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According to Tankathon, the Chicago Sky have an 83.7% chance of getting the fifth-overall pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. This is the most likely scenario, but also the worst.
There seems to be a pretty clear tier break after the top six, so we will stop there.
Fudd was discussed in the #2 pick article of this series, but she is a 5-foot-11 guard out of UConn who can shoot the cover off the basketball. I think Azzi is more likely to be available at 5 than to be taken at 2.
Flau’jae Johnson is a 5-foot-10 wing out of LSU. Johnson was teammates with Angel Reese for two seasons, winning a national championship with her in the 2022-23 season. The Savannah, Ga., native will spend all four years of college with the Tigers.
Per College Basketball Reference, Flau’jae averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.7 turnovers per game on 46.8% from the field, 38.3% from three, and 81% from the line, with a 51.7% field goal percentage.
The turnover numbers are important because she is averaging 4.7 assists but only 0.7 turnovers per game through her first three outings as a senior. That could be a small sample size, or it could be a change in her game.
The numbers don’t look incredibly impressive, but when you actually see her play, you can see the advantage creation and athleticism she has. If she adds playmaking to a self-creation playstyle, that gives her such a high ceiling.
If you watch Johnson on the defensive end, you see some real lockdown upside there too, with her already being a very good defender.
Ta’Niya Latson is the player most often listed at five. Latson is a 5’8 guard out of South Carolina, who spent her first three years at Florida State before finishing her career off with Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
During the FSU transfer’s junior season with the Seminoles, she averaged 25.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the field, 34.3% from three, and 81.8% from the line, according to College Basketball Reference. Ta’Niya earned herself a 48.4% effective field goal rate, which is not where you want it. However, Latson had the second-highest usage rate in the country at 37.8%, per BartTorvik, which is absurdly high.
Something else that is extremely high is her assist rate at 30.9%, but what is arguably more impressive is the 13.9% turnover rate, according to Torvik. Over 20 and sub 15 assist and turnover rate is the gold standard for being a great passer, so over 30% is putting you in a great category.
As I have said before, there is a small sample size, but the eFG% for her three games into her senior season at South Carolina is up at 58.6%. So is that a small sample size, or her thriving in a better environment? Time will tell.
The athletic traits, both horizontal and vertical movement, really show up when you watch Ta’Niya. If the efficiency rises to an above-average level in her new environment, that is when people should get very excited about her moving above this range.
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