WNBA Draft Lottery results: projecting where the nation's best college hoopers could land in 2022

The WNBA is quietly getting ready to ramp back up. Teams can start negotiating with free agents in mid-January before officially signing at the start of February. Then, there’s the draft in April and the league’s 26th season tips off just a month later in May.

Before all of that goes down, though, we got the WNBA Draft Lottery, which took place this past Sunday. The Dallas Wings earned the No. 4 pick. Atlanta Dream, No. 3. Indiana Fever, second. And Mike Thibault’s Washington Mystics land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.

Let’s take a look at where some college standouts could be landing in a few months to begin their professional careers:

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook

Pick No. 4 - Dallas Wings

Potential Pick: Naz Hillmon (forward) – Michigan Wolverines

Make it now three years in a row that the Dallas Wings find themselves with at least one lottery pick. They drafted Satou Sabally with the No. 2 pick back in 2020 and then selected Charli Collier and Awak Kuwier with the first two picks of the 2021 draft. At the fourth spot in the upcoming draft, the Wings have a chance to add another dynamic player to their young and talented nucleus.

Hillmon to Dallas is kind of a popular take amongst those who cover the women’s game. The fit makes a ton of sense. She is a mobile forward who offers athleticism and some versatility on the defensive side of the ball. Naz is mostly an around-the-rim player on offense who thrives out of the post and as a roller. It’s different than what Dallas currently has with perimeter-oriented players like Satou Sabally, Arike Ogunbowale, and Marina Mabrey, so Hillmon could be a needed change of style.

Preseason Odds: Dallas Wings +5000 to win WNBA championship

Pick No. 3 - Atlanta Dream

Potential Pick – Shakira Austin (center) – Ole Miss Rebels

There’s a lot to talk about in regards to all of the misfortune of Atlanta’s 2021 campaign, but the organization seems to be moving on and so should we. The Dream went with guards Chennedy Carter (2020) and Aari McDonald (2021) in back-to-back lottery picks, so it feels like they should target a different position.

Standing at 6’5, Austin brings the size and physicality of a traditional center, but her game is that of a modern big. For one, she moves extremely well. Second, she has a midrange game to go alongside her ability to use her length around the rim. And it’s not like she’s an opportunistic pick-and-pop or catch-and-shoot midrange shooter, she can actively create off the bounce for pullups and stepbacks.

Austin would work well with both Carter and McDonald and could be a versatile paring alongside either another forward or center. I think this is a homerun-pick for the Dream, depending on what they plan on doing with their own free agent bigs.

Preseason Odds: Atlanta Dream +7000 to win WNBA championship

Pick No. 2 - Indiana Fever

Potential Pick – NaLyssa Smith (forward) – Baylor Bears

It feels cruel that the worst team in last season’s WNBA couldn’t land the No. 1 overall pick. The Fever will gladly settle for No. 2, a position they held in 2018 where they selected Kelsey Mitchell. Their last two lottery picks haven’t exactly worked out the way they may have hoped. There’s still time for 2021’s fourth pick Kysre Gondrezick to develop into a good player, but Indiana already cut ties with 2020 No. 3 pick Lauren Cox. Indiana Needs to get this one right.

Fortunately, there really isn’t much of a path to messing this selection up. NaLyssa Smith has a real case for being the No. 1 pick in this upcoming draft. She has the size (6’4) and skill to be a matchup nightmare once she reaches her prime years.

I love Smith’s ability to score at all three levels. She’s excellent in the post, is a great cutter, can get out in transition, and has developed into a capable catch-and-shoot player from behind the three-point line. She would be a great complement to Teaira McCowan, while also bringing more defense and rebounding to Indiana’s frontcourt.

Preseason Odds: Indiana Fever +8000 to win WNBA championship

Pick No. 1 - Washington Mystics

Potential Pick – Rhyne Howard (guard) – Kentucky Wildcats

The Washington Mystics somehow find themselves with the No. 1 overall pick, to add to an already talented roster. Don’t forget, the Mystics are only a few years removed from a WNBA championship and most of the core remains intact. They’ll be adding arguably the best player in the draft to a roster that should be ready to win a championship now.

Howard just makes the game look so effortless. She moves extremely well on the court; no wasted movements. The jumper is smooth, her back door cuts are set up flawlessly. You can just tell she has a real feel for the game on the offensive end of the court. Howard’s 6’2 frame makes her big enough to play the wing while also being a skilled enough passer and ball-handler to run some point. Oh, and then she averages 3.3 steals per game to top it all off.

I’m imagining Howard alongside Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins and already envisioning how fun that’ll be to watch.

Preseason Odds: Washington Mystics +2000 to win WNBA championship

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