Monday brought the 2022 WNBA Draft to center stage, as the day in between the end of the NBA’s regular season and the play-in tournament opened up the spotlight for the WNBA’s next class of stars.
There had already been considerable movement in the week leading up to the draft, headlined by the Atlanta Dream trading up with the Washington Mystics for the first overall selection, sending back the third overall pick, a second round pick and a future first, with the Indiana Fever sitting with the second pick.
At the top of most draft boards were Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard and Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith, with Shakira Austin of Ole Miss behind, but from there plenty of intrigue remained about how the rest of the first round would shake out. The Fever will be the most intriguing team of the first round as they hold four of the top 10 picks in the draft, as they look to reshape their roster with an infusion of young talent.
Here are the results of the 2022 WNBA Draft:
1. Atlanta Dream: Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)
2. Indiana Fever: NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)
3. Washington Mystics: Shakira Austin (Ole Miss)
4. Indiana Fever: Emily Engstler (Louisville)
5. New York Liberty: Nyara Sabally (Oregon)
6. Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull (Stanford)
7. Dallas Wings: Veronica Burton (Northwestern)
8. Las Vegas Aces: Mya Hollingshed (Colorado)
9. Los Angeles Sparks:
10. Indiana Fever:
11. Las Vegas Aces:
12. Connecticut Sun: