Seattle bets on their future (and their training staff) The Storm had a pick in each round of the draft, all of which they used on players whose ceilings are high and yet whose resumes are plagued with fairly serious injuries. With the eleventh pick, Seattle took Kitija Laksa, a Latvian native who played three seasons at South Florida before an ACL injury prematurely ended her senior year. An outstanding 3-point shooter, Laksa is unlikely to play this year, meaning Seattle is placing a premium value on what she can (hopefully) do both next year and moving forward. In the second round, the storm took Joyner Holmes from Texas. One of the top recruits when she entered college, both injuries and a semester-long suspension kept Holmes from ever really showcasing what she can do on a consistent basis in college. With the 31st pick, the Storm took Haley Gorecki from Duke, another player whose career was marked by injuries, but who had an exceptional senior season for the Blue Devils. Making moves with the big picture in mind is never a bad thing. But in a league where there’s only 144 jobs available across all 12 teams, it’s already difficult for a rookie to make a roster, especially if there’s any lingering concerns about her ability to stay healthy. Seattle has plenty of veterans, so they don’t need immediate help, but in a year or two from now, it wouldn’t be surprising if none of these picks are on the Storm’s roster. Then again, there’s also a near future in which Laksa is a lethal 3-point compliment to Seattle’s playmakers, and either Holmes or Gorecki (or both) has made the jump from talented college player to dependable pro. Seattle can afford to gamble, and this year, they did just that. 2020 WNBA DRAFT: FULL RESULTS: Round 1 1. New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu — Oregon, Guard 2. Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally — Oregon, Forward 3. Indiana Fever: Lauren Cox — Baylor, Forward 4. Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter — Texas A&M, Guard 5. Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie — Princeton, Forward 6. Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan — South Carolina, Forward 7. Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris — South Carolina, Guard 8. Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard — Oregon, Forward 9. New York Liberty: Megan Walker — UConn, Guard 10. Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby — Virginia, Guard/Forward 11. Seattle Storm: Kitija Laksa — South Florida/TTT Riga, Guard/Forward 12. New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones — Louisville, Guard Round 2 13. New York Liberty: Kylee Shook — Louisville, Forward 14. Indiana Fever: Kathleen Doyle — Iowa, Guard 15. New York Liberty: Leaonna Odom — Duke, Forward 16. Minnesota Lynx: Crystal Dangerfield — UConn, Guard 17. Atlanta Dream: Brittany Brewer — Texas Tech, Forward 18. Phoenix Mercury: Te’a Cooper — Baylor, Guard 19. Seattle Storm: Joyner Holmes — Texas, Forward 20. Los Angeles Sparks: Beatrice Mompremier — Miami, Forward 21. Dallas Wings: Luisa Geiselsoder — Germany, Forward 22. Los Angeles Sparks: Leonie Fiebich — Germany, Forward 23. Connecticut Sun: Kaila Charles — Maryland, Guard 24. Washington Mystics: Jaylen Agnew — Creighton, Forward Round 3 25. Atlanta Dream: Mikayla Pivec — Oregon State, Guard 26. Minnesota Lynx (via trade with New York Liberty): Erica Ogwumike — Rice, Guard 27. Atlanta Dream: Kobi Thornton — Clemson, Forward 28. Indiana Fever: Kamiah Smalls — James Madison, Guard 29. Phoenix Mercury: Stella Johnson — Rider, Guard 30. Chicago Sky: Japreece Dean — UCLA, Guard 31. Seattle Storm: Haley Gorecki — Duke, Guard 32. Chicago Sky: Kiah Gillespie — Florida State, Forward 33. Las Vegas Aces: Lauren Manis — Holy Cross, Forward 34. Los Angeles Sparks: Tynice Martin — West Virginia, Guard 35. Connecticut Sun: Juicy Landrum — Baylor, Guard 36. Washington Mystics: Sug Sutton — Texas, Guard
