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New York Liberty win 2020 WNBA Draft Lottery

By Howard Megdal

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 05: Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) plays in 2019 NCAA Women's National Semifinal Game One between the Oregon Ducks and the Baylor Bears at at Amelie Arena in Tampa, FL on on April 5. (Photo by Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 05: Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) plays in 2019 NCAA Women's National Semifinal Game One between the Oregon Ducks and the Baylor Bears at at Amelie Arena in Tampa, FL on on April 5. (Photo by Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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An inside track on the best 2020 talent

New York won the WNBA’s draft lottery, earning the top pick in next spring’s 2020 WNBA Draft, the league announced following a random drawing on Tuesday evening.

The New York Liberty held the best chance at getting the top pick, with 44.2 percent of the 1000 chances the four non-playoff teams held, by virtue of the worst two-year record. The Indiana Fever had a 27.6 percent chance, the Dallas Wings had a 17.8 percent chance, and the Atlanta Dream had a 10.4 percent chance.

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The decision by the league to move to two-year records helped limit any inclinations toward tanking, and even in the penultimate game of the regular season between Indiana and New York, both teams played all their starters and tried to win.

Among the consensus top players in play for next year’s lottery are Sabrina Ionescu, the Oregon point guard, Lauren Cox, the Baylor forward, Miami big Beatrice Mompremier and Princeton forward Bella Alarie. Last month’s High Post Hoops Mock Draft Big Board can be read here.

The Liberty, with the top pick, now have a clear shot at Ionescu, a point guard who turned the ball over fewer than 13 percent of the time. With a pair of lead guards in Tanisha Wright and Brittany Boyd whose turnover percentages hovered near 30 all season, this is the logical way forward for the franchise.

“Well this is huge,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said on ESPN just after the pick was announced. “It’s a really good night to be a Liberty fan. And I feel like this really solidifies our path.”

Dallas moved up in the lottery, and will choose second overall. It is easy to imagine pairing Lauren Cox with guards Arike Ogunbowale and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

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