Heading into the 2023 WNBA Draft, the only thing we knew for sure was that Aliyah Boston would be the No. 1 overall pick to the Indiana Fever. The murkiness about everything else meant we could have been in for a chaotic evening. Instead, the draft went along without much drama; there was only one trade and very few surprising first-round selections.
With all of the action now complete, here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Monday night. For first-round grades and full results, go here.
Winner: Indiana Fever
We’ve known for months now that the Fever were going to get Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 overall pick, but that doesn’t make them any less of a winner. The former Naismith Player of the Year and three-time unanimous First Team All-American is a true franchise-changing talent who can help turn around a Fever team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
She was a dominant interior presence on defense for South Carolina and has the size (6-foot-5) and athleticism to be the same type of player at the professional level. On offense, she still has room to improve as a shooter but has an array of post moves and finishes efficiently around the basket. We also rarely saw her full offensive…
