Updated 2023 WNBA mock draft

The lottery balls finally went their way, and there’s little doubt which player the Indiana Fever will select with the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick next April.

The Fever had the highest odds (44.2%) of getting the No. 1 pick, which the organization previously never had. That changed Friday as the Fever won the WNBA draft lottery, followed by the Minnesota Lynx, the Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics.

Tamika Catchings, the No. 3 pick in 2001, is the best player in Fever history and one of the all-time greats in women’s basketball. But Indiana hasn’t made the playoffs since Catchings retired following the 2016 season.

The Fever have had draft success in that stretch with Kelsey Mitchell (No. 2 in 2018), Victoria Vivians (No. 8 in 2018), NaLyssa Smith (No. 2 in 2022) and Queen Egbo (No. 10 in 2022). But Indiana is still looking to become truly competitive again. This year, the Fever had an early-season coaching change and a young team finished 5-31.

Seniors still have the option of coming back for a fifth season because of the pandemic-affected 2020-21 academic year, so there is no guarantee all of these players will make themselves eligible for the draft. But with the information we have now, here is an early projection of the first round of the draft, which is scheduled to be April 10, 2023.

First Round

South Carolina Gamecocks | forward | 6-foot-5 | senior

She is the player the Fever badly need. Boston is the draft’s sure thing, provided she doesn’t pull a surprise and opt to stay a fifth season in college. That isn’t expected at this point. Boston was the national player of the year last season and favored to repeat, as are the Gamecocks as national champions. She is the most pro-ready college player, with elite finishing skills, footwork and defensive…