Sabrina Ionescu returning to Oregon for her senior season changes what many thought might happen on Wednesday in the WNBA draft: The Oregon junior was expected to go No. 1. So, we have a new top pick, but there are things to keep in mind. Might Las Vegas Aces coach/general manager Bill Laimbeer trade the top selection? Don't be surprised if he does. Also, could a Liz Cambage trade still happen before the draft to affect the selections? It's a possibility. And we still have draft-eligible junior Jackie Young of Notre Dame on the board, now as a lottery pick. She is playing in the national championship game on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN App, 6 p.m. ET), then she'll have 24 hours to make a decision about whether she will return to the Fighting Irish. There's still a lot of intrigue for the 2019 draft, but one thing is for sure: Ionescu won't be in it. First round 1. Las Vegas: Asia Durr, Louisville, 5-foot-10 guard 2. New York: Jackie Young*, Notre Dame, 6-0 guard 3. Indiana: Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State, 6-7 center 4. Chicago: Kristine Anigwe, Cal, 6-4 forward 5. Dallas: Napheesa Collier, UConn, 6-2 forward 6. Minnesota: Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame, 5-8 guard 7. Los Angeles: Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn, 6-3 guard 8. Phoenix: Alanna Smith, Stanford, 6-4 forward 9. Connecticut: Jessica Shepard, Notre Dame, 6-4 forward 10. Washington: Sophie Cunningham, Missouri, 6-1 guard 11. Atlanta: Kalani Brown, Baylor, 6-7 center 12. Seattle: Megan Gustafson, Iowa, 6-3 center Second round 13. Phoenix: Ezi Magbegor, Australia, 6-4 forward 14. New York: Brianna Turner, Notre Dame, 6-3 forward 15. Chicago: Paris Kea, North Carolina, 5-9 guard 16. Minnesota: Caliya Robinson, Georgia, 6-3 forward 17. Dallas: Han Xu, China, 6-9 center 18. Minnesota: Kiara Leslie, NC State, 6-0 guard 19. Los Angeles: Kennedy Burke, UCLA, 6-1 guard 20. Minnesota: Naomi Davenport, West Virginia, 6-0 guard/forward 21. Connecticut: Natisha Hiedeman, Marquette, 5-8 guard 22. Dallas: Anriel Howard, Mississippi State, 5-11 forward 23. Atlanta: Cierra Dillard, Buffalo, 5-9 guard 24. Seattle: Bridget Carleton, Iowa State, 6-1 guard Third round 25. Indiana: Kianna Ibis, Arizona State, 6-1 forward 26. New York: Kenisha Bell, Minnesota, 5-9 guard 27. Chicago: Marina Mabrey, Notre Dame, 5-11 guard 28. Indiana: Allazia Blockton, Marquette, 6-0 guard 29. Dallas: Maite Cazorla, Oregon, 5-10 guard 30. Minnesota: Sam Fuehring, Louisville, 6-3 forward 31. Los Angeles: Li Yueru, China, 6-7 center 32. Phoenix: Megan Huff, Utah, 6-3 forward 33. Connecticut: Taylor Emery, Virginia Tech, 5-10 guard 34. Washington: Alexis Jennings, South Carolina, 6-3 forward 35. Atlanta: Chloe Jackson, Baylor, 5-8 guard 36. Seattle: Teniya Page, Penn State, 5-7 guard Previous mock drafts: April 2 | March 13 | Jan. 30<doc-sep>RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 25: NC State Wolfpack guard Kiara Leslie (11) looks for the open person during the 2019 Div 1 Championship - Second Round college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the NC State Wolfpack on March 25, 2019 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Michael Berg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Another Mike Thibault special. The Washington Mystics began the day of the WNBA Draft by making headlines and ended it with a surprise No. 10 pick. At 10:20 am on Wednesday, the Mystics sent an email to fans with the subject line, “Washington Mystics Draft Day Transaction.” There was no transaction, just a thoroughly entertaining video of the perpetually energetic Natasha Cloud telling everyone at the Mystics’ arena, including Pax the mascot, about the impending draft. Less than 12 hours later, there was similar excitement at a Kick Back Jacks sports bar in North Carolina when Mystics head coach and general manager Mike Thibault selected NC State’s Kiara Leslie with the No. 10 pick. Leslie, who was named an All-American Honorable Mention by multiple outlets this season, celebrated with family, friends, and NC State supporters and spoke with reporters by phone after the announcement. Most analysts had Leslie projected as a second-round pick, but Thibault said the Mystics had had their eye on the 6’ wing “for quite some time.” Leslie averaged 15.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for an NC State team that started this season 21-0 and got to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 3 seed. She scored a season-high 30 points at Syracuse in February and notched double-digit rebounds ten times this season, including twice in the NCAA Tournament. Thibault praised Leslie’s work ethic and noted the strides she has made offensively throughout her college career, including improving her three-point shooting from 32.5% last season to 38.1% this year. But Thibault seemed most enamored with Leslie’s defense, calling her “a pro defender coming out of college” and “the most ready player as far as playing both ends of the court.” He compared her to the Mystics’ surprise first-round pick from last year, Ariel Atkins, who averaged 11.3 points per game and made the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team as a rookie. Leslie agreed with Thibault’s assessment of her game, expressing surprise at being