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WNBA GMs’ candid takes on NCAA Tournament draftees: Diamond Miller, Maddy Siegrist and more – The Athletic

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1 year ago

October 8, 2023

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The Athletic has live coverage of the 2023 WNBA Draft.
The 2023 WNBA Draft will take place April 10, just eight days after the national championship. Most teams already have a solid assessment of players they’re interested in selecting. But the NCAA Tournament is an opportunity to shine for players, and for potential draftees, it’s one more chance to make a last impression on scouts.
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Four WNBA general managers, an assistant general manager and one additional front office executive shared their thoughts with The Athletic about most of these players before the tournament. They were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly. On Wednesday, we ran the first installment of their takes on Aliyah Boston, Jordan Horston, Haley Jones and more.
GO DEEPER
What do WNBA GMS think of Haley Jones, Aliyah Boston and other tournament draftees?
Following the tournament, we’ll release our final mock draft as well as a story with scouting on the potential picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Players are listed in alphabetical order.
2022-23 stats: 18.2 PPG | 10.8 RPG | 2.3 BPG | 55.9 percent FG
“Has a nice touch around the basket. I guess I question her toughness at the next level. Is she a little bit soft? Can she take the physicality of the league? I think that remains to be seen. But she’s really highly skilled. I see her (going in the) late first round.”
“In a post-poor draft, Kitley is (a strong choice). And that may help her for teams that need post players that are picking at the top half of the draft. She’s got good touch within 15 feet. She can shoot the ball well. She’s got good size and plays on a good team that utilizes her the right way, but she also has shown an ability to get her shot off through working on her game in the offseason.”
Bucket 238 on the season for 3️⃣3️⃣@elizabethkitley breaks her own single-season record for FGs 🫡 pic.twitter.com/7rzEnXRVVp
— Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball (@HokiesWBB) March 19, 2023

“I don’t see it. I don’t think she will translate to the next level. I think the way you’re gonna see people able to get into her legs, she’s gonna really struggle to establish position and she doesn’t really have the skill set of more of a four, where we’ll just throw you the ball and you can use the live dribble to get to your spot. A lot of these players have the length to actually contest her one-on-one. I think that is gonna really make it extremely difficult for her offensively. And defensively, she’s gonna struggle to defend at the pro level, to have to get out of the paint, and to be more active and aggressive in pick-and-roll coverage. Because if she just sits back in the paint, she doesn’t have the quick-twitch movement, even the elevation to just sit back and let people come at her. It’s gonna be really difficult for her, in my opinion.”
2022-23 stats: 15.3 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 47 percent FG | 43.5 percent 3-point FG
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“To me there’s this group of Lou Lopez Sénéchal, Ashley Jones, Taylor Mikesell, Madi Williams — they’re all kinda in the same group, for me. I like Lou the most (in terms of best shooter).”
“A surprise player this year. I like her a lot. I’ve got her in my big guard group. I could see her going late in the first round.”
“Lou’s certainly got an ability to shoot the ball, has the confidence to catch on the move even when she’s somewhat contested to still hit shots. But it’s gonna be a challenge for her to do it when everybody gets bigger.”
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Lou Lopez Sénéchal wanted any role with UConn, instead she got a vital one
2022-23 stats: 19.7 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 3 APG | 2.1 SPG | 47.7 percent FG
“She’s the most athletic player in the lottery. Her upside is limitless. Her ability to play more on the perimeter in the WNBA will be the biggest question mark around her, but the sky is the limit.”
“Unbelievable athlete. Her length, her wingspan, her mobility and then her high energy make her a really top prospect. In my opinion, she’s probably top three.”
“She has WNBA speed and WNBA intensity. … It will be interesting to see where she’ll play, if she’ll stick strictly on the perimeter. I think she’s WNBA ready, and in the right situation, I think she can be a good player.”
“Athletically, she’s probably the best ready pro in the draft, her and Aliyah. She’s definitely someone that if you just look at her, you can see that she athletically could step on the court and be an impact player. I think she’s got some things she needs to work on. I think her shooting obviously is one of them. I think she plays a little too fast sometimes. And I think she can always get better defensively, but I really like Diamond Miller.”
“Diamond is gonna be a really good pro for a long time, incredibly high floor. Her ability to get deep in the paint and get to the basket, get to the free-throw line, it can be a huge addition to any team. Her skill set is incredibly easy to fit anywhere. You can put her on any team, any style of play, a 6-2 wing that can do all that stuff, she just fits.”
2022-23 stats: 15.9 PPG | 5.8 RPG | 2.9 APG | 38.8 percent FG | 29.4 percent 3-point FG
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“Probably the best point guard in the draft and in a world where point guards are hard to find, that will bode well for her in the top half of the first round.”
“I question her ability to play the point. If she’s a two, she’s a small two. Has a scorer’s mentality. I’ve got her early second round.”
“I think she has a strong body, just her decision-making, I don’t know. It’s something I question, but I think she’s an explosive guard.”
“I would want (her) watching and trying to emulate as much as she can … someone like a Shey Peddy. That’s kind of the role I’d be circling for a player like that. … If you’re trying to craft a role for her, you want her to come in and knock down shots, you want her to pressure the ball. She’s tough, she’s pretty strong, she’s solid for her size, and you really would want that to be the focus, and you try to build off of that as a foundation.”
2022-23 stats: 31 PPG | 9.1 RPG | 51.9 percent FG | 37 percent 3-point FG
“I know there are some that question how she translates to her game. Her handle is not that great right now and that needs to improve, and athletically, she doesn’t knock you out of your seat. I think she’s a basketball player, and every step along the way people have told her she’s not going to be good enough for that particular level, and every step along the way she’s figured it out. … If you look at her shot chart, there’s not a place on the floor she’s not efficient from. If you look at her usage percentage versus her turnover percentage, that’s a crazy rare combination. …. Maybe she’s not a Day 1 impact player, but 10 years from now I think people are gonna look back at Maddy Siegrist and say that was a good pick.”
Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist is now the 5th player in women’s D1 history to score 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣points in one season.
📸 @novawbb | @TheAthleticWBB pic.twitter.com/be2QFQrtRh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 18, 2023

