The 2022 WNBA draft returned to live presentation format after going virtual for two years. The Atlanta Dream selected Kentucky standout Rhyne Howard, number one in the draft.
Howard fills an immediate need for the Dream, which went 8-24 last season. Howard is an elite scorer who can shoot from outside and get buckets in the paint.
The Indiana Fever selected NaLyssa Smith with the second pick in the draft. The Baylor standout averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds last season. The Teas native won the Wade Trophy as the nation’s best player last season.
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The Washington Mystics selected Shakira Austin from Ole Miss with the third pick. Austin averaged 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per game last season.
She averaged 15.2 points per game and nine rebounds and is a two-time All-SEC forward. Austin also helped Ole Miss get their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.
The Fever used the fourth pick to select forward Emily Engstler of Louisville. A transfer from Syracuse, the Queens, N.Y. native was a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award as the nation’s best small forward and a semifinalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award. The senior led the ACC in steals (2.7 spg), was third in rebounding (6.7 RPG), and was an All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team selection.
The New York Liberty selected Nyara Sabally of Oregon with the fifth pick. The two-time All-Pac-12 selection was a finalist for the 2021-22 Katrina McClain Award, leading Oregon in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg).
That rounds out the top five picks of a very deep draft. The WNBA season tips off on May 6, with training camps opening later this week.