2019 WNBA Draft: Way-too-early mock draft

Katie Lou Samuelson, 6’3 G/F, Connecticut

My fourth pick at the moment but another who may make a run at top overall due to a combination of factors. There’s the fact that her height, mixed with her shot release, makes her essentially unguardable, and that won’t be less true at the WNBA level, either because she lures bigger players out to the perimeter if teams deploy her at the 4, or shoots over top of defenders if she’s played at the 2/3. She is an extremely gifted passer, does not turn the ball over, and her defense has improved markedly during her time at Connecticut. Only the issue of her injuries—broken foot freshman year, ankle surgery following this one—may give pause to teams worried about the toll on her should she start playing the twelve-month seasons most professional players pursue. But she was made for the league.