PAS-Sports: The ultimate study hall of talent

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GUARD TA'NIYA LATSON | 5'8 | FLORIDA STATE

RATING: 83

CEILING: 97

Excellent athlete, explosive lower body. Could have been a track athlete with that speed. Has the ball on a string, can get to the rim with ease. Has great shooting touch, shooting at a crazy rate of 46% from 3-point range at the moment. Also shooting 50% from the field for a player averaging 27 PPG. Has always shot over 80% from the free throw line. Knows how to get off a clean shot from anywhere. Is also a playmaker for her teammates with 4 assists per game. She's also a great defender on the perimeter and averages 2 steals per game. She definitely passes the eye-test and it still seems like people are sleeping on her talent. 

 Last year, Seattle traded Kia Nurse and the #4 pick in the 2024 Draft to the Sparks in exchange for a 2026 1st round draft pick. The Sparks had the worst record in the league last year (8-32), and even though they signed Kelsey Plum, the draft order is determined by team record from the last 2 seasons. So, unless they go 32-8 this year, it will most likely be a top 3 pick. 

CENTER LAUREN BETTS | 6'7 | UCLA

RATING: 82

CEILING: 97

Dominant post player that impacts winning in a big way. Her team is currently 14-0 as she puts up 20 and 10 each game. She also controls the paint with 2 blocks per game. At 6'7, she has a crazy reach and makes offensive players think twice about entering the lane. Has quick feet and runs the floor well for her size. Has good hands and anticipation skills to go along with it.

 The WNBA should change their draft rules. Instead of going by record from the last 2 seasons, they should just use 1 season instead. The 2-season thing will hurt expansion teams like Golden State, who will only have 1 season under their belt. So how exactly do you determine that??  

GUARD FLAU'JAE JOHNSON | 5'10 | LSU

RATING: 81

CEILING: 96

Johnson is a good athlete, has nice quickness. Knows how to get space to create her own shot. Confident scorer, in attack mode, and looking for her shot. Nice bag of moves, good footwork, fast in transition, can finish around the rim. Has a certain charisma about herself. Her game reminds me of Kahleah Copper, who is a perennial all-star and a walking bucket. 

 In the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Chicago Sky had the #3 and also the #8 pick that they had acquired from Atlanta. The Minnesota Lynx had the #7 pick. When Angel Reese was still available at #7, Chicago called them to move up 1 spot in the draft to secure Reese. The Lynx told Chicago that they would swap that #8 for the #7 pick in that draft, but they also wanted rights to swap picks with Chicago in 2026. Well, this move pays off tremendously here. The Lynx are perennial contenders for the title at this point, and they'll land a top talent. Excellent move and timing by them. 

GUARD OLIVIA MILES | 5'10 | NOTRE DAME

RATING: 81

CEILING: 95

Miles is a big time playmaker, someone who must have the ball in her hand. There weren't enough balls to go around for her and Hidalgo, but they both still put up great numbers last year. Look for those numbers to get even better, she may even be the player of the year. She can score and she can dish the ball at a very high level. Excellent three-point shooter, has the ball on a string, sees the court very well.

POWER FORWARD GRACE VANSLOOTEN | 6'3 | OREGON

RATING: 80

CEILING: 94

Good athlete with good size. She moves like a guard at 6'3. Can take you off of the dribble and finish inside. Also has nice touch on her shot. Brings a lot of versatility to her game, can play PF on defense and guard on offense. A lot of potential here, I like Vanslooten's game.

POWER FORWARD/CENTER RAEGAN BEERS | 6'4 | OREGON STATE

RATING: 79

CEILING: 90

An anchor in the paint, has great size and knows how to throw her weight around. She won't be pushed around, constantly banging in the paint, and moves well for a big girl. She's a rim runner, always in a good position. She can score at will inside, with good footwork. She also has a good jump shot from mid-range with decent shooting touch. Can finish inside with either hand. Runs the floor well.

It's crazy that expansion teams can end up this late in the draft. They should be in the top 3 for sure, like the NBA has done it in the past.

GUARD AZZI FUDD | 5'11 | UCONN

RATING: 78

CEILING: 89

Well seasoned player, will be the leader for the Huskies this year. She'll have the ball in her hands a lot, and she'll be able to show the world what she can do with that kind of weight on her shoulders.

FORWARD SERAH WILLIAMS | 6'4 | WISCONSIN

RATING: 76

CEILING: 88

Really good length to play the 4 or 5 spot, I'd say more of a 5. She does well at flashing to the ball and making  herself available. Looks to make the kick-out pass to an open teammate. Can finish inside, solid rebounder. Smart player and usually in the right spots.

GUARD GIANNA KNEEPKENS | 6'0 | UTAH

RATING: 76

CEILING: 87

Smooth guard with excellent shooting touch. Very efficient player, doesn't take bad shots. Always gets good looks on the goal.

GUARD KAYLENE SMIKLE | 6'0 | MARYLAND

RATING: 76

CEILING: 86

Excellent catch-and-shoot player, very efficient from the field. Not the best athlete or defender and that's why she slips to #10. She'll be great for spacing the floor on offense though.

#23

Guard Jalyn Brown | 6'1 | Arizona State

RATING: 75

CEILING: 85

Excellent length and speed for a wing. Can play the 2 or 3. Has solid handles and playmaking ability. Good at attacking the basket and finishing near the rim. Not much of a perimeter threat, but is an excellent defender.

GUARD COTIE MCMAHON | 6'0 | OHIO STATE

RATING: 75

CEILING: 84

Cotie is a ball player. She's a very strong, physical guard. She has good footwork, can put her back to the basket and really use those strong hips/thighs of hers. Can bully ball to the basket, but has the skill to finesse you as well. More of a 2 guard, but has good playmaking abilities still.

GUARD RUBY WHITEHORN | 5'11 | TENNESSEE

RATING: 74

CEILING: 84

Great speed and quickness, dangerous in transition on offense. Can knock down the 3, doesn't force her shots, patient scorer. On defense, she can stay in front of defenders with her excellent lateral quickness.

GUARD KIKI RICE | 5'11 | UCLA

Fundamentally sound point guard. Able to control the tempo of the offense, good ball-control ability. Has 3-point range and is a confident shooter. Will pull up if you give her too much space. Plays the game the right way, unselfish point guard.

FORWARD YARDEN GARZON | 6'3 | INDIANA

Can play the 3 or 4 and stretches the court with her shooting range. Good mobility for a 6'3 player. Able to take defenders off of the dribble from the perimeter. Nice versatility to her game. Needs to improve her rebounding.