Minnesota Lynx Runners Up in Lottery, Land No. 2 Pick 2023 WNBA Draft

Though they’ve made some cameos over the years, the Minnesota Lynx are not frequent participants of the WNBA Draft Lottery. And that’s because, as two-time All-Star Napheesa Collier put it during today’s Lottery show on ESPN, “Minnesota is a dynasty.” While the Lynx showed flashes of life in the later half of the season, their abysmal 3-13 start proved too much to overcome leading to the end of their 11-year playoff residency as well as Sylvia Fowles’ hall of fame career.

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Despite having the lowest odds of the four teams in the lottery, Minnesota landed the No. 2 overall pick, behind the Indiana Fever, and ahead of the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics, respectively. The Lynx have landed the top spot twice in franchise history and made good use of it both times by grabbing Seimone Augustus in 2006 and Maya Moore in 2011. They also own Las Vegas’ 12th pick.

The Lynx this season struggled with scoring, had a porous defense, and lacked a reliable floor general. With South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, the reigning player of the year, likely going to Indiana at No. 1, the Lynx may look at Stanford’s Haley Jones. The 6-foot-1 senior and 2021 National Champ can play both guard positions, shoot the ball, and provide the floor leadership needed in Minnesota. But with them having several areas of need, it’s not immediately obvious which way Head Coach Cheryl Reeve will decide to go, especially if Hopkins native Paige Bueckers declares for the draft now that the Lynx hold the No. 2 selection. Bueckers previously said she would not leave UCONN in 2023.

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Reeve, who just received a five-year extension and promotion from General Manager to President of Basketball Operations, detailed her vision of a return to the “Gold Standard” in 2023. After the draft lottery, viewers were taken to College Park, Maryland where the Terrapins hosted Stanford. Reeve is among several coaches in attendance scouting some of the best college players in the country including the aforementioned projected top pick, Aliyah Boston.

The 2023 WNBA Draft will be held in April but the exact date is yet to be determined.