Thumbnail photos of Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are overlayed over Locked on Women's Basketball logo and title of Locked on Women's Basketball draft lottery episode
From L to R, thumbnail photos include Stanford forward Cameron Brink, LSU forward Angel Reese and South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso. (Thumbnail Photo Credit: From Left to right: Lydia Ely and Domenic Allegra)

On Friday’s episode of Locked on Women’s Basketball, host Jackie Powell is joined by The Athleticโ€™s Sabreena Merchant for an episode predicated on the WNBA rumor mill prior to Monday nightโ€™s draft. The duo shares some of the intel theyโ€™ve received from multiple talent evaluators across the WNBA as they explain how the rest of the draft lottery could shake out following Caitlin Clark as the consensus No.1 overall pick. Later, they discuss why Angel Reese has been deemed โ€œan enigmaโ€ to evaluate along with predicting what the franchise known to shock on draft day will do. Yes, we are talking about the Dallas Wings.

Jackie and Sabreena discuss a wide range of WNBA prospects and how they expect the draft lottery to play out. One player with a lot of attention is South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, and Sabreena discusses how the Cardoso’s game may evolve as a professional.

“I just wonder about Cardoso’s future as the WNBA embraces more of a pace and space type of system. You know, like, right now, she makes a lot of sense in the WNBA. But does it continue to make sense that Cardoso will be a star in the WNBA like, as the league continues? I mean, we saw the Aces win a title with a lot of emphasis on a small ball lineup, right? …. So yeah, I’m curious to see if you know, this is something that GMs have expressed is if the evolution of the league makes it more challenging for Kamilla Cardoso to remain relevant, but for now, definitely for now. She is an outstanding center. The best true center I would say in the draft.”

Sabreena Merchant

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