There isn't much more that needs to be said about Bueckers.

Before the Minnesota native ever put on a Huskies uniform, she was considered a special talent who could potentially be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. And it took one season at UConn to show the hype was warranted.

Bueckers' performance never dipped across the remainder of her time in Storrs. This past year, she averaged 19.9 points on 53.4 percent shooting, including 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, along with 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals.

For the Dallas Wings, there wasn't much contemplation necessary once they won the draft lottery. They probably started printing the Bueckers merchandise the moment the lottery concluded.

Sonia Citron may owe her former Notre Dame teammate Olivia Miles a debt of gratitude because Miles' decision to stay in college increased the likelihood Citron is a lottery pick.

The Fighting Irish guard is a multifaceted offensive talent and versatile defender thanks to her 6'1" frame. She averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals across 32 appearances.

The way in which head coach Niele Ivey utilized Citron should help her at the next level, too. Citron had a career-low 18.3 percent usage rate and a career-high 36.1 percent three-point attempt rate, per Her Hoop Stats .

The adjustment from college to the WNBA can often be more difficult because a player who grew accustomed to running the show will have to assume a less involved role. Citron already has an idea of what's in store for her.

The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant reported Wednesday that "there is a growing subset of talent evaluators" who believe French center Dominique Malonga could eclipse Bueckers on the court.

For a little while, the WNBA remained a league where traditional centers and post scorers thrived, even as the NBA was making those archetypes outmoded. Malonga represents how floor-spacing bigs have now become highly sought after.

In 22 games for ASVEL Lyon, the 19-year-old averaged 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. She also went 11-of-38 on three-pointers, which is encouraging because she only needs to be good enough to where opposing defenses have to respect her as a long-range threat.

Maybe the idea that Malonga be better than Bueckers proves to be overly optimistic. It's easy to see why people are talking themselves into that idea, though.

USC's final two games of the 2024-25 season won't send Kiki Iriafen spiraling down draft boards, but they certainly didn't help her.

With teammate JuJu Watkins sidelined, Iriafen combined to shoot 6-of-28 for 17 points in the Sweet 16 win over Kansas State and the Elite Eight loss to UConn. She also turned the ball over four times while recording two assists in those contests.

Still, the 6'3" forward's production over the past two seasons speaks for itself. She put up 18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.

It's fair to wonder whether Iriafen will emerge as a capable No. 1 scoring option in the WNBA. However, she should have a relatively high floor.