2024 wnba draft

Angel Reese “Insulted” By ESPN’s WNBA Mock Draft

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Angel Reese may be about to start a new beef. Recently, her college coach spoke on Reese’s reaction to ESPN projecting her to be drafted eighth in the 2024 WNBA Draft. “That was an insult to her. We talked about the things she needs to work on. Whether she gets picked higher than that or not, it still motivates her. She gets motivated in practice with someone going head-to-head with her or talking trash back at her. She’s a competitor,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said.

Reese’s tumble to the second half of the first round was perhaps the biggest surprise of M.A. Voepel’s first WNBA mock draft of the year. Furthermore, Voepel chose to project Paige Bueckers as the second pick. Bueckers hasn’t played a full season since her freshman year and missed all of last season with an ACL tear. While the 2024 draft class is one of the strongest and deepest in years, it’s hard to see many teams passing on Reese. She was top-five in both points and rebounds per game last season.

Read More: Angel Reese Says She Can No Longer Attend Classes In Person

Reese Ready For The WNBA

Angel Reese
DALLAS, TEXAS – APRIL 02: Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Lady Tigers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

While Reese could play a fifth year in college thanks to the COVID exemption, she has made it clear that she is ready for the pros. “This is my senior year, and I have the opportunity to declare for the WNBA this year if I choose to. Personally, I aspire to make it to the WNBA. While I do have the option for another year, I do want to get out of college, start life outside of school, and pursue my WNBA dreams. It’s been a challenging but rewarding four years, and I’m excited to continue improving at LSU and beyond,” she told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie for Glamour.

However, Reese isn’t going to be displaying any “senior-itis” this season. She fully intends to pursue another National Championship. Meanwhile, LSU is still hunting for their first SEC title since 2008 or their first conference tournament title since 2003. To aid Reese, Mulkey and the Tigers have built a bona fide superteam around her. Along with two top-ten freshmen, LSU added transfers Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville. The Tigers kick off their 2023-24 campaign in Vegas against Colorado.

Read More: Angel Reese And Shaq Link Up For “Put It On Da Floor Again” TikTok

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Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese Among Players Being Watched By WNBA Teams For 2024 Draft

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The WNBA playoffs are in full swing. However, for many of the teams not participating, their attention has already turned to the draft. The 2024 WNBA draft has the potential to be one of the strongest in recent memory. However, there is an air of uncertainty to the draft. While stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese are eligible, many top stars may opt to use their COVID waiver and play a fifth season in college.

“If the depth of the class turns out to be what it’s capable of being, having two first-round picks is exciting for what that can do for us,” LA Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “But we have to be thorough [with scouting], because this is probably the last class with so many unknowns.” Meanwhile, veteran Diana Taurasi, who has announced her intention to play a 20th WNBA season next year, sees the 2024 class as having a massive ceiling. “When you look at this [potential] draft class, what these kids have done the last few years, there’s some names that could change your team.”

Read More: Caitlin Clark honored with butter statue at Iowa State Fair

ESPN Includes A Few Surprises In First WNBA Mock Draft

Paige Bueckers
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 11: Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies shoots the ball during warm ups before the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Entertainment & Sports Arena on February 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

Alongside comments from around the WNBA, ESPN also released their first early mock draft for 2024. The draft considers all players as declaring for the draft and ranks the top-four teams by lottery odds. The number one pick, presumptively held by the Indiana Fever, remains a consensus across most mocks – Caitlin Clark. Clark is the reigning National Player of the Year and one of the most exciting players in college basketball. However, #2 is where the surprises begin. M.A. Voepel slots UConn’s Paige Bueckers at the spot despite Bueckers’ long injury history. Bueckers has been great when healthy. However, she has less than 50 games in her college career and also has three years of eligibility left.

Furthermore, perhaps one of the biggest surprises is that Voepel has Angel Reese falling to #8. Reese is perhaps the most recognizable player in the college game right now. Furthermore, she helped lead LSU to a national title last season and heads into her senior year with a newly formed superteam around her. Two other surprises are Cameron Brink at #3 and Hailey Van Lith at #5. Both players have exceptional skills – Brink as a defender and Van Lith as a perimeter shooter. However, both players have glaring holes in their game, ironically the other’s strengths. As mentioned, all this could change depending on eligibility decisions at the end of the season.

Read More: Paige Bueckers signs multi-year deal with Nike

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