2019 WNBA Draft: Big Board 8.0, pre-Final Four edition

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 31: Mississippi State Bulldogs center Teaira McCowan (15) gets fouled by Oregon Ducks forward Ruthy Hebard (24) during the NCAA Division I Women's Championship Elite Eight round basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 31, 2019 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire 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) /

5. Dallas Wings: Katie Lou Samuelson, 6’3 G/F, Connecticut

Dallas is at the beginning of a massive rebuild, clearly — but rather adding talent that best fits where the league is going. There may not be a player more designed for that than Katie Lou Samuelson. The back is fine. She’s overcome an ankle injury, and more significantly, played at an elite level while she battled through it — just what WNBA players need to do to be great. And she showed that again this past weekend, scoring 29 points to beat Louisville and take her UConn Huskies to the Final Four. Again, here’s Auriemma on what we learned about Samuelson Sunday: “She doesn’t look it, but she’s a tough kid. There’s a certain toughness about her. It’s not surprising. It’s not surprising. Today was an amazing performance by her. Absolutely amazing.” My takeaway? Will to win despite injury is going to come in handy on the second night of a back-to-back in Indiana. It’s what separates the great WNBA players.

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