2025 WNBA Draft Big Board of Latest Rankings for Paige Bueckers, Top Prospects

For Dallas Wings fans, the moment is nearly upon us.

Much like with the Indiana Fever last year, winning the draft lottery was a monumental occasion for the Wings because they gained more than just the No. 1 overall pick. Dallas now has the opportunity to add an otherworldly talent who can be the face of the franchise for a decade or more.

UConn's Paige Bueckers shouldered massive hype coming out of high school and managed to live up to those lofty expectations.

As a result, the 6'0" guard is far and away the top prospect in the 2025 WNBA draft class. The hierarchy from there is a matter of debate because identifying the best of the rest from there is a matter of evaluating ready-made skill versus upside potential.

1. Paige Bueckers, G, UConn

2. Dominique Malonga, C, ASVEL Lyon

3. Sonia Citron, G, Notre Dame

4. Justė Jocytė, G, ASVEL Lyon

What were you doing when you were 13 years old? In the case of Justė Jocytė, she was debuting for the Lithuania senior national team.

Now 19, Jocytė has been plying her trade for ASVEL Lyon in France alongside fellow draft prospect Dominique Malonga. In 22 domestic games, she was the team's second-leading scorer (11.9 points) behind Malonga and shot 33.9 percent from beyond the arc.

"She is already an excellent ballhandler and has a smooth pull-up," The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant wrote in her latest mock draft. "She can create out of the pick-and-roll. Jocytė has a long way to go defensively — anyone searching for the next Leonie Fiebich will be sorely disappointed on that end — but her ability to score and run offense against European pros is special."

Especially when so many players are only signed through the 2025 season as they await a new collective bargaining agreement, this is a great year to take a player who might stay abroad.

A general manager will effectively have an extra roster spot right now along with a young player on a cost-controlled contract starting in 2026.

Jocytė is worth the gamble at the end of the lottery.

5. Kiki Iriafen, F, USC

The 2025 NCAA tournament was a great WNBA audition for USC forward Kiki Iriafen until it wasn't.

The senior forward had a double-double in the first round and then dropped 36 points in the second round as Trojans star JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL. With Iriafen needed to assume a bigger scoring load, she shot 6-of-28 in USC's final two games.

When she struggled that much as the No. 1 scorer, even in a small sample, it raised some concerns about her pro ceiling.

Iriafen was nonetheless a strong scorer (18.7 points) and rebounder (9.7 boards) over the last two seasons. She may not emerge as a true star in the pros but should be a solid starter.

6. Aneesah Morrow, F, LSU

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow led Division I in rebounding despite only standing 6'1", and she was third in the SEC in steals (2.5). No WNBA coach will have to worry about her effort and motor level.

Morrow's height will be a concern, though, if she's going to occupy the 4, and her scoring may not translate as much as you'd think for a player who never averaged fewer than 16.4 points in a single season.

The Tigers star was a sub-30 percent three-point shooter and barely hit half of her twos (50.9 percent). Being an undersized forward with a 52 percent true shooting rate, per Sports Reference, is a concern.

7. Te-Hina Paopao, G, South Carolina

Transferring to South Carolina proved to be a success for Te-Hina Paopao on every level. She won a national championship in 2023-24 and improved her game to a point where she should be a surefire first-round pick.

As a member of the Gamecocks, the 5'9" guard averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 assists to 1.4 turnovers. She also shot 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.

By featuring on such a deep roster, Paopao also grew more accustomed to playing off the ball, which is the role she's likely to have out of the gate on a WNBA team.

8. Georgia Amoore, G, Kentucky

9. Shyanne Sellers, G, Maryland

10. Saniya Rivers, G, North Carolina State

11. Ajša Sivka, F, Tarbes

12. Serena Sundell, G, Kansas State

13. Hailey Van Lith, G, TCU

As great as it was to see Hailey Van Lith end her college career on a high note, WNBA coaches and talent evaluators may still base a lot of their assessment on how much she struggled in her one season with LSU.

Van Lith wasn't a great defender and everybody remembers how much she failed to contain Caitlin Clark in the NCAA tournament. Her offensive efficiency also cratered at the same time she was playing more off the ball.

Ultimately, a guard who shot 33.8 percent from three-point territory and can be exploited on defense doesn't profile as a player with a high upside in a league as competitive as the WNBA.

14. Sedona Prince, C, TCU

15. Rayah Marshall, F, USC

16. Sarah Ashlee Barker, F, Alabama

17. JJ Quinerly, G, West Virginia

As with other high-volume scorers around this position in the draft class, it's unlikely JJ Quinerly will be putting up close to the 20.1 points she averaged in her fnal two years at West Virginia.

Quinerly's two-way abilities do, however, help to set her apart. The 5'8" guard was a three-time All-Defense honoree in the Big 12 and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. She notched 2.6 steals per game for her career.

Once teams get into the second round of the WNBA draft, they're just hopeful of finding a player who can earn a roster spot. Excluding Isobel Borlase because she chose to stay overseas for a year, six of the other 11 second-rounders from last year have yet to appear in a WNBA game.

Assuming Quinerly slips out of the first round, she could be a great value pick.

18. Sania Feagin, F, South Carolina

19. Aziaha James, G, North Carolina State

20. Lucy Olsen, G, Iowa