Seattle bets on their future (and their training staff) The Storm had a pick in each round of the draft, all of which they used on players whose ceilings are high and yet whose resumes are plagued with fairly serious injuries. With the eleventh pick, Seattle took Kitija Laksa, a Latvian native who played three seasons at South Florida before an ACL injury prematurely ended her senior year. An outstanding 3-point shooter, Laksa is unlikely to play this year, meaning Seattle is placing a premium value on what she can (hopefully) do both next year and moving forward. In the second round, the storm took Joyner Holmes from Texas. One of the top recruits when she entered college, both injuries and a semester-long suspension kept Holmes from ever really showcasing what she can do on a consistent basis in college. With the 31st pick, the Storm took Haley Gorecki from Duke, another player whose career was marked by injuries, but who had an exceptional senior season for the Blue Devils. Making moves with the big picture in mind is never a bad thing. But in a league where there’s only 144 jobs available across all 12 teams, it’s already difficult for a rookie to make a roster, especially if there’s any lingering concerns about her ability to stay healthy. Seattle has plenty of veterans, so they don’t need immediate help, but in a year or two from now, it wouldn’t be surprising if none of these picks are on the Storm’s roster. Then again, there’s also a near future in which Laksa is a lethal 3-point compliment to Seattle’s playmakers, and either Holmes or Gorecki (or both) has made the jump from talented college player to dependable pro. Seattle can afford to gamble, and this year, they did just that. 2020 WNBA DRAFT: FULL RESULTS: Round 1 1. New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu — Oregon, Guard 2. Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally — Oregon, Forward 3. Indiana Fever: Lauren Cox — Baylor, Forward 4. Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter — Texas A&M, Guard 5. Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie — Princeton, Forward 6. Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan — South Carolina, Forward 7. Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris — South Carolina, Guard 8. Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard — Oregon, Forward 9. New York Liberty: Megan Walker — UConn, Guard 10. Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby — Virginia, Guard/Forward 11. Seattle Storm: Kitija Laksa — South Florida/TTT Riga, Guard/Forward 12. New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones — Louisville, Guard Round 2 13. New York Liberty: Kylee Shook — Louisville, Forward 14. Indiana Fever: Kathleen Doyle — Iowa, Guard 15. New York Liberty: Leaonna Odom — Duke, Forward 16. Minnesota Lynx: Crystal Dangerfield — UConn, Guard 17. Atlanta Dream: Brittany Brewer — Texas Tech, Forward 18. Phoenix Mercury: Te’a Cooper — Baylor, Guard 19. Seattle Storm: Joyner Holmes — Texas, Forward 20. Los Angeles Sparks: Beatrice Mompremier — Miami, Forward 21. Dallas Wings: Luisa Geiselsoder — Germany, Forward 22. Los Angeles Sparks: Leonie Fiebich — Germany, Forward 23. Connecticut Sun: Kaila Charles — Maryland, Guard 24. Washington Mystics: Jaylen Agnew — Creighton, Forward Round 3 25. Atlanta Dream: Mikayla Pivec — Oregon State, Guard 26. Minnesota Lynx (via trade with New York Liberty): Erica Ogwumike — Rice, Guard 27. Atlanta Dream: Kobi Thornton — Clemson, Forward 28. Indiana Fever: Kamiah Smalls — James Madison, Guard 29. Phoenix Mercury: Stella Johnson — Rider, Guard 30. Chicago Sky: Japreece Dean — UCLA, Guard 31. Seattle Storm: Haley Gorecki — Duke, Guard 32. Chicago Sky: Kiah Gillespie — Florida State, Forward 33. Las Vegas Aces: Lauren Manis — Holy Cross, Forward 34. Los Angeles Sparks: Tynice Martin — West Virginia, Guard 35. Connecticut Sun: Juicy Landrum — Baylor, Guard 36. Washington Mystics: Sug Sutton — Texas, Guard