Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft is quick approaching. It doesn’t appear there will likely be a lot drama on the high of the draft, with Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga penciled in as the highest two total picks on nearly each respected mock.
The center of the primary spherical requires extra artistic considering, however the finish of the primary and the beginning of the second spherical is the place you’ll doubtless see essentially the most chaos. Meaning some strong expertise will fall into the depths of the draft, so the chance of one other Kate Martin rising by means of the ranks at coaching camp this 12 months feels cheap.
For this text, a sleeper is a participant who’s a consensus mid-to-late second-round choose or later. As an added wrinkle, I’m additionally disqualifying any participant who accepted an invitation to the WNBA Draft.
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
JJ Quinerly enters the 2025 WNBA Draft after profitable consecutive Massive 12 Defensive Participant of the 12 months Awards. She’s simply the fourth participant within the convention’s historical past to attain the feat, becoming a member of WNBA champions Courtney Paris and Britney Griner in addition to 2020 No. 3 total choose Lauren Cox.
Not solely was JJ Quinerly one of the best defender within the Massive 12 two seasons operating, she was additionally among the many most potent scorers within the convention. The 5’8 combo guard averaged 20.4 factors per sport on 44.3% taking pictures this season and scored a profession excessive 38 factors on 16-of-21 taking pictures (4-of-5 from 3) in a 76-45 trouncing of Utah in February.
With Quinerly doubtless taken in the midst of the second spherical, maybe earlier, she has a robust likelihood of constructing a gap night time roster.
Quinerly may present a priceless scoring enhance off the bench for a staff choosing late within the second spherical like Indiana or Los Angeles. Plus, her velocity would enable her to mildew nicely into an offensive system that’s designed round Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Plum.
Rayah Marshall, USC
Rayah Marshall is arguably the simplest rim protector in the whole draft class. She’s a little bit of a challenge on the offensive finish, however Marshall managed to common double digits in scoring in three of her 4 seasons at USC.
Regardless of a statistical regression on offense this previous season, Marshall may see herself drafted within the late second spherical due to her aforementioned rim safety and her potential to defend the paint. The Los Angeles native does each of these issues at knowledgeable stage and her 6’4 body will enable her to current a difficult matchup for nearly any huge within the league this season.
Marshall’s greatest video games at USC embody a 26-point, 11-rebound gem on 8-of-17 taking pictures in a 95-93 2OT win over Arizona in 2023-24 and her gutsy efficiency towards UConn in her remaining collegiate sport just some weeks in the past caught consideration.
Together with her partner-in-crime JuJu Watkins out with a torn ACL, Marshall went out on her sword with a 26-point, 15-rebound efficiency that stored the Ladies of Troy nearer than anybody may have imagined towards the eventual champion UConn Huskies.
Marshall could be formidable offensively in the correct system, however even when used as a situational defender, the previous Trojan will present loads of worth to whichever staff takes her within the second spherical on Monday.
Harmoni Turner, Harvard
Harmoni Turner is among the many most intriguing prospects within the draft. She received the Ivy League Participant of the 12 months award this previous season, main Harvard to a 24-5 document en path to an Ivy League event championship and this system’s first NCAA event look since 2007.
No matter convention, Turner was one of many nation’s greatest three-level scorers in 2024-25. She put the nation on discover with a 41-point, 10-rebound efficiency on 14-of-23 taking pictures (7-of-11 from 3) in a 78-70 win over Boston School in November. That efficiency set a program document, at the very least till Turner once more set the mark with a 44-point sport towards Princeton within the Ivy League semifinal. Turner made 14-of-27 makes an attempt from the sphere in that one and once more went 7-of-11 from 3-point vary.
When it comes to mid-major scoring threats coming into the draft, Turner jogs my memory a little bit of Kierstan Bell when she was popping out of Florida Gulf Coast a number of years in the past.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will happen on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
