There isn't much suspense at the very top of Monday night's WNBA Draft. Paige Bueckers will, understandably, be the No. 1 pick in the draft and head to the Dallas Wings. After winning a national championship with UCONN, Bueckers will try to repair a Wings team that went 9-31 last year.
After Bueckers is picked, the night gets more intriguing. Seattle has the second pick, and the Storm have a few paths they can take.
Dominique Malonga, France
It's almost a near-consensus from WNBA Draft experts that Malonga will be the pick here. Watching about 8 seconds of film will inform you as to why that's a pretty good idea.
Malonga is 19 years old, averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game in France, was on the French national team that won a Silver medal at the Olympics, and is 6-foot-6 with great shooting touch. I watched her hit a one-legged free throw line jumper and already started thinking about the statue they'll build her at Pike Place.
Kiki Iriafen, USC Trojans
If Seattle wants to go with a post player but would rather not take an international player (which is a silly reason to pass on someone, but to each their own, I suppose) then Iriafen is the likely pick here. She dominated in her sole year at USC after transferring from Stanford, but struggled in the Trojans Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in the NCAA Tournament.
Iriafen is 6-foot-3 so she provides some size at the forward position, but isn't a great shot blocker, averaging 0.5 blocks during her college career. If Seattle wants to optimize its paint defense, Malonga is probably the better pick to pair with Ezi Magbegor.
What Iriafen does provide, though, is a stellar offensive repertoire. Her footwork, midrange game and ability to finish from funky angles around the hoop is consistently impressive.
Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
Veteran Jewell Lloyd is headed to Las Vegas, and if Seattle wants to try and replace her production with the pick it got for Lloyd, then drafting Citron isn't a crazy prospect. While her raw stats don't jump off the page, playing with Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo will do that. There was too much talent to go around on this year's Notre Dame team.
Citron is a menace on defense and a knockdown 3-point shooter. If Seattle thinks she can score enough to replicate Lloyd's impact, Seattle could surprise everyone
Prediction: Seattle selects Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick
Malonga's upside is just too high to pass up here. Potential "fit" aside, we could look back in five years and think it was obvious that Malonga was the No. 2 prospect in this year's draft. Seattle shouldn't overthink it.