Minnesota Lynx Draft Preview

Anthony Oliva, WNBA.com

After falling in the 2012 WNBA Finals, can Maya Moore and the Lynx retool and regain the championship?
Michael Hickey/NBAE/Getty Images


First 3 Selections in 2013
  • No. 12 overall
  • No. 14 overall
  • No. 24 overall

    • Last 3 First Round Picks (Pick, Year)
  • Devereraux Peters (3, 2012)
  • Maya Moore (1, 2011)
  • Monica Wright (2, 2010)
    		•

    Strengths
  • Scoring
  • Team Rebounding
  • 3-point Shooting


    • Areas of Improvement
  • Frontcourt Depth
  • Point Guard Depth
  • Ability to Force turnovers


    • Overview
    With the last pick in each round, as well as the second pick in the second round, the Lynx are not in position to draft some of the most hyped players in this year's draft class. On the other hand, Minnesota, which has won the Western Conference the past two seasons, does not need much help from this draft as it returns the majority of its core and is further bolstered by the acquisition of forward Janel McCarville.

    To say the Lynx have needs is nit-picky and, quite frankly, it's going to take a stellar training camp for a rookie to crack this Minnesota rotation that is already stacked with veteran talent.

    That said, there is always room to add another quality piece. And, after trading reserve guard Candice Wiggins to Tulsa for McCarville (a big that essentially replaces the retired Taj McWilliams-Franklin), the Lynx could be looking for a guard that can step in and play some minutes both off the ball and at the point since that was Wiggins' role in just under 22 minutes per game. Even though Monica Wright is a serviceable backup option already and Lindsay Whalen doesn't appear to be slowing down as she's about to enter her 10th WNBA season, this could be a direction that Minnesota looks to with one or more of its picks.

    When talking to LynxBasketball.com, Reeve pointed to guards like Ohio State's Tayler Hill and Georgetown's Sugar Rodgers as guards that rank near the top of their draft list and those two would certainly be of interest to Minnesota should they fall to No. 12 or No. 14. Other guards that could seemingly be around for Minnesota's early picks could be Connecticut's Kelly Faris, Kansas' Angel Goodrich, Nebraska's Lindsey Moore, Penn State's Alex Bentley and Kentucky's A'dia Mathies.

    Even though Minnesota figured to one of the quietest teams in this draft, Cheryl Reeve still realizes this is a special draft class.

    "I think what makes it a great draft is the top three; if you look at the history of the WNBA draft, it�s not typically deep in terms of game-changers," Reeve told LynxBasketball.com. "You�ve got three in one class. To me, I think it rivals the class of Sue Bird in 2002 where you had four players from UConn go in the top six. Those were game-changing players, so for us to see three players with the caliber of those three, that�s what�s going to make it a great draft. Then you find the other players to be at least serviceable in a league with 12 teams and not much turnover. That�s a pretty impressive thing to be able to do."

    DRAFT HISTORY
    2012 (top 3 picks)
    3. Devereaux Peters
    12. Damiris Dantas
    18. Julie Wojta

    2011
    1. Maya Moore
    4. Amber Harris
    13. Jessica Breland

    2010
    2. Monica Wright
    3. Kelsey Griffin
    26. Gabriela Marginean
    2012 LEADERS
    Scoring
    1. Seimone Augustus (16.6)
    2. Maya Moore (16.4)
    3. Lindsay Whalen (11.5)

    Rebounding
    1. Rebekkah Brunson (8.9)
    2. Maya Moore (6.0)
    3. Taj McWilliams-Franklin (5.4)

    Assists
    1. Lindsay Whalen (5.4)
    2. Maya Moore (3.6)
    3. Seimone Augustus (2.5)