“It’s really difficult to see her being a high-minutes player. She’s going to struggle to guard somebody at the next level.”
“I think she’ll go in the top five. Maddy is the most consistent scorer from a pure numbers standpoint in the country and in this draft. Because of that, a lot of teams are going to have their eyes on her. … She has an ability to stretch the floor while also being able to score the basketball. A lot of players can do one of those things, but not a lot can do both. The obvious question around her is her ability to stay in front of the athletes (defensively) in our league.”
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“I think she’s a first-round pick, but I’m just not sure where she is because: Is she a three? Is she a small four? Can she defend at the three? She certainly knows how to score and she certainly has a high basketball IQ, so I’ve got her in my top 10.”
GO DEEPER
Is SuperNova Maddy Siegrist able to get Villanova to first Sweet 16 in 20 years?
2022-23 stats: 14.4 PPG | 9.9 RPG | 3 BPG | 54.4 percent FG
“She’s athletic. She can shoot the 3. She’s a good player.”
“Has an international style of game, but she has to get a lot stronger and a lot quicker. I think Cardoso is quicker than she is, even though Soares has more of an outside game. Physically is gonna be her bigger challenge.”
2022-23 stats: 15.7 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 2.8 APG | 51.4 percent FG | 32.9 percent 3-point FG
“Has had a great career. Not sure what she is. What’s going to be her position at the next level? But she’s definitely strong and physical. I’ve got her early second round.”
“She can score. My thing with her is as a wing, at times, I think I come away feeling she plays a little smaller than she really is rather than the opposite.”
Other players who were mentioned by only one participant in our conversations:
“Grace Berger (6-0, guard, Indiana), Leigha Brown (6-1, guard, Michigan) and Taylor Mikesell (5-11, guard, Ohio State) — I call them the three big guards out of the Big Ten. I think they all (could be drafted), depending on what a team needs, because they’re all big and they can score, and they’re combos so they can play the one, two or three. I see them as valuable. I could see one of them going late first, early second.”
“Abby Meyers (6-0, guard, Maryland) in particular has had an excellent season. She can play the point and she can score. Could be an early second-round (pick).”
On Taylor Soule (5-11, forward, Virginia Tech): “She stepped in at Virginia Tech (as a transfer) and she’s been their glue. She’s their best defender. She’s their best player in transition, plays the hardest of anybody on their team. She’s a really good, offensive rebounder. I think this is someone that’s gonna be worth a flier for teams because her strengths are that solid.”
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On Celeste Taylor (5-11, guard, Duke): “Love her aggressiveness. She’s tough. Put her in spots where she’s attacking early in the shot clock and you set her up to get in the paint, and she’s somebody that can make a lot of good decisions for you.”
On Kayana Traylor (5-9, guard, Virginia Tech): “Maybe not quite as a first-rounder but certainly a draftable player, … just a really solid player. At her size, I really like her ability to defend, be able to guard the ball and get over a screen, and just really difficult to stop when she gets downhill going to that left hand, and she can counter that with that step-back jumper.”
(Photo of Diamond Miller: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)