The 2025 WNBA Draft has finally arrived, featuring some outstanding talent, including UConn Huskies star and now national champion Paige Bueckers. With Bueckers looking like a sure thing to be taken with the first pick, it leaves little room for surprises.
That said, a couple of other moves could shake up the draft and give it a completely different outlook. Here are four bold predictions for the WNBA Draft.
Aneesah Morrow Drafted by the Seattle Storm at Pick No. 2
Notre Dame star Olivia Miles opted to skip the draft, opening the gates for someone else to take her place as the second overall pick. While many would say this will likely be Dominique Malonga out of France, they could select someone else.
That player is Aneesah Morrow, a small forward from LSU. In most mock drafts, Morrow is projected to go somewhere between picks No. 5 and 10. While this range is a safe prediction for her to be drafted, she could shock the WNBA world and go much higher.
Her floor isn’t low, but it’s very average. This is due to her lackluster three-point shooting abilities, her only vital flaw. Even so, this season, she shot a career-high 28.9% from beyond the arc and was highly productive across the board.
This season, she averaged 18.7 PPG and 13.5 RPG, leading Division I in both double-doubles and rebounds. This production level makes a significant impact in the WNBA, as second-chance points are extremely valuable. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Morrow be a top-five pick, but there’s a real chance she sneaks in right behind Bueckers.
Kiki Iriafen Will Not Be a Top 3 Pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
While some may view this as a reasonable take, this is tied to the previous prediction. Though Iriafen hasn’t fully lived up to the hype she once had, she had a very strong March Madness campaign, proving she could still take over a game.
This kind of talent is hard to pass up, even if there’s a real risk in taking that chance. This is where this prediction gets bold: if Malonga isn’t selected with the second overall pick, it’s more likely that either Iriafen or Sonia Citron will be taken at pick No. 2 and the other with the third overall pick.
If Malonga is taken, it’s still very possible that she falls to pick four, at least, given that the Mystics have back-to-back picks and would likely take Citron and Iriafen in either order.
Hailey Van Lith Will Be Selected Within the Top 10
Over the last few years, it would have been impossible to be a women’s basketball fan and not know who Hailey Van Lith is. Even off the court, she has been a very popular personality and one of the most popular players in college basketball.
That said, this popularity doesn’t necessarily amount to talent. This isn’t to say she’s a bad player, as she had a great year. In her fifth year in the NCAA, along with helping lead her team to the Elite 8, she averaged 17.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 4.6 RPG.
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The 2024-2025 season was a much-needed bounce-back season after averaging just 11.6 PPG the year before, and hopefully, it’s a sign of what’s to come. Despite playing for five years, she only had two really solid seasons, which is why she could fall to the second round.
On the other hand, one team could be a perfect fit for Van Lith: the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks have Cameron Brink returning this season, a popular player on and off the court. Not only would they both bring a ton of attention to Los Angeles, but they also already have chemistry.
Brink and Van Lith were teammates at the Paris Olympics and already had experience playing together. This pairing makes almost too much sense not to happen, giving her a great chance at being selected with the ninth overall pick.
Indiana Fever Trade Into First Round To Draft More Help for Caitlin Clark
The Fever have already had an incredible offseason, so it’s only sensible that they try to continue this run into the draft. Though this would be difficult without a first-round pick, they have back-to-back picks at picks 19 and 20 in the second round.
Their best chance to grab a pick in the first round would be with the Connecticut Sun, who go back-to-back at picks seven and eight. Trading up to the eighth overall pick, they could select Georgia Amoore, a truly gifted offensive player who Clark can mentor.
Indiana is already stacked, but they can never have too much talent, especially young talent. Amoore would be a nice depth piece that could give Clark time to breathe on the bench without worrying about the impact her absence is having on the team. It’s not a splash-bang pickup, but it could greatly help in the long run.