WNBA Talent Evaluator Dubbed JuJu Watkins Closest Thing to Caitlin Clark
USC Trojans star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins has already established herself as one of college basketball's premier talents.
And given the fact that she's just 19 years old, it's easy to assume that she could still keep developing and sharpening her skill set by the time she becomes WNBA Draft eligible after the 2026-27 NCAA season.
Watkins' scoring is actually down significantly from last season (21.5 points per game through four games this year compared to 27.1 points per game in 2023-24). Yet, this could be the byproduct of Watkins having better teammates around her, like projected top-three 2025 WNBA Draft pick Kiki Iriafen.
Regardless, Watkins has been subject to comparisons between her and former Iowa Hawkeyes and current Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. Even Watkins' head coach reached out to Clark in order to see how she could help Watkins navigate a level of superstardom that only select women's basketball players have experienced to this point.
And in a November 21 article, ESPN's Alexa Philippou quoted a WNBA talent evaluator who linked the two once more.
"You could be looking at a multiple MVP winner," the talent evaluator said of Watkins in the article. "She's going to carry a franchise. Besides Caitlin, she's definitely the next most exciting prospect. ... That's the one you're waiting for."
"You could be looking at a multiple MVP winner. She's going to carry a franchise. Besides Caitlin, she's definitely the next most exciting prospect... That's the one you're waiting for"
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) November 21, 2024
Why JuJu Watkins is the next big thing in college hoops -- and beyondhttps://t.co/ySws3ICrY8
By finishing 4th in WNBA MVP voting in her rookie season with the Fever, Clark proved that first-year players can make a massive immediate impact.
And while Watkins will have to wait until 2027 to show she's capable of doing something similar, she will most likely be well worth the wait for whichever WNBA franchise gets to draft her.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.