Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft is quick approaching. It doesn’t appear there will likely be a lot drama on the high of the draft, with Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga penciled in as the highest two total picks on nearly each respected mock.
The center of the primary spherical requires extra inventive considering, however the finish of the primary and the beginning of the second spherical is the place you’ll probably see essentially the most chaos. Meaning some stable expertise will fall into the depths of the draft, so the chance of one other Kate Martin rising by the ranks at coaching camp this yr feels cheap.
For this text, a sleeper is a participant who’s a consensus mid-to-late second-round decide or later. As an added wrinkle, I’m additionally disqualifying any participant who accepted an invitation to the WNBA Draft.
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
JJ Quinerly enters the 2025 WNBA Draft after successful consecutive Large 12 Defensive Participant of the 12 months Awards. She’s simply the fourth participant within the convention’s historical past to realize the feat, becoming a member of WNBA champions Courtney Paris and Britney Griner in addition to 2020 No. 3 total decide Lauren Cox.
Not solely was JJ Quinerly the most effective defender within the Large 12 two seasons working, she was additionally among the many most potent scorers within the convention. The 5’8 combo guard averaged 20.4 factors per sport on 44.3% capturing this season and scored a profession excessive 38 factors on 16-of-21 capturing (4-of-5 from 3) in a 76-45 trouncing of Utah in February.
With Quinerly probably taken in the midst of the second spherical, maybe earlier, she has a powerful probability of creating a gap evening roster.
Quinerly may present a invaluable scoring increase off the bench for a workforce selecting late within the second spherical like Indiana or Los Angeles. Plus, her velocity would permit her to mould properly into an offensive system that’s designed round Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Plum.
Rayah Marshall, USC
Rayah Marshall is arguably the best rim protector in the complete draft class. She’s a little bit of a venture on the offensive finish, however Marshall managed to common double digits in scoring in three of her 4 seasons at USC.
Regardless of a statistical regression on offense this previous season, Marshall may see herself drafted within the late second spherical due to her aforementioned rim safety and her potential to defend the paint. The Los Angeles native does each of these issues at an expert degree and her 6’4 body will permit her to current a difficult matchup for nearly any massive within the league this season.
Marshall’s finest video games at USC embody a 26-point, 11-rebound gem on 8-of-17 capturing in a 95-93 2OT win over Arizona in 2023-24 and her gutsy efficiency in opposition to UConn in her remaining collegiate sport just some weeks in the past caught consideration.
Together with her partner-in-crime JuJu Watkins out with a torn ACL, Marshall went out on her sword with a 26-point, 15-rebound efficiency that stored the Girls of Troy nearer than anybody may have imagined in opposition to the eventual champion UConn Huskies.
Marshall will be formidable offensively in the proper system, however even when used as a situational defender, the previous Trojan will present loads of worth to whichever workforce takes her within the second spherical on Monday.
Harmoni Turner, Harvard
Harmoni Turner is among the many most intriguing prospects within the draft. She received the Ivy League Participant of the 12 months award this previous season, main Harvard to a 24-5 report en path to an Ivy League match championship and this system’s first NCAA match look since 2007.
No matter convention, Turner was one of many nation’s finest three-level scorers in 2024-25. She put the nation on discover with a 41-point, 10-rebound efficiency on 14-of-23 capturing (7-of-11 from 3) in a 78-70 win over Boston Faculty in November. That efficiency set a program report, at the least till Turner once more set the mark with a 44-point sport in opposition to Princeton within the Ivy League semifinal. Turner made 14-of-27 makes an attempt from the sector in that one and once more went 7-of-11 from 3-point vary.
When it comes to mid-major scoring threats getting into the draft, Turner jogs my memory a little bit of Kierstan Bell when she was popping out of Florida Gulf Coast a couple of years in the past.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will happen on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