taken at No. 10 but saying, “I feel more prepared than ever” to play professionally. It helps that Leslie is familiar with Washington, DC from her time at Maryland. Leslie will also be part of a cadre of former Maryland Terrapins on the Mystics roster, joining Kristi Toliver, Tianna Hawkins, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. Leslie spoke glowingly of her time playing alongside Walker-Kimbrough, saying, “Nobody could outwork her. … It’ll be great to be teammates with her again.” Walker-Kimbrough’s advice to her former teammate was simple: be herself. Leslie is confident in her ability to do just that. “I think I can come in and defend well, rebound,” she told reporters Wednesday night. “I’ve really improved on my shooting, so I definitely don’t plan on slacking in that area any. And definitely slashing, what I’ve been known for all my life.” Thibault also stressed that Leslie would not be expected to fill the shoes of Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, a hard-nosed, veteran guard who signed with the Los Angeles Sparks in the offseason. “We loved all of what [Ruffin-Pratt] brought us,” he explained, “but … we’re not expecting Kiara Leslie to come in here and necessarily replace Tierra Ruffin-Pratt. … The draft pick that goes to a team that’s picking eight, nine, ten, eleven, whatever, doesn’t have the same pressure to help a team that somebody does in the first three or four picks.” While Leslie will compete for minutes at the guard and wing positions, the Mystics drafted Louisville forward Sam Fuehring in the third round with the No. 34 pick. The 6’3” Fuehring went to a Final Four as a junior and averaged 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior. She will face an uphill climb, though, to make the Mystics roster, as the team already has former WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, Belgian international Emma Meesseman, Hawkins, LaToya Sanders, and Myisha Hines-Allen in the frontcourt. (Coincidentally, Hines-Allen was also a Louisville Cardinal, playing with Fuehring for three seasons.) Thibault has been known for shaking up the draft in recent years, with Cloud, Meesseman, and Hines-Allen all being second-round selections who beat the odds to make the Mystics roster. Thibault attributed his success in the draft to hard work and a bit of luck: the Mystics coaches create a “several-page dossier” on every player projected to be drafted in the first two rounds, and for the players they like best, they talk not just to the players’ college head coaches and assistant coaches, but also strength coaches and athletic trainers. For picks after the first round, Thibault said, “I think you try to do one of two things: you try to find a player that exactly fits your team, or you take a stab at talent and hope it works out.” It has certainly worked out for the Mystics over the past few seasons, as many of the players Thibault has drafted were on the roster that got to the WNBA Finals last season. Other teams might have drafted bigger names or had more picks than the Mystics did on Wednesday, but another one of Thibault’s surprises might just put the Mystics over the top in 2019. Love our 24/7 women’s basketball coverage? Join our Patreon now and support this work, while getting extra goodies and subscriber-only content for yourself.<doc-sep>
The Washington Mystics selected NC State guard Kiara Leslie with the 10th pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft. Leslie was a graduate student at NC State, playing two years there after graduating from the University of Maryland where she spent three seasons from 2014-17. Leslie missed the 2016-17 season for the Terrapins due to injury. Leslie averaged 15.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for the Wolfpack in the 2018-19 season and was a regular starter in her two years with the Wolfpack. NC State went on a nation-high 21-game win streak to start last season as well and ultimately went to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. She made the All-ACC First Team and Defensive Team for her performance this season. At Maryland, Leslie was a reserve. In a release by the Mystics, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Thibault said the following: I think Kiara Leslie is the perfect fit for our team. She is a physical wing player who has excelled at both ends of the court at North Carolina State. One of the things I liked most about Kiara was her ability to come up big in the biggest games, particularly at tournament time. She is an elite defensive player already and has become an excellent offensive threat, particularly with her consistency as an improved three-point shooter. We are looking forward to Kiara becoming a part of the Mystics organization. Like last year, the Mystics were the first team to select a player who was not invited to the draft. Though Leslie may not have as much buzz around her like some of the names noted in our preview, she still played a major role on one of the rising programs in the ACC, the best conference in women’s college basketball from top to bottom. I thought Leslie would be drafted, but didn’t think she’d go in the first round. She also helps fill out the wing rotation which includes Ariel Atkins, who was the “surprise” pick who made everyone eat their words after the 2018 season.