New Mock Draft Has Connecticut Taking Morgan Tuck 4th Overall

[Jackalope]

RE: Morgan's Knees. For every Shea Ralph and Jackie Stiles, there is a Sue Bird, or Nykesha Sales. Or more recently, Achonwa. Morgan has the advantage of proving she has a pro-ready game after her injuries. For athletes, particularly women athletes, leg injuries are basically inevitable. It think she will be drafted high.

To be sure, Morgan will be physically evaluated by any potential drafting team to make sure they know what they are getting. In all likelihood, the bigger issue with Morgan is whether she will play year-round and get the big money overseas, or only play for either the WNBA or overseas. I think one of the reasons Kara Lawson has such a long career, despite numerous injuries, is that she has the luxury of not having to play overseas.

 

[easttexastrash]

Have to think that CT first takes a guard (whoever is available, in the following order of preference: Jefferson, Mitchell or Banham) then a big such as Jonquel Jones. She is the real deal.

I predict that SA goes for a big and that Jefferson is available for CT at the 3 pick.

 

[HuskiesU]

At pick 3 and 4 I like for the Sun to draft Courtney Williams and Arial Powers or Rachel.

 

[Orangutan]

Robinson is a little better than "good" as she is one of the 25 finalists for the Olympic team. If SA drafts Jefferson to play PG she will be waiting in the wings for a while as Robinson has only been in the WNBA for 5 seasons and Dan Hughes won't be moving her out anytime soon. SA also has McBride on the wing, along with Perkins, and just resigned Colson.

Would seem a waste to draft a player at a position where you already have one of the world's best players. I cannot imagine Jefferson coming into the league on a team that does not really need a PG. Just seems to me that they would get more value out of trading Jefferson to a team that is in need of a PG so that they could shore up other positions where they need help, and they really need help in the middle.

Not that it's the end-all, be-all but Robinson's PER was 11.4 last year. 15 is league average. Last year does seem to be an anomaly (SAS was terrible, hurting every player's metrics). She was at 17.0 the year before. But for her career she's only at 15.5. Olympic finalist or no, I think "good" is about as far as she goes.

I mean, it's kind of mind-boggling that as a point guard she has made ZERO threes in her career. MoJeff can actually shoot, so right there she has a higher ceiling than D-Rob. To me, D-Rob is overrated and it would be a huge mistake to pass on Jefferson just because you have Robinson. If you think Jefferson is the best player, take her and sort it out later.

 

[GoCardinal]

Not that it's the end-all, be-all but Robinson's PER was 11.4 last year. 15 is league average. Last year does seem to be an anomaly (SAS was terrible, hurting every player's metrics). She was at 17.0 the year before. But for her career she's only at 15.5. Olympic finalist or no, I think "good" is about as far as she goes.

I mean, it's kind of mind-boggling that as a point guard she has made ZERO threes in her career. MoJeff can actually shoot, so right there she has a higher ceiling than D-Rob. To me, D-Rob is overrated and it would be a huge mistake to pass on Jefferson just because you have Robinson. If you think Jefferson is the best player, take her and sort it out later.

I agree with every point you made. When healthy, there are at least 6 PGs in the league I'd take over D-Rob. I also think Moriah is better than Colson and Logic, who are already on the SA roster. I just don't think it makes sense to pass on her just because Robinson is there. Tulsa/Dallas didn't pass on Sims just because Diggins was already on the team, and you see how well that worked out for them.

 

[Jackalope]

RE: MoJeff and San Antonio. San Antonio does have two elite players in Danielle Robinson and Kayla McBride. Both are All-Stars and on the short list for USA basketball. Robinson also has the Baylor / Texas pedigree. McBride can play shooting guard or wing.

It just doesn't make sense for them to keep two elite point guards when they desperately need upfront scoring help. This draft is strong on guards, less so on elite posts.

I would not be surprised if SA trades the #2 pick to a team that is heavy on posts and needs an elite point guard. I can see a trade with Los Angeles for Nneka or Lavendar that includes either Robinson or the #2 pick.

 

[GoCardinal]

RE: MoJeff and San Antonio. San Antonio does have two elite players in Danielle Robinson and Kayla McBride. Both are All-Stars and on the short list for USA basketball. Robinson also has the Baylor / Texas pedigree. McBride can play shooting guard or wing.

It just doesn't make sense for them to keep two elite point guards when they desperately need upfront scoring help. This draft is strong on guards, less so on elite posts.

I would not be surprised if SA trades the #2 pick to a team that is heavy on posts and needs an elite point guard. I can see a trade with Los Angeles for Nneka or Lavendar that includes either Robinson or the #2 pick.

On the other hand, Jayne Appel has been a all-star, and was named as a finalist for the last Olympics. I do think a team like LA who needs a PG may be interested in DRob but I'm not so sure they'd give up Nneka for her.

In SA's case I think it would make sense to just take best available. I haven't seen many places having Jones as the #2 pick. I think SA can find a decent post later in the draft, or possibly trade for one.

 

[CocoHusky]

I love Morgan and she deserves all the honors that come her way but if I were a WNBA GM I would have to think twice about drafting a player with her knee history to play a much more intense schedule than that played in the NCAA. Is there any chance this mock draft was generated with input from College people who want to make UCONN as weak as possible next year? I say that only half jokingly. It makes more sense for her healthwise to stay another year in college or proceed cautiously with her basketball career. It's hard to imagine she is going to last long if she has to play all those games. At least at UCONN she will have the luxury of sitting out some games. I doubt the pros would give her that benefit if they're paying for her services.

Chelsea Gray last year had a knee condition that was more chronic than Morgan and yet she was drafted in the 1st round of WNBA draft. Morgan's knee has a limited amount of games left in it. WNBA regular season =34 Games. NCAA regular season =32 games. Basically a wash in the amount of games. In WNBA if injured and on a roster you still get paid. Bria Hartley was hurt and missed a few games last year.

 

[easttexastrash]

I agree with every point you made. When healthy, there are at least 6 PGs in the league I'd take over D-Rob. I also think Moriah is better than Colson and Logic, who are already on the SA roster. I just don't think it makes sense to pass on her just because Robinson is there. Tulsa/Dallas didn't pass on Sims just because Diggins was already on the team, and you see how well that worked out for them.

San Antonio finished 8-26 last season, and it was not due to lack of good guard play, with two players who are on the list of finalists for the Olympic team. And Jia Perkins is a very high quality guard in her own right.

Appel and Alexnader, the two SA centers, combined to average 6 points a game last season. That just does not cut it in the WNBA.

 

[TFintheMix]

This guy has been super high on Boyette in all of his mock drafts. I just do not see it...at all. She's "blocked shot and rebounding machine". Sure. So is Ruth Hamblin. So why would Hamblin (9.5 rpg, 3.4 bpg) go #16 and Boyette (8.9 rpg, 3.0 bpg) go #5?.

I agree with your assessment. Where do you stand on Jonquel Jones from GW? I wouldn't be shocked to see her go within the 1st 5 picks, but this guy doesn't have her going in the 1st round. Frankly, I love her game at 6'5". She is listed at 6'6" but I question that. She is super athletic, mobile, good shooter, very good rebounder and good defender. The poorest aspect of her game is shot selection but than she rebounds them!

 

[CocoHusky]

I agree with your assessment. Where do you stand on Jonquel Jones from GW? I wouldn't be shocked to see her go within the 1st 5 picks, but this guy doesn't have her going in the 1st round. Frankly, I love her game at 6'5". She is listed at 6'6" but I question that. She is super athletic, mobile, good shooter, very good rebounder and good defender. The poorest aspect of her game is shot selection but than she rebounds them!

Jones might be top 5 pick. She is also in the mock at #8

 

[UcMiami]

I think you have to remember that SA literally needs up at every position. Robinson's presence and talent (although good) is not great enough to justify passing on Moriah. Aside from Robinson, who else do they have at point guard down there? I also think Jonquel Jones is just too much of a reach at 2, SA also has pick #25 and I think they could find a pretty solid player there that's been under the radar the whole season.

Robinson is very good (Olympic finalist) but agree that SA needs lots of help, which is why I think they would be very willing to trade the pick for a player and a later first round pick, or a package of two good players.
This is a draft with one headliner (or two, depending on how you rate Jefferson - Lyn Dunn has her as 1A) and then a pool of fairly equal good talent that stretches at least to the end of the first round. If SA could get a starter and a mid first round pick in return for their pick I think it would be a wise move. Especially because Jefferson who I think is a clear #2 pick is at the one position that they are probably strongest.

 

[Orangutan]

I agree with your assessment. Where do you stand on Jonquel Jones from GW? I wouldn't be shocked to see her go within the 1st 5 picks, but this guy doesn't have her going in the 1st round. Frankly, I love her game at 6'5". She is listed at 6'6" but I question that. She is super athletic, mobile, good shooter, very good rebounder and good defender. The poorest aspect of her game is shot selection but than she rebounds them!

I haven't seen her enough to have an opinion one way or another. She looks awesome in highlights, but most decent players do.

I do have a superstition that if small-school or mid-major players are being talked about as potential early picks, they are probably worth the pick. This is more true in football (e.g. Khalil Mack of UBuffalo) but I think it may apply to wbb, as well (though there are probably tons of counter-examples).

Just looking at her stats, that shooting percentage worries me. Feels like playing in a mid-major conference (even a good one like the A-10), a top prospect of her size should be shooting at least 50% from the field.

 

[Carnac]

View attachment 12319 ​

As other posters have mentioned, San Antonio does not need Jefferson. They already have a guard that has all of the attributes Mo does.
Her name is Danielle Robinson (Univ of Oklahoma). She's been in the league 4-5 years now, and is only 25-26 years old.

What they do need is another wing to help Kayla McBride. McBride is the team's leading scorer, and is in desperate need of someone to help carry that burden. Mo would not fill that need. Tiffany Mitchell or Courtney Williams would be a good fit here. BOTH of those young ladies are prolific scorers, and will carry that ability on to the next level. Where ever these two ladies go, they will get off the plane shooting.

According to Google Maps, it's only a 4.5 hour drive (259 miles) from her home in Glen Heights to San Antonio. From that stand point, it would be good for Mo and her family to have her back home again, and to be able to attend ALL of her home games.

Unless The Stars are going to to some wheeling and dealing this year, I don't think Mo would be a good fit there. There are other teams that could use her services more than the Stars.

 

[Carnac]

Robinson is a little better than "good" as she is one of the 25 finalists for the Olympic team. If SA drafts Jefferson to play PG she will be waiting in the wings for a while as Robinson has only been in the WNBA for 5 seasons and Dan Hughes won't be moving her out anytime soon. SA also has McBride on the wing, along with Perkins, and just resigned Colson.

Would seem a waste to draft a player at a position where you already have one of the world's best players. I cannot imagine Jefferson coming into the league on a team that does not really need a PG. Just seems to me that they would get more value out of trading Jefferson to a team that is in need of a PG so that they could shore up other positions where they need help, and they really need help in the middle.

Hey ET, I posted a comment BEFORE I read yours. We're on the same page. I said the same thing you did.

 

[Orangutan]

As other posters have mentioned, San Antonio does not need Jefferson. They already have a guard that has all of the attributes Mo does.
Her name is Danielle Robinson (Univ of Oklahoma). She's been in the league 4-5 years now, and is only 25-26 years old.

You are not giving Jefferson enough credit (or giving Robinson too much)

MoJeff is shooting 40.8% from 3 for her UConn career. D-Rob (as I noted earlier in this thread) has 0 (zero) made 3s in her WNBA career.

So that's at least one attribute that Jefferson has that Robinson does not.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Regarding Morgan, just suppose that her knee is fine and she opts for college coaching in the off-season to limit the wear and tear. She could have 8-12 really good years in the WNBA. We know that she is a great teammate and winner. Kids like that don't come around often. I don't know where she'll wind up, but Coach Mike in Washington won't pass her up.

 

[Carnac]

You are not giving Jefferson enough credit (or giving Robinson too much)

MoJeff is shooting 40.8% from 3 for her UConn career. D-Rob (as I noted earlier in this thread) has 0 (zero) made 3s in her WNBA career.

So that's at least one attribute that Jefferson has that Robinson does not.

Noted. It's very possible that the Stars see this the same way you do, and pulls the trigger on selecting Mo with the 2nd pick. If they did, it would not surprise me. They know more about what they want to do, and who they want to do it with than me. I'm just a casual observer from afar. If Mo goes to the Stars, I'll continue to root for, and follow her as much as I do now. After all, Mo IS my favorite UConn player.

 

[arty155]

...I posted a comment BEFORE I read yours... I said the same thing you did.

Now that you mention it, you seem to have an gift for that, Carnac

 

[Waquoit]

The Sun has to do all they can to get Jefferson. Would SA bite if offered the #3 and #4 for the #2? Although most of the problems of their own making, it is a bit unfortunate that they had the #4 pick in a three player draft a couple of years ago. And now picks 3 and 4 in a two player draft.

 

[UcMiami]

The Sun has to do all they can to get Jefferson. Would SA bite if offered the #3 and #4 for the #2? Although most of the problems of their own making, it is a bit unfortunate that they had the #4 pick in a three player draft a couple of years ago. And now picks 3 and 4 in a two player draft.

SA would jump all over that trade but I doubt the Sun would make it. If I were the Sun GM, I would offer Alyssa Thomas and either Alex Bentley, Jasmine Thomas, or Chelsea Gray or their 4th pick. SA gets a starting forward and a starting guard or one with good upside, or a lottery pick in return for their #2.
And the Sun get rid of a log jam at forward, and one of a strong group of young guards, in return for owning the top end of the draft and getting Jefferson, another guard or wing or forward and maybe a trade back to pick up a back-up center/developmental project.

 

[Geno-ista]

Courtney Williams should be higher than that. Especially with that jump shot off the dribble in your face!

If someone wants a pure scorer- Courtney Williams could be the 2nd pick in my humble opinion. Yes even over Moriah- a true 2 shooting and scoring guard!

 

[easttexastrash]

If someone wants a pure scorer- Courtney Williams could be the 2nd pick in my humble opinion. Yes even over Moriah- a true 2 shooting and scoring guard!

Williams would be the number 2 pick IMO, also. That girl is going to kill it in the WNBA.

I also think Bulgat will go before Boyette.

 

[malevocalist#]

Suns should get Moriah & Courtney Williams

 

[Carnac]

Now that you mention it, you seem to have an gift for that, Carnac
View attachment 12342

That's my man, Carnac the magnificent! I loved those Carnac skits on the Johnny Carson Show.