Last season, the Fever had the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft for the first time in team history and hit the jackpot with Aliyah Boston, the 2023 Rookie of the Year. In 2022, they had the No. 2 pick and took NaLyssa Smith, who made the All-Rookie Team and technically finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, albeit earning only one vote with 53 of the 56 votes going to the No. 1 pick, Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream.
This year, the Fever are picking first again, thanks to WNBA lottery odds being based on a team’s record from the previous two seasons combined. Indiana also owns a second-round (No. 15) and third-round (No. 27) selection. However, including training camp contracts, Indiana already has 12 players on roster, making it unlikely the Fever’s later draftees will make the final roster.
Assessing the Fever’s team-building needs entering the draft
With 18 wins, the Fever “won” the race to the bottom and have a chance to build themselves up throughout the draft to become a championship contender, especially if they take their cues from the last team that enjoyed a three-year stretch of similarly high picks: the San Antonio Stars/Las Vegas Aces. The Aces organization had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 drafts, and have done quite…
