2015 WNBA Mock Draft: Predictions and Analysis for Elite Prospects

The Seattle Storm have a rare opportunity to go from one of the WNBA's doormats to one of its most promising teams. The Storm will select first and third in the first round. Those enviable positions will give Seattle the chance to tab two game-changers in the first round.

This mock will focus on two prospects Seattle will have a shot at drafting and one of the players it may miss out on at the top of the first round. The spotlighted players' names are highlighted in the table. Just below the table is a closer look at all three prospects.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	College	Height
1	Seattle	Jewell Loyd	G	Notre Dame	5' 10"
2	Tulsa	Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis	C	Minnesota	6' 5"
3	Seattle (From Connecticut)	Amanda Zahui B.	G	Connecticut	5' 11"
4	Connecticut (From New York)	Elizabeth Williams	F	Duke	6' 3"
5	Chicago	Dearica Hamby	F	Wake Forest	6' 3"
6	San Antonio (From Indiana)	Crystal Bradford	F	Central Michigan	6' 0"
7	Los Angeles	Ally Malott	F	Dayton	6' 4"
8	Washington	Reshanda Gray	F	Cal	6' 3"
9	San Antonio	Samantha Logic	G	Iowa	5' 9"
10	Atlanta	Isabelle Harrison	C	Tennessee	6' 3"
11	Minnesota	Brianna Kiesel	G	Pittsburgh	5' 7"
12	Phoenix	Brittany Boyd	G	Cal	5' 9"

The Jewell of the Draft

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

There's some debate, per Adena Andrews of espnW, but Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd is the best player available in the draft. Brandon Clay of PeachStateBasketball.com agrees.

Loyd led a national title runner-up. Her team's success helped to put her over as a leader and talent.

She's the type of dynamic scorer who will likely become one of the WNBA's best perimeter players within her first two seasons. 

Loyd averaged 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game. Loyd has the handle to get to the rim or to make room for her jump shot. She makes just under 83 percent of her attempts from the free-throw line.

As an offensive player, there isn't much she can't do. Guard isn't the primary position of need for Seattle, but it would be hard to pass on her at No. 1.

The Big Seattle Needs

Mel Evans/Associated Press

The second pick belongs to the Tulsa Shock. There's a possibility the Shock could take the Minnesota Golden Gophers' Amanda Zahui B. The 6'5" center was simply dominant, tallying back-to-back 25-point, 25-rebound games.

She also blocked 4.1 shots per game. Seattle would obviously love to pair her with Loyd, but the Shock may not give them the chance. Tulsa could draft Zahui B.—or even Loyd—if the Storm pass on either prospect.

How much—if at all—do the Storm want the tandem of Loyd and Zahui B? Perhaps enough to trade the third pick and some other assets to move up a spot.

That's purely speculation, but if the Shock are willing to budge on the second pick, Seattle should explore. The Shock already have Glory Johnson and Courtney Paris in their frontcourt. Neither are the players that Zahui B. figures to be, but they are solid rebounders.

There might even be another player who projects to be a more sensible pick for Tulsa.

Floor-Spacer for Skyler and Odyssey

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Few teams have a backcourt as young and promising as the Shock. Skylar Diggins and Rookie of the Year runner-up Odyssey Sims should have the Shock set on the perimeter for a few years.

If you threw a floor-spacing shooter like the Connecticut Huskies' Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in the lineup with Diggins, Sims, Johnson and Paris, the Shock might have the glue piece needed to push the team to the next level. KML tied for the nation's lead in three-point shooting at 48.8 percent. She's the type of presence on the floor that has to be accounted for at all times.

A deadly shooter like that could make a huge impact in Tulsa.

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