in a big way from Charisma Osborne deciding to stay at UCLA. Amihere was already a fringe first-round candidate, and now another likely first-rounder is off the board.
The 6'4" forward only started four games in four years at South Carolina, but that's a testament to the Gamecocks' depth rather than an indictment of her game. She averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per 40 minutes as a senior, according to Her Hoop Stats.
Amihere's defensive versatility will be invaluable. She has the size to guard opponents in the post and the athleticism to keep up with smaller guards on the outside.
Starting with the Atlanta Dream at No. 8, Amihere would be a great upside play for any team from that point forward.
Nos. 11-15
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11. Lou Lopez Sénéchal, G/F, UConn
In her lone season at UConn, Lou Lopez Sénéchal helped to steady the ship as the Huskies saw multiple key stars injured. Paige Bueckers was ruled out for the year before the season began, Azzi Fudd was limited to 15 games, and Caroline Ducharme missed a 13-game stretch.
Lopez Sénéchal averaged 15.5 points and 3.1 rebounds, and she flashed some nice range (44.0 percent on threes). Her shooting won't be overlooked by WNBA teams.
While the 6'1" guard assumed a larger role than expected with UConn, this season also prepared her for what life will be like in the W. Her usage rate fell from 31.7 percent in her final year at Fairfield to 23.3 percent with the Huskies, per Her Hoop Stats.
12. Zia Cooke, G, South Carolina
13. Taylor Mikesell, G, Ohio State
14. Madi Williams, F, Oklahoma
15. Leigha Brown, G, Michigan
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Nos. 16-20
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16. Alexis Morris, G, LSU
The value of a great tournament run can be limited. Talent evaluators won't totally abandon their opinions because of one hot stretch.
But you'd think Alexis Morris helped herself some with LSU's national championship run. She had 27 points in a Final Four victory over Virginia Tech, and she finished with 21 as the Tigers outpaced Iowa in the title game.
Morris is limited by her 5'6" frame, and she isn't an elite shooter. She knocked down 32.8 percent of her treys during her two years at LSU. As a fifth-year senior, she ranked in the 93rd percentile in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64), per Her Hoop Stats.
17. Abby Meyers, G, Maryland
Abby Meyers played a starring role for Princeton when the Tigers reached the 2022 NCAA tournament. Maybe her draft outlook would have stayed the same if she had remained there. By transferring to Maryland, Meyers tested herself against a higher level of opposition, and the fact she continued to play at a high level only boosted her draft stock.
The 6'0" guard averaged 14.3 points and shot 38.8 percent from beyond the arc. Per Her Hoop Stats, her effective field-goal percentage in 2022-23 (52.9) was almost exactly where it was during her junior year (53.0) at Princeton).
Meyers will be a solid pick for a team in need of shooting.
18. Taylor Robertson, G, Oklahoma
19. Endyia Rogers, G, Oregon
20. Monika Czinano, F/C, Iowa
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