For the 38 college and international stars who heard their names called during the 2025 WNBA Draft, Monday night was the first step towards realizing their childhood dreams of playing in the WNBA.
While not every draftee is guaranteed a roster spot when the season tips off on May 16, all will have a chance to make their case during training camp in a few weeks.
Advertisement
On the latest episode of “No Offseason”, Zena Keita was joined by Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman to discuss which of the players drafted could fit best with their new teams. Watch the full discussion below.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on the “No Offseason” feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Zena: Looking throughout all the rounds of the draft, are there any players that seem like they’re a really good fit? One of the ones I noticed was Makayla Timpson out of Florida State going to the Indiana Fever. Indiana just lost Temi Fagbenle in the expansion draft to the Golden State Valkyries. But Makayla is a rim runner, a shot blocker, and incredibly athletic. She’s a little bit smaller than Temi, but played well in the pick and roll with Ta’Niya Latson at Florida State, and I feel like this was a really good fit in terms of her filling in that hole. Were there any other players who, as soon as their names were called out, you guys thought, “Oh, that’s a good fit for them, they found a good home”?
Sabreena: I like Serena Sundell in Seattle a lot. I’ve been hyping her up for a few weeks here, so that won’t come as a surprise that I was happy to see her drafted, although it was much later than I expected it to happen. But she’s going into a Seattle team that doesn’t have a ton of guard depth right now. They have Skylar Diggins-Smith, Lexie Brown, and Gabby Williams is kind of a guard. But to come in there and be a backup point guard right away, and be a little bit of a spacer next to Diggins-Smith, I think is a good spot for her. I also like that Seattle drafted Madison Conner because they were the worst 3-point shooting team in the WNBA last year. They shot about 29 percent on 3s and Conner led the NCAA in 3-point makes, shooting about 45 percent of her shots from deep. Being a third-round pick, you don’t really expect to make the roster. But Seattle is in one of these situations where they’ve had a lot of offseason injuries, with Nika Muhl and Jordan Horston out for the season. So there are opportunities to potentially make some noise in training camp and I like those two fits, even if they are third-rounders, to potentially make that opening night roster.
Advertisement
Zena: A lot of people are saying Serena Sundell might have been a steal, having gone so low. Ben, what about you? Any players that stood out to you in terms of their potential fit for where they were drafted?
Ben: I’m going to go with a player who plays a very similar role to those that Sabreena just mapped out, and that is Te-Hina Paopao, going to Atlanta at number 18. Again, Sabreena mentioned some things about Seattle not being a very good 3-point shooting team, that was also true of the Atlanta Dream last year. And their new coach, Karl Smesko, comes from FGCU, where they took a ton of 3s every single year… they barely even knew that 2-pointers were a part of basketball.
So I really like this fit for Te-Hina Paopao. She was the NCAA leading scorer from 3-point range the year before last in the 2023-24 season. So if she can come in and make shots she’s playing her role, and she can do that well. That is what they’re going to ask of her. Just to be a floor spacer, and a secondary ball handler or even a primary ball handler when she comes in off the bench. Again, they’re not going to ask a ton of her right away. They already have Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, so they’ve got plenty of playmakers. But if Paopao can defend — which is something she worked a lot on at South Carolina, and something she gave the South Carolina coaches a lot of credit for in helping her improve that aspect of her game — and she can make 3-pointers, she has an opportunity to stick with the Dream. So in that regard, for a second-round pick, I think that’s a pretty good fit for her.
