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WNBA sets date for draft lottery as Indiana Fever hope for shot at Caitlin Clark – IndyStar
The Indiana Fever will soon know their pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The league announced Tuesday that the draft lottery will be held on Dec. 10.
The draft lottery will be a 30-minute special at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase doubleheader, which includes two games: Utah vs. South Carolina and North Carolina vs. UConn.
The Fever have the best odds — 44.2% — for the No. 1 pick for the second straight season. The draft odds are based off the two-year record of the four teams that didn’t make the playoffs in 2023. Indiana had an 18-58 record, Phoenix went 24-52 for a 24.7% chance at the No. 1 pick, Los Angeles went 30-46 (17.8%), and Seattle went 33-43 (10.4%).
More:Indiana Fever ‘ahead of schedule’ in rebuild. What they need this offseason for next step.
This is the fourth time the Fever will have the best odds for the No. 1 pick. Indiana had top odds in the ’19 and ’22 drafts, but lost to the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream, respectively.
Indiana landed the No. 1 pick in 2023, choosing Aliyah Boston out of South Carolina. Boston had an All-Star season, and was named the fifth unanimous Rookie of the Year in league history.
More:Fever miss playoffs, but future is bright with Aliyah Boston (and maybe Caitlin Clark)
If the Fever land the top pick, they could pick another game-changer. Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, is widely assumed to be the top pick — if she decides to forgo her fifth year of college eligibility in 2024-25. Clark led the Hawkeyes to the 2023 national championship game, averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
Other likely early picks include Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards of UConn, Cameron Brink of Stanford, and Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith of LSU.
