But with the draft now long behind us, relatively speaking, we're heading into an express evaluation period, with both playing time and places on the list up for grabs. Some big moves were also made at the end of the season, leading to exciting pairings that will liven up the online sports betting world, and we cannot wait to see.
We'll start in Dallas, where Wings president Greg Bibb and head coach Vickie Johnson have an embarrassment of choice, with too many great all-rounders. They drafted 6-foot-5 Charli Collier from Texas first and Awak Kuier 6-foot-4 from Finland, just a year after selecting 6-foot-4 Satou Sabally in the 2020 Draft, followed shortly after by 6. foot-4 Bella Alarie fifth overall. All four are on the Wings' preseason roster, though overseas engagements will push their debut, alongside veterans Isabelle Harrison and Megan Gustafson.
It would be interesting to see if Dallas would do things like deploy training with Collier at 5, Kuier at 4, Sabally at 3 and Alarie returning to her high school guard roots as a guard, shooting around, say, Arike Ogunbowale. But since they're a basketball team and not a feverish dream, they'll likely also deploy a typical complement of wings and guards, leaving less room for this sextet. From that point of view, Alaria's ability to handle 5s defensively should make her the starter there, while Collier would be a perfect 4-stretch next to her.
We still need to see more efficiency from Sabally, who for many in the league has the highest cap in the entire group, and Kuier needs to get reps. Harrison and Gustafson might struggle to get minutes, reflecting Dallas' strength coupled with a need for Bibb and his company to see what they have in a quartet of high choices.
Speaking of too much wealth, the Atlanta Dream lead the pack. Last year's fourth overall pick Chennedy Carter was as productive as any rookie, with just one mid-year injury that cost her Rookie of the Year honours. So naturally, in this year's draft, the Dream took Aari McDonald of Arizona, who many believed to be the top point guard in the draft. However, that's not the problem it might appear at first before even factoring in how much fun head coach Nicki Collen can have in deploying two-point guard sets.
McDonald is a better defensive player than Carter - the former is as good as getting into passing lanes and grabbing steals as anyone since Lexie Brown - while Carter is well over a point per possession better, in virtually every off-the-ball offensive category, per Synergy. Knowing that McDonald can handle things while Carter looms as a lethal isolation option will stretch the defenses in ways that can only benefit the Dream, while Collen can keep each one fresh by stacking their minutes. After all, there is no shortage of options at the two-guard position, with Tiffany Hayes and Courtney Williams if you prefer your score in the midrange, or long-range threats like Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the roster battles out of the draft come from the Los Angeles Sparks, who at No. 10 chose Stephanie Watts, a combo guard most recently in North Carolina. A round later, the Sparks got a diamond in the rough, selecting Arella Guirantes 22nd overall from Rutgers. Guirantes is one of the top five talents who can defend at an elite level, shoot from deep, and distribute whatever you need from a 5'11 '' guard.
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