Well, that was unexpected.
Just days after Geno Auriemma discussed Azura Stevens in terms of her future at Connecticut, the 6’6 forward announced that she’d be taking her talents to the pros, leaving Connecticut with a season of eligibility left, and entering April 12’s WNBA Draft.
It’s worth understanding how WNBA front offices typically deal with such things. They’ll have draft boards, but also, provisional draft boards. Still, the reality was that teams were not planning to have to choose between Stevens and other top talents. So the discussions around the league have shifted dramatically.
Now it isn’t just about whether to take Stevens as opposed to, say, Gabby Williams. It’s trying to read tea leaves on what Chicago, Seattle, even Indiana might do. It’s figuring out at different spots down the first round how to choose between an extra player who will fall thanks to Stevens entering the mix. There’s a lot to digest, and about 200 hours left to do so.
After conversations with about a dozen WNBA talent evaluators, here’s our best projection on the madness Azura Stevens has bestowed like a gift to us all.
All stats courtesy of HerHoopStats.com and National Statistical. All videos of the prospects courtesy of Wayne Gethers.