There’s still plenty of basketball left to be played in the 2026 WNBA season, but the playoff picture is more or less already set. With five games separating the No. 8-seed Dallas Wings and No. 9-seed Portland Fire, it’s getting safer and safer to assume who will make the postseason—and, conversely, who will be hoping for luck in the coming WNBA Draft lottery.
Speaking of the lottery, we still don’t know when it actually is, but it’s never too early to start thinking about which draft prospects will be chosen in lottery range. And with the league continuing to expand, that range is bigger than ever; seven teams are going to miss the playoffs this season, making the draft lottery even more chaotic than in years past. While we wait to learn more about the logistics, let’s discuss some of the players who those lottery teams will be hoping to draft in 2027.
JuJu Watkins (USC)
The crown jewel of the 2027 draft class.
Watching Watkins play brings back memories of all-time great wing players like Maya Moore and Sheryl Swoopes. She scores effortlessly at all three levels, hitting tough shots that most players in the country can’t even create, let alone make. Watkins’ athleticism and downhill attacking ability make it impossible to keep her off the free throw line; she attempted 549 free throws across her freshman and sophomore seasons, cashing in on 83.6 percent of them. And if the 25.5 points per game aren’t enough for you, consider that Watkins is also averaging 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game as an off-guard.
The only question is how Watkins will recover from a torn ACL she suffered near the end of her sophomore campaign; otherwise, whichever WNBA team lucks into the top overall draft pick will be happy to make her its next franchise player.
Madison Booker (Texas)
Booker is going to be treated like a consolation prize in next year’s draft, which is a tad unfair since she’d be the obvious No. 1 overall pick in many other classes.
Booker is best-known for her deadly midrange game, and rightfully so. She’s remarkably gifted at getting to her spots on the floor, rising above defenses and canning shots from the midrange, even when heavily contested. She’s a better athlete than she’s given credit for, too: Booker stands at a lithe 6-foot-1 and is just as capable at getting out in transition as she is picking defenses apart in the halfcourt.
And having played for Vic Schaefer for her entire collegiate career, you know she’s going to be ready to play some defense herself.
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
We’ve seen small-ish guards thrive at making plays on defense before, but what makes Hidalgo unique is just how good she is at it. Through three collegiate seasons, Hidalgo has racked up 481 steals, good for nearly 4.7 per game, and no, those aren’t typos.
And yet calling Hidalgo a defensive specialist would be disrespectful to everything she does on the other end of the court. As a junior, she ranked No. 3 in Division I in scoring (25.3 points per game), also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists. How Hidalgo has the energy to carry such a load on offense while also being one of the most productive defensive players we’ve ever seen remains a mystery.
If there’s a 5-foot-7 guard who can dissuade WNBA teams from worrying about their size, it’s her.
S’Mya Nichols (Kansas)
Another guard who excels at attacking the basket. No one gets to the free throw line quite like Nichols.
In three seasons at Kansas, she’s shot 748 free throws (7.57 per game), and according to Her Hoop Stats, roughly 37 percent of her points have come from the charity stripe. There’s more to Nichols’ game than just slashing, though; she’s a capable (albeit lower-volume) 3-point shooter, knocking down 42.9 percent of her long-range attempts as a junior, and she’s also averaged 4.6 assists per game in each of the last two seasons.
If WNBA GMs believe those playmaking numbers are for real, Nichols will likely be one of the first players chosen in 2027.
Mikaylah Williams (LSU)
Guards who can create their own shot are always attractive choices on draft day, and there aren’t many in the 2027 draft class who are better at this than Williams.
Though her usage took a hit during her junior season, Williams was superbly efficient, shooting 54.9 percent on 2-pointers, 42 percent on 3s and 83.9 percent on free throws. She also has a bit of juice as a secondary creator for others, having recently averaged 3.6 assists per game. At 6-foot-0, Williams’ skillset is one that’s going to be difficult for teams to pass on, and even if she’s not in the same tier as Watkins or Booker, her overall offensive ability will make her a coveted prospect nonetheless.
Clara Strack (Kentucky)
With most of the bigger names in the 2027 draft class being guards, someone like Strack could benefit if a team decides it needs to go with a center.
One of the “purer” low-post scorers in the country, Strack followed head coach Kenny Brooks from Virginia Tech to Kentucky and broke out as a sophomore, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. As a junior, she averaged career-bests across the board: 16.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
Strack should be ready to do the basic things expected of young forwards—catch, finish, rebound, run the floor and so on—when she steps into the league, but her draft stock will rise significantly if she can turn herself into a legitimate 3-point threat. Strack got up 2.8 3-point shots per game as a junior, but converted on only 25 percent of them, so if that number improves, she’ll be viewed as more than your typical back-to-the-basket big.
MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU)
Will Fulwiley boom or bust?
One of the country’s most exciting guards, Fulwiley has every tool to become a great WNBA player, and with a seemingly endless bag of circus shots, she’s a walking highlight reel. Despite averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals in just 22.8 minutes per game last season, however, Fulwiley couldn’t crack LSU’s starting lineup. That’s a red flag, especially given that she came off the bench for her previous program, South Carolina, as well.
Fulwiley’s somewhat erratic play may wear on her coaches, but her potential is undeniable, and if she takes the step we know she’s capable of as a senior, some WNBA team will be happy to take a chance on her.
