Who’s Next — The Next’s 2023 WNBA Draft Board, V1.0

Strengths:

• Excellent at feeling out defensive weak points both posting-up and facing-up
• Absurd finishing ability
• Excellent patience — game moves slowly for her
• Extremely adaptive scoring — adjusts quickly to defensive tendencies during games
• Elite footwork in… well, in everything
• Unstoppable motor
• Aggressive rebounder (in a good way) — fights in space, extraordinarily strong hands
• Very good screener on handoffs
• Extremely fluid out of the triple threat
• Smooth midrange catch-and-shoot jumper, even off movement
• Consistent form on 3-pointer
• Good high-low passer
• Absurd scoring potential — has flashed driving from the perimeter, a side-step jumper off the dribble, every post move in the book
• Youngest player in the class

Weaknesses:

• Poor driving from the perimeter due to needing to take too many steps to make up for poor burst and inability to drive through defenders
• Can struggle with blindside double-teams
• Defenses still don’t respect her spacing
• Stiff 3-point form, with little lower-body effort
• Not used as a pick-n-roll (PnR) big much
• Not the tightest handle in the world

Strengths:

• Elite passing ability, excellent two-player-game and open-court playmaker
• Provides very good backline help defense
• Closes out space quickly and contests vertically without fouling, even after getting beaten
• Excellent flipping hips to stay in front of drivers or switch help assignments
• Reads defenses well to find weak points
• Flashes excellent body control, footwork, and finishing on contested drives
• Excellent help on off-ball screens
• Decent hedging
• Very-good-but-inconsistent finisher
• Adjusts speeds well off the dribble
• Able to hit 3-pointers in rhythm
• Good defending under ball screens
• Pretty good off-ball movement
• Very good good up-and-under, nice spin move
• May be a good screener
• Finishes through contact

Weaknesses:

• Very inconsistent rhythm, accuracy on pull-up jumpers because her shoulders don’t square to the basket
• Poor establishing post position
• Can’t beat anyone off the dribble, and can’t drive downhill through defenders
• Poor preventing post position against good post threats
• Can get caught defending over ball screens
• Rarely appears to recognize and attack mismatches
• Can overhelp on hedges, leaving her assignment open while she recovers
• Only real move is a crossover, and she doesn’t sell it well, and doesn’t use her spin move often
• Somewhat loose handle
• Limited reps in full halfcourt playmaking
• Feet are strangely close together on 3-point jumper, may limit her ability to use lower-body strength

Strengths:

• Great burst, lateral quickness when her footwork at the point of attack is coordinated
• Great spot-up shooter and driver off the catch when her footwork at the point of attack is coordinated
• Excellent contesting shots, both in her own assignment and when teammates have been beaten
• Decent feel for driving, pretty good at turning the corner off the dribble
• Good, very athletic finisher
• Very good passing ability, good open-court passer
• Extremely active in transition offense, always running up the court
• Capable of crossover/stepback threes
• Very consistent jumper form despite… unconventional… upper-body mechanics, very good footwork into pull-up
• Decent staying in front of drivers at the point of attack
• Decent perimeter movement
• Length, athleticism make her defense somewhat projectible
• Lingering right knee injury hampered much of her 2021-22

Weaknesses:

• Footwork off the catch is often uncoordinated, preventing her from getting downhill effectively or launching spot-up shots in rhythm
• Does not provide much help defense
• Flat-footed defending in space and closing out
• Mediocre at reading and adjusting to paint defense while driving
• Can get caught over ball screens
• Strongly favors right hand overall, doesn’t finish with her left hand
• Poor hedging
• Catch-and-shoot jumper form is a bit long, may limit volume (though her length could offset this concern)
• Stiff dribble
• Has not been an impactful rebounder
• Footwork problems likely limit how much her defense and spot-up offense can improve

Strengths:

• Elite rim pressure, finishing
• Excellent offensive feel — picks her spots and shots very well
• Elite burst and lateral quickness, mystifying leg strength
• Very good perimeter off-ball movement
• Smooth catch-and-shoot motion, strong and stable pull-up form
• Great feel for defensive off-ball spacing, help defense (tagging, sinking, stunting, splitting), and closing out
• Great passing ability, especially to rollers and cutters
• Very good handle
• Pretty good playmaker in the two-player game
• Significant all-around improvement in game since sophomore year
• Help instincts and physical tools make for highly projectable defense

Weaknesses:

• Terrible ball screen awareness
• Often out of position after providing help defense
• Poor navigating both over and under ball screens
• Mediocre at keeping her hips in front of drivers
• Catch-and-shoot form features a pronounced dip, makes her shot too long to project for high-volume spot-up shooting
• Strongly prefers using her right hand

Strengths:

• Great burst, excellent lateral quickness
• Insanely high defensive motor
• Smooth, consistent jumper both off the dribble and off the catch
• Pull-up range out to 26 feet
• Very good handle — great crossover, good hesi, manipulates defenders by changing driving speeds, very good pump fake
• Very good getting downhill and turning the corner on defenders
• Great at drawing help and finding open teammates
• Very good sticking with ball-handlers over ball screens
• Great feel for shot timing
• Good off-ball movement
• Very good at rotating and switching on the fly
• Active communicator on defense

Weaknesses:

• Mediocre finisher
• Struggles to efficiently hit midrange shots (though her volume of middys is not a concern)
• Limited reps as an on-ball defender

Strengths:

• Consistent upper-body mechanics on jumpers that lead to a quick rise, compact release, and high release point
• Jumper is very accurate both off the dribble and off the catch when her shoulders stay square to the basket
• Great handle and on-ball footwork for a forward
• Excellent body control and footwork when driving and finishing at the basket
• Very strong finishing through contact
• Excellent lateral quickness, side-shuffles defensively to stay in front of drivers extremely well
• Excellent burst on the ball, and can stop on a dime
• Great instincts for paint help defense
• Good at preventing post position to opposing bigs
• Very good footwork in post defense

Weaknesses:

• Lower-body jumper form is inconsistent — shoulders often keep leaning forward as she shoots, hurting her accuracy
• Can leave defensive assignment a bit open by ball-watching
• Catch-and-shoot jumper takes a beat for her to load up and get comfortable
• Not used as a screener much
• Toxic environment in Starkville, Miss. appears to have stunted her development on the court

Strengths:

• Very good feel — processes defenses quickly, sees and hits cutters well, extremely intelligent decision-maker
• Excellent lateral quickness and very agile, light feet anywhere she defends
• Flashes serious ability to drive and finish when her footwork off the catch is well-coordinated, decent handle
• Very good finisher overall
• Plays through contact
• Excellent hands — able to defend in iso while still swiping at the ball, and causes a lot of deflections
• Good in drop and closes out space efficiently, capable of hedging and switching
• Good fighting over screens
• Good footwork in post defense, pretty good preventing post position
• Defends finishes with verticality
• Smooth, simple spot-up form from three
• Able to both chase off the ball and track the primary offensive action
• Very good passing ability for a forward
• Can run 4-5 PnRs
• Good burst
• Decent screener
• Very good rebounder
• Attending The Nicki Collen Finishing School for Unpolished Bigs

Weaknesses:

• 3-point shot isn’t particularly quick
• Stiff pull-up form, appears to not use lower-body strength much
• Inconsistent footwork driving off the catch
• Mediocre establishing post position
• Mediocre off-ball movement, both on the perimeter and in the paint
• Limited catch-and-shoot volume
• Mediocre at ensuring her assignment is boxed-out on rebounds
• A developmental project, even by usual prospect standards

Strengths:

• Good handle — behind-the-back, spin, hesi, pump fake — and great ball control
• Combination of quality handle and excellent body control make her a very good driver and excellent finisher who’s comfortable using either hang
• Good burst, excellent lateral quickness
• Smooth, one-motion catch-and-shoot jumper
• Jumper form is very stable, even on movement shots
• Very good awareness of help assignments and rotations in off-ball defense
• Good firing under screens in on-ball defense
• Very good entry and two-player-game passer

Weaknesses:

• 3-point attempt rate and accuracy have both decreased each season, despite tough-shot-making ability
• Limited reps as an on-ball defender
• Can get caught behind ball screens when trying to chase over
• Needs to develop the ability to change speeds while driving

Strengths:

• Elite burst, lateral quickness
• Gets downhill extraordinarily well and with frequency
• Excellent jumper from every level, both off the dribble and off the catch, including beyond WNBA 3-point distance
• Elite handle — great hesi, hang dribble, inside-out move
• Excellent court-mapping, playmaking, and passing ability
• Excellent rotating and stunting on the fly
• Very good using ball screens
• Excellent off-ball movement when not conserving energy, quickly relocates behind the arc after passing
• Decent positioning for help defense
• Good zone defender — rotates, funnels, shrinks or expands her zone very well

Weaknesses:

• Well-positioned help defense can take away her driving game, and if not, she may be a little too eager to drive into paint defenders for her own good
• Can tend to make kick-out passes a step too soon, allowing help defenders to close out to shooters
• Easily taken off the dribble at the point of attack
• Closes out flat-footed
• Never plays man defense
• 5’5

Strengths:

• Excellent defensive playmaker
• Excellent ball pressure, very good at disrupting passing lanes
• Very good rebounder
• Excellent passing ability
• Very good floater
• Good using ball screens

Weaknesses:

• Extremely poor shot-selection — takes a lot of contested shots, especially off the dribble and in the midrange
• Frequently takes shots she isn’t very good at
• Mediocre passing decision-making — often attempts to pass through windows that don’t exist
• Poor footwork defending at the point of attack, allowing quick guards to beat her off the dribble
• Never uses her left hand

Strengths:

• Extremely smooth pull-up middy
• Smooth catch-and-shoot 3-point form that improved during 2021-22
• Very good burst and lateral quickness on both ends, able to stay in front of drivers quite well
• Very good chasing ball-handlers over ball screens
• Very good instincts and positioning for help defense
• Uses ball screens well off the dribble, both running off of them and running defenders into them
• Decent halfcourt facilitating — sees open teammates on cuts, rotations, and dump-offs, and is very smart about whether to pass or get her own shot
• Active communicator on defense
• Able to both chase off the ball and track the primary offensive action
• Quickly relocates behind the arc after passing
• Decent off-ball movement
• Very good rebounder for a guard
• Insane motor

Weaknesses:

• Struggles to drive all the way to the rim through defenders
• Good handle, but can be loose and allow defenders to affect her drives
• Shoulders appear to be a bit unstable on movement shooting, an issue that may occasionally affect her pull-up middys as well
• Catch-and-shoot form isn’t as quick as the better shooters in the class

Strengths:

• Incredibly smooth, one-motion catch-and-shoot jumper
• Perfect spot-up footwork — adjusts foot placement in midair from any action
• Lightning-quick catching passes and releasing spot-up shots
• Lightning-quick taking handoffs or ball screens, turning the corner, and pulling up
• Elite range — career 42.4% 3P% on short-distance 3-pointers, 37.3% from 25+ feet (per CBB Analytics)
• Pretty good off-ball perimeter movement
• Decent burst, good lateral quickness — can side-step and hop into shots better than anyone, fast enough and coordinated enough to drive and curl
• Pretty good defending under ball screens against ball-handlers without good burst
• Decent positioning and instincts for help defense, good at seeing where help is needed
• Uses ball screens pretty well
• Decent entry passer

Weaknesses:

• Does not know how to go over ball screens, struggles going under against good drivers
• Extremely jumpy (no pun intended) and stiff hips defensively allows athletic ball-handlers to drive by her
• Slow to react defensively at the point of attack
• Horrendous finisher off the dribble
• Extremely poor boxing-out
• Does not appear to have any cutting acumen
• Minutes fluctuated wildly from game to game

Strengths:

• Lightning-quick, extraordinarily compact 3-point form with elite accuracy and excellent footwork
• Very good backline help defense — tagging rollers, sinking, rotating on the fly, sliding, handing off assignments
• Pretty good off-ball movement, finds open space very well
• Good dribble for an off-ball player
• Pretty good passing ability for an off-ball player
• Can stick defensively to mediocre drivers

Weaknesses:

• Poor on-ball defense — mediocre lateral quickness, fairly flat-footed, doesn’t flip her hips quickly
• Mediocre closing out on defense
• Doesn’t really know when to fully lift or sink along the 3-point line

Strengths:

• Elite facilitator, passing ability, and two-player-game playmaker
• Throws a bullet of a skip pass
• Very good court-mapping and proprioception
• Excellent midrange scorer
• Excellent feel, both for scoring and game-management — takes shots she can make efficiently, and varies offensive tempo based on the defense and gamestate
• Excellent floater
• Can take physical mismatches to the rim
• Excellent footwork off the dribble — midrange stepback, spin move, behind-the-back
• Great changing speeds and waiting out defensive rotations while driving or running PnRs
• Good instincts and positioning for help defense
• Decent rotating on the fly
• Good burst
• Knows how to defend mismatches to minimize damage
• Ankle injury hampered her 2022 tournament games

Weaknesses:

• Poor defender in space
• Easily caught behind ball screens in on-ball defense
• Not much rim pressure
• Mediocre 3-point shooter with subpar volume
• Relatively low volume of playmaking compared to other collegiate point guards
• Can turn the corner while driving downhill, but struggles to actually get past defenders

Strengths:

• Elite driving ability, rim pressure, finishing
• Excellent, versatile scorer within 15 feet
• Upper-body mechanics on spot-up jumpers are among the best in the country
• Smooth, one-motion catch-and-shoot jumper
• Finishes through contact
• Plus rebounder
• Excellent burst
• Extremely active in transition offense, always running up the court
• Excellent hand-eye coordination
• Extremely fluid athlete

Weaknesses:

• Provides no help defense
• Handles and footwork are uncoordinated
• Inconsistent footwork on spot-up jumpers limits her accuracy
• Has trouble tracking off-ball assignments without having to face them and away from primary action
• Often dribbles too far into paint defenses
• Limited agility — her feet are slow and she doesn’t adjust her hips quickly

Strengths:

