![\"JuJu](\"https:\/\/platform.swishappeal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/154\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2203257071.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nJuJu Watkins. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The crown jewel of the 2027 draft class.<\/p>\n
Watching Watkins play brings back memories of all-time great wing players like Maya Moore and Sheryl Swoopes. She scores effortlessly at all three levels, hitting tough shots that most players in the country can\u2019t even create, let alone make. Watkins\u2019 athleticism and downhill attacking ability make it impossible to keep her off the free throw line; she attempted 549 free throws across her freshman and sophomore seasons, cashing in on 83.6 percent of them. And if the 25.5 points per game aren\u2019t enough for you, consider that Watkins is also averaging 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game as an off-guard.<\/p>\n
The only question is how Watkins will recover from a torn ACL she suffered near the end of her sophomore campaign; otherwise, whichever WNBA team lucks into the top overall draft pick will be happy to make her its next franchise player.<\/p>\n
Madison Booker. Getty Images<\/p>\n Booker is going to be treated like a consolation prize in next year\u2019s draft, which is a tad unfair since she\u2019d be the obvious No. 1 overall pick in many other classes.<\/p>\n Booker is best-known for her deadly midrange game, and rightfully so. She\u2019s remarkably gifted at getting to her spots on the floor, rising above defenses and canning shots from the midrange, even when heavily contested. She\u2019s a better athlete than she\u2019s given credit for, too: Booker stands at a lithe 6-foot-1 and is just as capable at getting out in transition as she is picking defenses apart in the halfcourt.<\/p>\n And having played for Vic Schaefer for her entire collegiate career, you know she\u2019s going to be ready to play some defense herself.<\/p>\n Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)<\/p>\n Hannah Hidalgo. ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen small-ish guards thrive at making plays on defense before, but what makes Hidalgo unique is just how good she is at it. Through three collegiate seasons, Hidalgo has racked up 481 steals, good for nearly 4.7 per game, and no, those aren\u2019t typos.<\/p>\n And yet calling Hidalgo a defensive specialist would be disrespectful to everything she does on the other end of the court. As a junior, she ranked No. 3 in Division I in scoring (25.3 points per game), also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists. How Hidalgo has the energy to carry such a load on offense while also being one of the most productive defensive players we\u2019ve ever seen remains a mystery.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s a 5-foot-7 guard who can dissuade WNBA teams from worrying about their size, it\u2019s her.<\/p>\n S\u2019Mya Nichols. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Another guard who excels at attacking the basket. No one gets to the free throw line quite like Nichols.<\/p>\n In three seasons at Kansas, she\u2019s shot 748 free throws (7.57 per game), and according to Her Hoop Stats<\/a>, roughly 37 percent of her points have come from the charity stripe. There\u2019s more to Nichols\u2019 game than just slashing, though; she\u2019s a capable (albeit lower-volume) 3-point shooter, knocking down 42.9 percent of her long-range attempts as a junior, and she\u2019s also averaged 4.6 assists per game in each of the last two seasons.<\/p>\n If WNBA GMs believe those playmaking numbers are for real, Nichols will likely be one of the first players chosen in 2027.<\/p>\n Mikaylah Williams. Getty Images<\/p>\n Guards who can create their own shot are always attractive choices on draft day, and there aren\u2019t many in the 2027 draft class who are better at this than Williams.<\/p>\n Though her usage took a hit during her junior season, Williams was superbly efficient, shooting 54.9 percent on 2-pointers, 42 percent on 3s and 83.9 percent on free throws. She also has a bit of juice as a secondary creator for others, having recently averaged 3.6 assists per game. At 6-foot-0, Williams\u2019 skillset is one that\u2019s going to be difficult for teams to pass on, and even if she\u2019s not in the same tier as Watkins or Booker, her overall offensive ability will make her a coveted prospect nonetheless.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n