Who were the big winners of the WNBA draft?
We take a look at the big signings as well as all of the draft picks in Monday’s 2022 WNBA Draft to see who came up trumps and who is feeling the heat.
Just one day before the WNBA draft, the news was all agog with the Washington Mystics trading away the first draft pick to Atlanta. Why would they do that? They received the 13th and 14th picks in return, but is the juice worth the squeeze?
Now that the 2022 draft is in the bag, let’s take a look at how it all played out. With that number 1 pick, the Dream took Rhyne Howard out of Kentucky, widely seen as a generational player and someone that Atlanta could build their franchise around.
Indiana Fever became the first team in WNBA history to have four first-round picks, and they used them to pick up big talent in NaLyssa Smith, Emily Engstler, Lexie Hull and Queen Egbo.
The Mystics got on the board with Ole Miss center Shakira Austin and the biggest coup of the draft was the shock selection of Las Vegas Aces in taking Kierstan Bell from Florida Gulf Coast.
One of the surprises of the draft was South Carolina’s Destanni Henderson slipping down to the low-second round. Her role in the Gamecocks’ National Championship as well as first-team All-SEC honors saw her predicted to go much higher. For a player who already has a chip on her shoulder, this slight by the WNBA could provide the fire that she needs to be a true breakout player this season.
Here are all of the draft picks from the 2022 WNBA Draft:
Round 1
| PLAYER | POSITION | COLLEGE | WNBA TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyne Howard | Guard | Kentucky | Atlanta Dream |
| NaLyssa Smith | Forward | Baylor | Indiana Fever |
| Shakira Austin | Forward/Center | Ole Miss | Washington Mystics |
| Emily Engstler | Forward | Louisville | Indiana Fever |
| Nyara Sabally | Forward | Oregon | New York Liberty |
| Lexie Hull | Guard | Stanford | Indiana Fever |
| Veronica Burton | Guard | Northwestern | Dallas Wings |
| Mya Hollingshed | Forward | Colorado | Las Vegas Aces |
| Rae Burrell | Guard | Tennessee | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Queen Egbo | Center | Baylor | Indiana Fever |
| Kierstan Bell | Guard | Florida Gulf Coast | Las Vegas Aces |
| Nia Clouden | Guard | Michigan State | Connecticut Sun |
Round 2
| PLAYER | POSITION | COLLEGE | WNBA TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khayla Pointer | Guard | LSU | Las Vegas Aces |
| Christyn Williams | Guard | UConn | Washington Mystics |
| Naz Hillmon | Forward | Michigan | Atlanta Dream |
| Kianna Smith | Guard | Louisville | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Elissa Cunane | Center | NC State | Seattle Storm |
| Lorela Cubaj | Forward | Georgia Tech | New York Liberty |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa | Forward | UConn | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Destanni Henderson | Guard | South Carolina | Indiana Fever |
| Evina Westbrook | Guard | UConn | Seattle Storm |
| Kayla Jones | Forward | NC State | Minnesota Lynx |
| Aisha Sheppard | Guard | Virginia Tech | Las Vegas Aces |
| Jordan Lewis | Guard | Baylor | Connecticut Sun |
Round 3
| PLAYER | POSITION | COLLEGE | WNBA TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ameshya Williams-Holliday | Center | Jackson State | Indiana Fever |
| Maya Dodson | Forward | Notre Dame | Phoenix Mercury |
| Amy Atwell | Forward | University of Hawai’i | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Hannah Sjerven | Center | South Dakota | Minnesota Lynx |
| Sika Kone | Center | Mali | New York Liberty |
| Jasmine Dickey | Guard | Delaware | Dallas Wings |
| Jazz Bond | Forward | North Florida | Dallas Wings |
| Macee Williams | Forward/Center | IUPUI | Phoenix Mercury |
| Jade Melbourne | Guard | Australia | Seattle Storm |
| Ali Patberg | Guard | Indiana | Indiana Fever |
| Faustine Aifuwa | Center | LSU | Las Vegas Aces |
| Kiara Smith | Guard | Florida | Connecticut Sun |