You can listen to full episodes of No Offseason for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Top Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
“Vinicius desmanteló al Villarreal”
Un gol; otro con penaltito provocado (o fabricado) por él; su marcador, Mouriño, expulsado por dos amarillas; y otro penalti que pudo caer, por derribo del meta Arnau Tenas. Ese fue el saldo de Vinicius en el partido ante el Villarreal, un equipo de mucho calado que sin esa gran noche del brasileño podría haber hecho un roto en el Bernabéu.Salió con el plan de hacer el partido largo para buscarlo en la segunda parte con su mejor delantero, Mikautadze, reservado de salida. Por parte del Madrid, Xabi Alonso sacó a Valverde de lateral derecho, pelillos a la mar, y dejó fuera de nuevo a Bellingham, segunda rectificación en una semana del equipo que sacó ante el Atlético. El Bernabéu le mantiene un voto de confianza a pesar de la goleada del Metropolitano: no les recibió ni a él ni […]
“Del árbitro no hablo, que venga el CTA y que decida”
Marcelino García Toral, entrenador del Villarreal, aseguró que "no" le gustó "nada" el arbitraje de Guillermo Cuadra, quien señaló un penalti en su contra y expulsó a Santiago Mouriño por dos cartulinas amarillas, a la vez que insistió en que "no" iba a entrar a analizar cada jugada pero sí, con una sonrisa, se mostró irónico al decir que "algo pudo pasar".Marcelino inició su rueda de prensa siendo cuestionado por el arbitraje: "No sé. No voy a hablar del árbitro", respondió, aunque fue insistido por ello. Y, tras declarar, que "no" le gustó "nada el arbitraje" fue cuestionado sobre las palabras previas de Santi Comesaña , quien sí criticó directamente al árbitro y aseguró que "si ya es difícil ganar en el Santiago Bernabéu", con las decisiones del colegiado es "aún más difícil"."Es su opinión. Aunque me hagáis 200 preguntas […]
“Los penaltis los seguirá tirando Kylian, pero hoy han decidido entre ellos”
Xabi Alonso atendió a los medios de comunicación tras la importante victoria que logró el Real Madrid frente al Villarreal en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Un doblete de Vinicius y un tanto de Mbappé, que sigue siendo fiel a su cita con el gol, permite al club blanco marcharse al parón de selecciones con algo de tranquilidad tras la duro derrota en el Metropolitano. Sin embargo, sobre el tintero quedan aún muchos temas que tratar, como la posición de Valverde sobre el césped, una que le hace volar jugando de lateral aunque él piense que no ha nacido para ello.Así las cosas, si Valverde decidió aclarar públicamente que no se había negado a jugar de lateral es porque, sea verdad o mentira, entendió que era necesario aclarar algo. "Muy buen partido. Siempre está dispuesto para jugar donde le toque y ha […]
2025 NFL London Game prediction, odds, spread, line: Vikings vs. Browns picks from expert on 37-13 run
The Minnesota Vikings will look to get back into the win column when they face the Cleveland Browns in one of the 2025 NFL London games on Sunday morning. Minnesota is coming off a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, while Cleveland dropped a 34-10 decision at Detroit in Week 4. The Vikings (2-2), who are 1-1 on the road, are also 1-1 against AFC opponents this season. The Browns (1-3), who are 1-1 as the home team, are 1-1 against NFC foes in 2025. Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been ruled out due to a high ankle sprain.Kickoff from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, is set for 9:30 a.m. ET. Minnesota leads the all-time series 12-5. The Vikings are 3.5-point favorite in the latest Vikings vs. Browns odds, while the over/under for total points […]
Miami vs. FSU live updates: Follow latest from today’s Week 6 college football game
Erich Ladwig: I don't know what a better feeling is... Knowing wholeheartedly that your team is going to walk into your biggest rivalry game and win convincingly or the excitement surrounding an unpredictable powderkeg of a game you know is going to be huge. That's my predicament one year apart in the Miami/FSU rivalry.Part of me wants to believe that Miami will walk into Doak Campbell Stadium and leave no doubt, akin to their wins over USF and Florida. But there is a part of me that agrees with Coach Cristobal, that FSU is physical and more talented than a year ago. The proof is there: Florida State has a much more capable offense than the Gators. And even Florida was able to make the game against UM interesting for a spell.I think Florida State will score more often than […]
Bryan Woo left off Mariners’ postseason roster, might be available if Seattle advances
SEATTLE – When Bryan Woo threw off a mound on Wednesday, he called it a positive day. But he also said he hoped to feel even better in a week, which cast serious doubt on his availability for this American League Division Series.Sure enough, the Mariners confirmed that feeling on Saturday by leaving Woo off the roster for their series with the Detroit Tigers. Woo, the team’s only All-Star starter, injured his pectoral muscle in his final regular-season start on Sept. 19.Advertisement“He made strides, as we had hoped, but it looked like it wasn’t going to be in this series,” Manager Dan Wilson said on Saturday, adding later, “We’re hoping at some point in the ALCS.” Our 26. #SeizeTheMoment pic.twitter.com/lklESQ0aNU — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 4, 2025Woo was a model of consistency all season, becoming the first pitcher since Cy […]
