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Ranking the Best Young Players in the WNBA
Make Your Fan Voice Heard:
Who Will Make the Next All-Decade Team?
By Adam Hirshfield, WNBA.com

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Seimone Augustus and Cappie Pondexter
Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

When the WNBA's first All-Decade Team was announced in June of 2006, it was chock full of women's hoops legends: Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes among them. Some fans were dismayed that Diana Taurasi, a rising star in the WNBA at the time, was named only as an honorable mention.

While Diana and some other younger stars seem to be shoo-ins for the next All-Decade Team -- unofficially scheduled for release in June of 2016 -- that begs the following questions:

Who is the top young player in the WNBA? And which youngster drafted in the past three seasons is most likely to be named to the next All-Decade Team?

Are you swayed by the impressive All-Star resumes of Seimone Augustus and Cappie Pondexter? Or are you more affected by the promise and expectations surrounding recent WNBA Draft picks Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles?

The beauty of topics like this is that they're open to discussion. And that's just what our Fan Voice is for. Check out the list below.

Then say it loud and say it proud… Make your case for the players you'd put at the top of the list. Post your rankings and comments in the thread here in the WNBA Fan Voice.

So without further ado, here's a glance, in alphabetical order (lest you think we're playing favorites), at eight of the best WNBA players to be drafted in the past three years.

Gauging the best WNBA players with less than three seasons of service

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx (No. 1 pick, 2006)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
Minnesota
2006
34 21.9 3.8 1.5 0.6 0.5 .456 .897
Minnesota
2007
34 22.6 4.0 2.3 1.2 0.6 .508 .873
Though the Lynx have gone 20-48 over her two seasons in Minnesota, Augustus has established herself as one of the league's top scorers, finishing second in the league in ppg in both 2006 (behind Taurasi) and 2007 (behind Lauren Jackson).

Candice Dupree, Chicago Sky (No. 6 pick, 2006)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
Chicago
2006
34 13.7 5.5 1.8 1.3 0.7 .457 .779
Chicago
2007
33 16.5 7.7 1.4 0.9 1.2 .446 .775
Dupree improved on her banner rookie season by upping her scoring and rebounding all the while establishing herself as one of the league's top post presences at both ends of the court. She has been an All-Star both of her years as a pro and her game will continue to develop with Sylvia Fowles in her frontcourt.

Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky (No. 2 pick, 2008)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
*LSU
2006-07
36 17.9 13.3 0.4 1.3 2.2 .571 .612
*LSU
2007-08
35 17.4 10.3 0.6 1.5 2.0 .584 .616
OK, so she hasn't yet played a WNBA game, but this 6-6 beast of a center is already one of the top threats on the USA Basketball team currently playing in China and will be expected to step in and perform at the offensive and defensive ends for the relatively young squad in Chicago.

Lindsey Harding, Minnesota Lynx (No. 1 pick, 2007)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
*Duke
2006-07
34 13.6 4.0 3.9 1.5 0.3 .444 .748
Minnesota
2007
20 11.7 4.4 3.9 1.0 0.3 .354 .679
This highly touted and highly intelligent point guard out of Duke was the front-runner for the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award before tearing her ACL halfway through the season. But she'll continue to be a go-to player in Minnesota as her offensive game improves and could end up being a significant backcourt player for the USA National Team.

Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks (No. 1 pick, 2008)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
*Tennessee
2006-07
36 19.6 9.8 2.4 1.8 2.7 .529 .712
*Tennessee
2007-08
38 21.3 8.5 2.5 2.3 2.4 .536 .698
Like Fowles, CP3 hasn't taken the court for a meaningful WNBA game yet, but she's arguably the most talented player to come out of college since fellow former Lady Vol Chamique Holdsclaw. Sparks coach Michael Cooper is expecting her to come into the experienced L.A. lineup and contribute immediately.

Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix Mercury (No. 2 pick, 2006)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
Phoenix
2006
32 19.5 3.3 3.1 1.2 0.1 .442 .853
Phoenix
2007
31 17.2 3.6 4.0 0.9 0.3 .431 .815
The only player on the list to have a WNBA Championship to her name (not to mention a Finals MVP trophy), Pondexter is a go-to player for the Mercury despite having Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor as teammates. This two-time All-Star is an electric scorer who is uncanny in her ability to take defenders off the dribble and should be a star in the WNBA for years to come.

Armintie Price, Chicago Sky (No. 3 pick, 2007)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
*Mississippi
2006-07
35 19.1 8.8 4.7 3.7 0.5 .457 .608
Chicago
2007
34 7.9 6.0 2.9 1.2 0.2 .409 .517
Price, a big-time scorer while at Mississippi, narrowly won the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award... but because of her non-scoring traits. At just 5-9, she led all rookies in rebounding at 6.0 per game and her athleticism helped the Sky mightily on the fast break and on defense.

Sophia Young, San Antonio Silver Stars (No. 4 pick, 2006)
G PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
San Antonio
2006
34 12.0 7.6 1.5 1.7 0.4 .416 .730
San Antonio
2007
33 16.8 5.8 1.5 1.5 0.4 .478 .749
Perhaps the most unsung star to come out of the 2006 Draft, Young is an absolute bruiser down low despite being undersized (6-1) for a power forward. A two-time All-Star, she can score, run the court and play solid D.

Once again, click here to check out the WNBA Fan Voice and make you opinions known on the young WNBA stars most likely to make the next All-Decade Team.

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