3 WNBA Draft prospects the Sun should be scouting for the No. 8 pick

It has been an eventful offseason for the Connecticut Sun.

After making it to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs and losing to the eventual champion New York Liberty in 2024, the Sun fired their head coach Stephanie White and made large-scale changes to their roster. Rachid Meziane took over as the head coach and they immediately traded away or did not re-sign the entire starting five from last season.

To make matters worse, Marina Mabrey, the team's top player off the bench, just requested a trade out of Connecticut too. This means that the team's top six scorers and leaders in minutes played will all be gone, and the Sun will have to start fresh.

While they did receive a few solid pieces in some of the trades that they made, and added two solid players in free agency, this Sun team is in desperate need of repair at all positions. They should draft the best player available, regardless of position, and one of these three players will almost certainly be available.

1. Aneesah Morrow, PF, LSU

Morrow is having a great bounce-back campaign in her senior year for the LSU Tigers. After averaging nearly 26 points per game as a sophomore at DePaul, Morrow dipped down to a mere 16 points per game last season. Now, as a senior, she has boosted her scoring average up to nearly 19 points per game and her rebounding has soared to new heights, averaging 14.2 per game.

Not only can Morrow handle being the focal point of a team, as she did early in her career at DePaul, but she has also proven that she can produce alongside other great players. The W is filled with talented women at every position, so being able to find a role and excel in it is pivotal, especially for a rookie.

The LSU product is a long and effective defender on the wing position, standing at 6-foot-1 and averaging 2.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. In years past, her defensive numbers have been a bit more flashy, but she has become more of a solid position defender as the years have gone on. She also has the ability to step out beyond the arc and knock down a shot, which is incredibly valuable in today's game.

2. Te-Hina Paopao, SG, South Carolina

Paopao is just a winner. After three seasons as an Oregon Duck, Paopao took on a lesser role when she transferred to South Carolina as a senior to win a national championship. She did just that, leading the Gamecocks to an undefeated record and a highly-coveted trophy.

This season, South Carolina has only lost a single game, and Paopao is up to her usual tricks. The do-it-all-guard is averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game with incredibly efficient shooting numbers and the second-lowest usage percentage of any player currently projected to be drafted in the top 15.

She will enter the league as a solid player with a high floor who can be a calming presence running a team's second unit. She could also blend in with the starters as she does an incredible job of getting her teammates involved at South Carolina, but she also knows when it is time to score. At just 5-foot-9, many have reservations about her ability to play both guard positions in the W, but even if she just plays the point guard position, she will add incredible value to the Sun if drafted.

3. Azzi Fudd, SG, UConn

Fudd may not get the attention that her backcourt mate Paige Bueckers gets, but she is a valuable player in her own right. Averaging 11.3 points and nearly two rebounds and assists per game, Fudd is an incredibly efficient shooter for the UConn Huskies and is big enough to guard multiple positions.

She was the top-rated player in her high school class as a senior, so the potential for Fudd is sky-high. At 5-foot-10, she can play either guard position in the W, but projects to be more of an off-ball guard that specializes in shooting and defense. She could be a smaller version of Sophie Cunningham or Lexie Hull to begin with, but her upside is higher than either of those two players.

If she is available at No. 8, the Sun may see her potential and not be able to help themselves from picking a UConn guard. They tend to turn out pretty well.