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2019 WNBA Draft: Best fits for potential early entry candidates

By Jenn Hatfield

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 27: Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the Oregon Ducks shoots a jumper against the Washington Huskies at the Alaska Airlines Arena on January 27, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 27: Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the Oregon Ducks shoots a jumper against the Washington Huskies at the Alaska Airlines Arena on January 27, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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UNCASVILLE, CT – MARCH 06: South Florida Bulls Guard Kitija Laksa (33) receives the American Athletic Conference All Championship Team trophy after the game as the South Florida Bulls take on the UConn Huskies on March 06, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT – MARCH 06: South Florida Bulls Guard Kitija Laksa (33) receives the American Athletic Conference All Championship Team trophy after the game as the South Florida Bulls take on the UConn Huskies on March 06, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Kitija Laksa, 6’0” guard, South Florida

(Laksa tore her ACL three games into the 2018-19 season, so her college stats are from the 2017-18 season. She’s not an early entry candidate, but rather still undecided about redshirting and returning, her coach Jose Fernandez told High Post Hoops recently.)

2017-18 stats: 34.5 minutes, 21.1 points, 0.4 blocks per game; 39.9% shooting from the field, 38.2% on 3-pointers, and 96.5% from the free throw line

Biggest strength: Three-point shooting. Last season, Laksa ranked second nationally in 3-point attempts and fifth in 3-pointers made. Against Southern in December 2017, Laksa scored 40 points and made 11 of 12 three-pointers. That barely bested her line against eventual national champion Notre Dame in November 2017, when she scored 36 points and hit nine of 11 three-pointers. For the season, Laksa got nearly 53% of her points from behind the arc and another 15% from the free-throw line, where she was the second-most accurate shooter in the nation. Based on this smart shot selection, it’s not surprising that she averaged 0.99 points per play, which ranked in the 97th percentile nationally.

Best WNBA fit: Las Vegas. Laksa would certainly fit well in Dallas, the league’s worst three-point shooting team last year, but the Aces could be an even better fit. Las Vegas attempted by far the fewest three-pointers last season, about five per game fewer than the next-closest team and less than half as many as the champion Seattle Storm. Once she’s healthy, Laksa could spell Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride and give the Aces some outside scoring punch off the bench to complement the interior dominance of A’ja Wilson.

(All college statistics are from Her Hoop Stats for games through February 11. All WNBA statistics are from the WNBA’s Team Stats page or Basketball Reference’s 2018 Season Summary.)

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