Why Dallas Wings shouldn’t take Lauren Betts at No. 1 overall in WNBA Draft

The Dallas Wings could take UCLA center Lauren Betts with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft this spring, but there are a few flaws in her game that need to be worked on before the end of her senior season.

CBS Sports writer Jack Maloney believes Betts could be a liability if WNBA teams force her to leave the post on defense.

“Betts is an incredible rim protector, but she becomes less and less effective on defense the further she moves away from the basket. Ironically, one of the reasons Bueckers and UConn embarrassed Betts and UCLA in the Final Four last season is because the Huskies repeatedly put the Bruins’ center in pick-and-rolls and hand-off situations,” Maloney wrote. 

“While Betts is not a complete stiff, she doesn’t have the mobility to switch on the perimeter, especially against WNBA-caliber athletes, which forces her to play a more conservative drop coverage. That can be effective against certain matchups, but a disaster against others. Most importantly, it locks teams into a specific coverage against screens when she’s on the floor.”

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UCLA primarily keeps Betts in the paint, but that won’t be so simple in the WNBA. If she cannot defend on the perimeter, it could be an issue for the wings if they were to draft her.

“As floor spacing and 3-point shooting become an ever more important part of the WNBA game — in 2025, only one team took fewer than 20 3s per games; in 2015, no team took 20 3s per game — Betts’ inability to defend in space is a real concern,” Maloney wrote.

This is likely a skill that’s going to need to be fixed once she is drafted. Making that choice by the draft could be costly for Dallas if it doesn’t work in its favor.

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