SE: Six Things to Know Before the WNBA Draft for Peyton Williams
Apr 17, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
You need to look a little harder these days if you want a reminder that sports are still out there, but Friday night won't be one of those times.
The WNBA Draft kicks off this weekend, as Peyton Williams looks to begin her career at the next level. With a K-State connection front and center on the biggest stage in women's basketball, here's everything you need to know before you follow Williams on Friday night.
Q: How can I watch the WNBA Draft?
The draft kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN with full coverage throughout the night. While players will participate virtually due to COVID-19, the draft will otherwise take place as scheduled.
The New York Liberty won the WNBA's Draft Lottery and will have the first pick on Friday. Each of the WNBA's 12 teams will make their picks over three rounds, so only 36 players will hear their name called on ESPN.
The usual trades mean some teams will have more than one pick in each round. For example, the Liberty and Dallas Wings will make six of the first 12 picks on Friday night.
Q: Who's going number one?
Remember in 1985, when the NBA rigged the Draft Lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the Knicks? So that never (officially) happened, but Oregon superstar Sabrina Ionescu is going to the New York Liberty with the first pick on Friday night, unless something really crazy goes down.
Q: OK got it, so when is Peyton getting drafted?
Most websites that cover the WNBA have projected Williams as an early second to third round selection on Friday night. You can find a few mock drafts offering their best bet on when exactly the K-State star might be drafted at The Athletic, SB Nation and The Associated Press.
Breanna Lewis was the last Wildcat to hear her name called in the WNBA Draft, when the Dallas Wings made her the 23rd overall pick in 2017.
Q: Why exactly does she have WNBA teams so excited?
Putting together a list of accomplishment for Williams during her time at K-State could take up a few pages, so let's focus on this year.
Williams made the All-Big 12 First Team and CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team in 2020. She averaged a double-double and finished second on the Wildcats in points, assists and rebounds during her senior season.
You want consistency? Williams leaves Manhattan as the first player in K-State history with 1,500 or more career points, 950 or more career rebounds, 200 or more career assists, 150 or more steals and 100 or more career blocks. She does it all, all the time.
Q: How does Peyton profile as a WNBA player?
If you follow basketball these days, you hear a lot about unicorns: players with a mix of height, shooting touch and court awareness that can elevate an entire team. Not surprisingly, these players are also incredibly hard to find.
Williams would be among the taller players on most WNBA rosters and had the college career (those 1,500+ points and 200+ assists) that should give teams license to dream.
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo told The Hutchinson News that Williams could look to expand her game playing overseas, with a strong work ethic from her time in Manhattan.
"It would be interesting to see what she could do when devoting herself to playing basketball full time," Lobo said. "Could be a player who goes overseas, plays full time, expands her range and makes the WNBA down the road. Adding a consistent 3-point shot would be key for her."
Q: Which teams could be a match?
Projecting which WNBA team might look to snag Williams means looking at where she fits on a roster and which teams have stocked up on picks in the second and third round of the Draft.
One team to watch? The Atlanta Dream. The Dream hold the 17th, 25th, and 27th pick in the WNBA Draft, right around the time when many experts have Williams coming off the board.
Atlanta finished 2019 with only one player on the roster over 6' 4" and while the Dream have looked to get bigger in the offseason, Williams would certainly provide a boost in the frontcourt.
A few other WNBA teams to watch include the Chicago Sky – who hold the 30th and 32nd pick and just traded away center Astou Ndour – and the Indiana Fever.
Q: Do you think she's having fun?
Yes.
You need to look a little harder these days if you want a reminder that sports are still out there, but Friday night won't be one of those times.
The WNBA Draft kicks off this weekend, as Peyton Williams looks to begin her career at the next level. With a K-State connection front and center on the biggest stage in women's basketball, here's everything you need to know before you follow Williams on Friday night.
Q: How can I watch the WNBA Draft?
The draft kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN with full coverage throughout the night. While players will participate virtually due to COVID-19, the draft will otherwise take place as scheduled.
The New York Liberty won the WNBA's Draft Lottery and will have the first pick on Friday. Each of the WNBA's 12 teams will make their picks over three rounds, so only 36 players will hear their name called on ESPN.
The usual trades mean some teams will have more than one pick in each round. For example, the Liberty and Dallas Wings will make six of the first 12 picks on Friday night.
Q: Who's going number one?
Remember in 1985, when the NBA rigged the Draft Lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the Knicks? So that never (officially) happened, but Oregon superstar Sabrina Ionescu is going to the New York Liberty with the first pick on Friday night, unless something really crazy goes down.
Q: OK got it, so when is Peyton getting drafted?
Most websites that cover the WNBA have projected Williams as an early second to third round selection on Friday night. You can find a few mock drafts offering their best bet on when exactly the K-State star might be drafted at The Athletic, SB Nation and The Associated Press.
Breanna Lewis was the last Wildcat to hear her name called in the WNBA Draft, when the Dallas Wings made her the 23rd overall pick in 2017.
Q: Why exactly does she have WNBA teams so excited?
Putting together a list of accomplishment for Williams during her time at K-State could take up a few pages, so let's focus on this year.
Williams made the All-Big 12 First Team and CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team in 2020. She averaged a double-double and finished second on the Wildcats in points, assists and rebounds during her senior season.
You want consistency? Williams leaves Manhattan as the first player in K-State history with 1,500 or more career points, 950 or more career rebounds, 200 or more career assists, 150 or more steals and 100 or more career blocks. She does it all, all the time.
Q: How does Peyton profile as a WNBA player?
If you follow basketball these days, you hear a lot about unicorns: players with a mix of height, shooting touch and court awareness that can elevate an entire team. Not surprisingly, these players are also incredibly hard to find.
Williams would be among the taller players on most WNBA rosters and had the college career (those 1,500+ points and 200+ assists) that should give teams license to dream.
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo told The Hutchinson News that Williams could look to expand her game playing overseas, with a strong work ethic from her time in Manhattan.
"It would be interesting to see what she could do when devoting herself to playing basketball full time," Lobo said. "Could be a player who goes overseas, plays full time, expands her range and makes the WNBA down the road. Adding a consistent 3-point shot would be key for her."
Q: Which teams could be a match?
Projecting which WNBA team might look to snag Williams means looking at where she fits on a roster and which teams have stocked up on picks in the second and third round of the Draft.
One team to watch? The Atlanta Dream. The Dream hold the 17th, 25th, and 27th pick in the WNBA Draft, right around the time when many experts have Williams coming off the board.
Next on the list is @pqwill11 from Kansas State, a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection who was also a three-time letterwinner with KSU volleyball.
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 5, 2020
📋 » https://t.co/UtZrZEfGRu pic.twitter.com/xq3NLQr0CV
Atlanta finished 2019 with only one player on the roster over 6' 4" and while the Dream have looked to get bigger in the offseason, Williams would certainly provide a boost in the frontcourt.
A few other WNBA teams to watch include the Chicago Sky – who hold the 30th and 32nd pick and just traded away center Astou Ndour – and the Indiana Fever.
Q: Do you think she's having fun?
Yes.
Virtually a concert. 😉🎵😂
— NCAA Women's Basketball (@ncaawbb) April 14, 2020
Two-sport student-athlete Peyton Williams plays guitar and sings, talks about her favorite sport and what she's binge watching.#ncaaW | @pqwill11 @KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/KBEIDVYVAc
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