Related
“Vinicius desmanteló al Villarreal”
Un gol; otro con penaltito provocado (o fabricado) por él; su marcador, Mouriño, expulsado por dos amarillas; y otro penalti que pudo caer, por derribo del meta Arnau Tenas. Ese fue el saldo de Vinicius en el partido ante el Villarreal, un equipo de mucho calado que sin esa gran noche del brasileño podría haber hecho un roto en el Bernabéu.Salió con el plan de hacer el partido largo para buscarlo en la segunda parte con su mejor delantero, Mikautadze, reservado de salida. Por parte del Madrid, Xabi Alonso sacó a Valverde de lateral derecho, pelillos a la mar, y dejó fuera de nuevo a Bellingham, segunda rectificación en una semana del equipo que sacó ante el Atlético. El Bernabéu le mantiene un voto de confianza a pesar de la goleada del Metropolitano: no les recibió ni a él ni […]
“Del árbitro no hablo, que venga el CTA y que decida”
Marcelino García Toral, entrenador del Villarreal, aseguró que "no" le gustó "nada" el arbitraje de Guillermo Cuadra, quien señaló un penalti en su contra y expulsó a Santiago Mouriño por dos cartulinas amarillas, a la vez que insistió en que "no" iba a entrar a analizar cada jugada pero sí, con una sonrisa, se mostró irónico al decir que "algo pudo pasar".Marcelino inició su rueda de prensa siendo cuestionado por el arbitraje: "No sé. No voy a hablar del árbitro", respondió, aunque fue insistido por ello. Y, tras declarar, que "no" le gustó "nada el arbitraje" fue cuestionado sobre las palabras previas de Santi Comesaña , quien sí criticó directamente al árbitro y aseguró que "si ya es difícil ganar en el Santiago Bernabéu", con las decisiones del colegiado es "aún más difícil"."Es su opinión. Aunque me hagáis 200 preguntas […]
“Los penaltis los seguirá tirando Kylian, pero hoy han decidido entre ellos”
Xabi Alonso atendió a los medios de comunicación tras la importante victoria que logró el Real Madrid frente al Villarreal en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Un doblete de Vinicius y un tanto de Mbappé, que sigue siendo fiel a su cita con el gol, permite al club blanco marcharse al parón de selecciones con algo de tranquilidad tras la duro derrota en el Metropolitano. Sin embargo, sobre el tintero quedan aún muchos temas que tratar, como la posición de Valverde sobre el césped, una que le hace volar jugando de lateral aunque él piense que no ha nacido para ello.Así las cosas, si Valverde decidió aclarar públicamente que no se había negado a jugar de lateral es porque, sea verdad o mentira, entendió que era necesario aclarar algo. "Muy buen partido. Siempre está dispuesto para jugar donde le toque y ha […]
2025 NFL London Game prediction, odds, spread, line: Vikings vs. Browns picks from expert on 37-13 run
The Minnesota Vikings will look to get back into the win column when they face the Cleveland Browns in one of the 2025 NFL London games on Sunday morning. Minnesota is coming off a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, while Cleveland dropped a 34-10 decision at Detroit in Week 4. The Vikings (2-2), who are 1-1 on the road, are also 1-1 against AFC opponents this season. The Browns (1-3), who are 1-1 as the home team, are 1-1 against NFC foes in 2025. Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been ruled out due to a high ankle sprain.Kickoff from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, is set for 9:30 a.m. ET. Minnesota leads the all-time series 12-5. The Vikings are 3.5-point favorite in the latest Vikings vs. Browns odds, while the over/under for total points […]
Miami vs. FSU live updates: Follow latest from today’s Week 6 college football game
Erich Ladwig: I don't know what a better feeling is... Knowing wholeheartedly that your team is going to walk into your biggest rivalry game and win convincingly or the excitement surrounding an unpredictable powderkeg of a game you know is going to be huge. That's my predicament one year apart in the Miami/FSU rivalry.Part of me wants to believe that Miami will walk into Doak Campbell Stadium and leave no doubt, akin to their wins over USF and Florida. But there is a part of me that agrees with Coach Cristobal, that FSU is physical and more talented than a year ago. The proof is there: Florida State has a much more capable offense than the Gators. And even Florida was able to make the game against UM interesting for a spell.I think Florida State will score more often than […]
Bryan Woo left off Mariners’ postseason roster, might be available if Seattle advances
SEATTLE – When Bryan Woo threw off a mound on Wednesday, he called it a positive day. But he also said he hoped to feel even better in a week, which cast serious doubt on his availability for this American League Division Series.Sure enough, the Mariners confirmed that feeling on Saturday by leaving Woo off the roster for their series with the Detroit Tigers. Woo, the team’s only All-Star starter, injured his pectoral muscle in his final regular-season start on Sept. 19.Advertisement“He made strides, as we had hoped, but it looked like it wasn’t going to be in this series,” Manager Dan Wilson said on Saturday, adding later, “We’re hoping at some point in the ALCS.” Our 26. #SeizeTheMoment pic.twitter.com/lklESQ0aNU — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 4, 2025Woo was a model of consistency all season, becoming the first pitcher since Cy […]
Be the first to leave a comment