Projecting the 2017 WNBA Draft: It Starts with Kelsey Plum

The big day is almost upon us: Thursday evening in New York, the professional dreams of dozens of basketball players will come true, one name at a time, at the 2017 WNBA Draft.

Ten of the players—Kelsey Plum, widely expected to go first, along with South Carolina stars Kaela Davis, Alaina Coates and Allisha Gray, Maryland’s Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones, Baylor’s Alexis Jones, Northwestern’s Nia Coffey, Oregon State’s Sydney Wiese and Stanford’s Erica McCall—will be on hand to hear their names said by league president Lisa Borders in person.

But what order will that happen? Will anyone be sitting for an uncomfortably long time? And what of the standouts like Washington’s Chantel Osahor and Syracuse’s backcourt duo, Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson? To the big board, where we make our final projections, based on player stats, team needs, and conversation with many WNBA talent evaluators.