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2019 WNBA Mock Draft Big Board: Version 1.0

By Howard Megdal

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: A'ja Wilson poses with a Las Vegas Aces hat during the 2018 WNBA Draft 2018 on April 12, 2018 at Nike New York Headquarters in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: A'ja Wilson poses with a Las Vegas Aces hat during the 2018 WNBA Draft 2018 on April 12, 2018 at Nike New York Headquarters in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Connecticut’s Katie Lou Samuelson (33) reacts after a made basket against Notre Dame in an NCAA Tournament national semifinal at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, March 30, 2018. UConn will play Notre Dame in the 2018 Jimmy V Women’s Classic. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS via Getty Images)
Connecticut’s Katie Lou Samuelson (33) reacts after a made basket against Notre Dame in an NCAA Tournament national semifinal at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, March 30, 2018. UConn will play Notre Dame in the 2018 Jimmy V Women’s Classic. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS via Getty Images) /

1. Las Vegas Aces: Katie Lou Samuelson, 6’3 G/F, Connecticut

The Aces have two ways to go, presumably, when planning for 2019: they could add a center, with a pair of elite options in this draft, or they can look to add shooting. A lot comes down to whether the Aces think they are a legitimate title contender in 2019, or they shoot for a longer-term window start. I think Bill Laimbeer sees a way to the top right away, and thus the continued work from Carolyn Swords at the five helps mitigate the immediate need. But these Aces absolutely have to shoot the ball better and more often from beyond the arc. Consider that every single WNBA team posted at least 23 percent of field goal attempts from three in 2018. Every team, that is, but Las Vegas, which came in last in the metric, at 15.5 percent.

Samuelson, to put it mildly, is a solution to this problem. She made 47.5 percent of her threes last season, after marks of 39.4 percent and 42 percent freshman and sophomore seasons. Samuelson, however, is far more than a perimeter specialist, leading the country in two-point field goal percentage at 69 percent, and posting her third straight season with a double-digit assist and defensive rebounding percentage. She’s become a defensive option on twos, threes or fours, and it is easy to see her fitting into lineups alongside, say, A’ja Wilson, Kayla McBride and either Kelsey Plum or Moriah Jefferson. She has a high basketball IQ, she’s learned in a WNBA player factory, and she’s going to help Las Vegas be scary good right away.

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