• Excellent one-pass-away help defense
• Excellent at jumping passing lanes and deflecting overhead passes
• Excellent shot selection — only takes shots she can make efficiently
• Great defending over screens, good going under
• Very good defending at the point of attack
• Reacts and adjusts well after driving into paint
• Decent footwork on pull-up jumpers
• Switchable defender

Weaknesses:

• Midrange-heavy shot diet
• No 3-pointer
• Can lose her defensive assignment off the ball
• Loose handle
• Easily picks up her dribble on drives
• Little faceup creation
• Mediocre agility
• Tendency to overshade to one side while defending drivers

Strengths:

• Excellent 2.5-level finisher and shooter (not much of a midrange game)
• Compact, quick 3-point shot both off the dribble and off the catch
• Decent off-ball movement
• Navigates screens decently on defense
• Can post-up mismatches well

Weaknesses:

• Little feel for help defense
• Mediocre playmaker
• Extremely stiff dribble
• Struggles to turn corner while dribbling with her left hand
• Heavy feet on defense, especially at the point of attack
• Very limited lateral quickness
• Bounce shooter — tends to hop into long jumpers, which takes longer
• Poor against late double-teams
• No good perimeter moves other than her stepback
• Mediocre footwork on post-ups
• Terrible screener

Strengths:

• Very good off the dribble for a big — good burst and footwork driving and finishing
• Decent rim protector — good providing primary rim protection, but mediocre rotating from the backside
• Very good one-on-one post defender
• Pretty good managing space in drop coverage and switching between rollers and ball-handlers
• Plus passer for a big
• Very good finisher
• Uses length to contest shots and passes well
• Elite close-outs, recovers well defensively overall thanks to very good footwork and
• Decent cutter

Weaknesses:

• Struggles to change her approach when she runs into help defense while driving
• Heavy feet in space defensively, slow to match attackers off catch — makes her vulnerable to drives off the catch and quick post spins
• Herky-jerky jumper, not projectable

Strengths:

• Incredibly smooth jumper, including textbook one-motion catch-and-shoot form and footwork, and a very similar pull-up shot
• Extraordinary footwork when attacking in iso
• Acrobatic finisher
• Superb athlete — excellent lateral quickness, burst, body control
• Good at changing speeds to manipulate defenders
• Good off-ball movement
• Moves team offense well via passing and movement

Weaknesses:

• Horrible shot selection — settles for long pull-up middys, takes tough contested layups when not necessary
  • May be partly due to South Carolina always having one or two bigs in the paint when Cooke runs a high PnR
• Often seems to attack downhill without a plan and without reading paint and help defenders
• Ball-watching can leave her vulnerable to back cuts and quick relocations
• Poor defending screens, both recognizing and fighting over them
• Flat-footed defending in space
• Doesn’t run her defender into or off of ball screens well at all
• Limited vision once in scoring mode

Strengths:

• Versatile short-range scorer — very good turnaround and fadeaway jumper, and very strong turning the corner during post-ups
• Somewhat adaptive scoring — can adjust to defensive tendencies over the course of a full game
• Good at using her length to contest shots after being beaten
• Good off-ball screener, decent PnR screener
• Good rebounder
• Decent positioning in rim protection

Weaknesses:

• Poor rim protector — doesn’t use her length to alter shots, and struggles to move from one help assignment to the next
• Poor defensively at the “post point of attack” — doesn’t prevent post-up threats from establishing position, and has trouble guarding them off the dribble
• Struggles with physically strong post defenders
• Bad positioning both in drop and at the level
• Mediocre at establishing post position
• Poor at receiving entry passes — doesn’t use her body to create larger passing windows, and doesn’t help prevent defenders from deflecting entries
• Very loose handle
• Mediocre footwork on post-up counters (i.e. footwork on turnaround jumpers is good, but footwork on up-and-unders is poor)
• Gets jumpy defending post-ups

Strengths:

• Elite jumper — lightning quick pull-up, squares shoulders insanely quickly, absurdly good footwork getting into her shot, can hit anything
• Great spot-up threat, with range out to 26 feet
• Elite finisher
• Great cutter
• Able to post up mismatches deep enough to get to her spots
• Great lateral quickness and acceleration
• Good help defender against off-ball actions
• Pretty good hedging
• Good passer for a combo forward

Weaknesses:

• Struggles to get to her spots in isos or long post-ups
• No feel for providing help defense to on-ball teammates
• Mediocre defending off the catch — unsteady footwork, poor burst
• Seems hesitant to drive more frequently
• Poor handle
• Poor footwork in post defense, but strong enough to avoid getting posted by subpar post scorers
• Struggles defending ball screens
• Unorthodox mechanics limit how quickly she can get up catch-and-shoot jumpers
• Poor post-up footwork and coordination, terrible preventing post position against true bigs