Cheryl Reeve: 'We want to focus on taking the best player available'
The WNBA Draft is Friday night and will be televised at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The Minnesota Lynx own the sixth overall pick in the first round, and head coach/general manager Cheryl Reeve said Friday that she's looking to take the best player available.
"Try to get as lucky as we did last year at No. 6. Maybe that's a good spot for us," Reeve said in a video conference with FOX Sports North's Jim Petersen, clearly referencing last year's WNBA Rookie of the Year, Napheesa Collier.
"We've gotta plan where we're unsure what's going to happen at two teams in front of us. We want to focus on taking the best player available. We do think that's important. We don't look at position, so we hope that we find our selves another player that will be at least good in the WNBA."
With the sixth overall pick, the @minnesotalynx select...@LynxCoachReeve chats with @JimPeteHoops about tonight's @WNBA draft. pic.twitter.com/18OU7tpW5y
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 17, 2020
Reeve says she'll look for the best available player, but essentially every mock draft has the Lynx drafting a point guard. Here are a couple of examples.
ESPN's mock draft has the Lynx taking University of Connecticut point guard Crystal Dangerfield. The mock describers her as follows:
"It would reunite Dangerfield with former teammate Napheesa Collier, who was the No. 6 pick for Minnesota in 2019 and went on to be WNBA Rookie of the Year. Dangerfield's 5-foot-5 size is a concern, but she led UConn with 55 steals this season. Her ability to run an offense (14.9 PPG, 3.9 APG) and to shoot the 3-pointer (71-of-173, 41%) are strengths."
The Ringer predicts the Lynx will take South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris.
"At 5-foot-10, Harris is an excellent point guard option—which would be great for the Lynx since Odyssey Sims will miss at least part of the season due to pregnancy. Harris could dish the ball to reigning Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier and do pick-and-rolls with All-Star Sylvia Fowles, and is capable of creating her own shot as the clock winds down. This well-coached, level-headed senior will have a smooth transition into the league—and she should make some noise for years to come."
The WNBA season was slated to begin May 15 but has been postponed indefinitely because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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