2024 WNBA Draft Big Board: Latest Rankings for Caitlin Clark, Top Prospects
2024 WNBA Draft Big Board: Latest Rankings for Caitlin Clark, Top Prospects0 of 4
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
The next time you see Caitlin Clark on a basketball court she’ll be a member of the Indiana Fever.
The Iowa star was the consensus best player in the 2024 WNBA draft class before the season got underway, and she further solidified her status by leading Division I in points (31.7) and assists (9.0).
And everyone knew where Clark would land from the moment the Fever won the draft lottery. There’s a reason the team’s X account promoted its season-ticket packages the same day she declared for the draft.
Indiana Fever @IndianaFeverjust a casual reminder we’re 22 days from that No. 1 pick at the @WNBA Draft 🗓️
you’ll want to be in Indy this summer. get your season tickets now.
🎟️ https://t.co/OfM7ZU3wvM pic.twitter.com/Rejzl9dv7L
While Clark has dominated the draft discourse, she isn’t the only player with the potential to be a perennial All-Star and franchise cornerstone. The 2024 class also includes the reigning SEC Player of the Year, the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time first team All-SEC honoree.
Nos. 1-51 of 4
Lance King/Getty Images
1. Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa
2. Cameron Brink, F, Stanford
The general emphasis on Clark perhaps overshadows how much Cameron Brink can be a difference-maker at the next level.
The Stanford forward averaged 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks while continuing to expand her offensive repertoire. Her 21 made threes were nearly double her previous single-season best.
Brink has the two-way game that’s perfectly suited for today’s WNBA, where bigs are increasingly expected to get out on the perimeter to match the general shift we’ve seen in the NBA.
3. Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee
In terms of her draft position, staying at Tennessee for one more year didn’t change much for Rickea Jackson. The 6’2 forward nonetheless benefited from the experience as she continued to incrementally evolve her game.
Jackson averaged 20.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting, including 33.8 percent from beyond the arc, along with 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Not unlike Rhyne Howard with the Atlanta Dream, Jackson may have an easier transition to the WNBA because she’ll go from being the focal point of the opponent’s defensive game plan to a slightly lower-usage role.
The Lady Vols star will be much more than a consolation prize for the Chicago Sky assuming Clark and Brink go first and second.
4. Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina
Much like in the NBA, traditional centers are a key ingredient in a championship formula. That still shouldn’t stop South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso from being a lottery pick.
Cardoso stepped into the void left by Aliyah Boston’s departure and anchored the frontcourt for one of Division I’s stingiest defenses. According to Her Hoop Stats, she ranked in the 98th percentile in total rebounding rate (18.8 percent) and in the 99th percentile in block rate (9.0 percent).
The 6’7″ big also put up career highs in both points (14.3) and field-goal percentage (59.8) as she occupied a larger offensive presence with Boston gone.
5. Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn
Nos. 6-102 of 4
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
6. Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State
Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon is another player served well by exhausting all of her collegiate eligibility. She averaged 17.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals, and her her 37.5 percent clip on three-pointers was a career high.
Sheldon was an elite defender with the Buckeyes and possesses the size (5’10”) to guard multiple positions at the next level.
A genuine three-and-D talent, the OSU star is the second-best guard on the board behind Clark.
7. Nyadiew Puoch, F, Australia
8. Angel Reese, F, LSU
Angel Reese might be the toughest player to project because how WNBA teams view her could differ greatly than one would presume based on her production and college accolades.
Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds in her two years at LSU, and she has the athleticism to operate as a point forward if her playmaking (2.3 assists per game in 2023-24) continues to evolve.
But the 6’3″ forward’s scoring efficiency went backward as she shot 47.1 percent from the floor while continuing to display limited range. She made a total of five three-pointers across her four years at Maryland and LSU.
As much as Reese has to offer as a scorer and rebounder, her inability to space the floor could be a red flag for WNBA general managers.
Every year, there’s seemingly at least one player who’s widely considered to be a first-round talent and winds up tumbling on draft night. It was Brea Beal in 2023, Elissa Cunane in 2022 and Arella Guirantes in 2021.
Could Reese be the one in 2024?
9. Leïla Lacan, G, France
10. Alissa Pili, F, Utah
Even by the time you reach the latter stage of the first round in the WNBA draft, you’re not expecting to hit a home run as a general manager. This is when you may start to target players with one obvious skill, a label that applies to Utah’s Alissa Pili.
Pili shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc in two years at Utah. While she’ll have to learn how to play without the ball much more (30.3 percent career usage rate, per Sports Reference), she has the potential to be a small-ball stretch 4.
Nos. 11-153 of 4
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
11. Charisma Osborne, G, UCLA
12. Isobel Borlase, G, Australia
13. Nika Mühl, G, UConn
If it’s possible for a player’s draft stock to improve based on a game she wasn’t even playing in, then that happened for UConn guard Nika Mühl. The 5’11” senior did a great job of slowing down Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in the first half of the Huskies’ Final Four loss, and Clark proceeded to torch South Carolina to open the title game.
Between her perimeter defending, playmaking (6.5 assists per game in 2023-24) and long-range shooting (40.2 percent), Mühl has the tools to be a dependable backup guard in the WNBA.
14. Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State
15. Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas
Nos. 16-204 of 4
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
16. Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech
A case could be made this position is either too high or too low for Elizabeth Kitley after the Virginia Tech center suffered a torn ACL before the ACC tournament.
Before the injury, Kitley looked like a safe bet for the first round. She put up 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game en route to winning ACC Player of the Year for the third straight season.
The New York Liberty didn’t hesitate to select Nyara Sabally fifth overall in 2022 despite major question marks over her health. Perhaps a team will look past Kitley’s ACL tear and view her as a draft-and-stash in the first round.
17. Carla Leite, G, France
18. Jaz Shelley, G, Nebraska
19. Kiki Jefferson, G, Louisville
20. Dyaisha Fair, G, Syracuse
Clark’s pursuit of Kelsey Plum’s Division I scoring record overshadowed Dyaisha Fair’s own quest for history. The Syracuse guard moved ahead of Kelsey Mitchell in March to become the third-highest scorer ever.
At 5’5″, Fair will be limited by her size, particularly on the defensive end, and having a sub-40 percent field-goal clip raises concerns about how her prodigious scoring will translate. But she’s worth selecting as a late second or early third-rounder as a flier because 3,403 points across five years is a lot.
