So the NCAA championship was today and one of the best players by a mile in this game was Lauren, or not Lauren, I think Lauren Betts might win MVP, but Gabriella Hakz was the best player in this game. Not only that, we are seeing something big. We are seeing something big.
And what we are seeing is that Gabriella Hawez has a good co-sign by the one and only Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark—how many players has she spoken about on social media? Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull. And what is common with those three players? They are three of the guarantees for the Fever next year.
But Gabriella Hakez is expected to be there around 10. She is expected to be there around 10. I’m going to be honest—she could be a near perfect pickup for the Fever. Why? Because she is a competent shooter. I’m not going to say she’s a great shooter. People will say, “Look at her percentages.”
If you go purely on percentages from Gabriella Hackz, she was much better when she was in non-conference play. But if you look at the mock draft from CBS, Gabriella Hakeez is projected to be there at 10. That pick goes to Indiana. My expectation is that on the board for Indiana, if Nepkins is on the board and Hakez is there, they are probably going to go Hakez, Nepkins, Martin. That would be my projection for the top three picks that Indiana would like to make.
If Hawz is on the board, first of all, Hakez is a fit. Second of all, you’ve got a Caitlin Clark co-sign. When you’ve got the Caitlin Clark co-sign, it’s a big one—especially when Hakez is likely to be there for the Fever. This is similar to LeBron James tweeting about Shabazz Napier or Collin Sexton. It’s not necessarily that she controls a franchise, but teams will do what their franchise player wants to an extent.
So what we will probably see is, if she’s on the board, Gabriella Hakez is going to the Fever. I’m going to talk more about the Fever’s draft prospects as well as free agency. But if you’re looking here—front office wink, wink. We just need someone not to snatch her first.
I do think there is a legitimate argument that she could go earlier. There was a time she was projected to be with the Aces no matter what. But on the year she’s had, she’s been really good—13 points, 58% from the field.
It’s interesting—she shot 38% from three. But if you look at her game log, she was absolutely unconscious from three early. One of three, four of seven, two of six, two of three, three of five, three of five, one of three, three of four, five of six. Then suddenly she gets into conference play: two of two, one of four, one of four, one of three, one of five, two of seven. It took until the Big East tournament before she shot 50% from three in a game again.
I don’t think she’s an elite shooter. I don’t think she’s a bad shooter either—she’s competent. Everyone saying she’s an elite 3-and-D player—I think she’s more of a great connective piece. I think she’s going to be a solid player.
If the Indiana Fever end up drafting Gabriella Hakez, it’s not going to be a bad pick. In terms of what the Fever need, she does project to be a better shooter. I also don’t think Nepkins is that much worse. She’s not as good, but with Fudd, you’ve got a quicker trigger, while Nepkins is much bigger. Defensively, Fudd is a better anticipator, but Nepkins’ size could make her a better defender long-term.
There’s not that much elite talent in this draft. I don’t know if there’s a player better than Lexie Hull immediately. There’s one player with superstar potential. In any draft, someone steps up. Even in weaker drafts, someone becomes borderline All-Star level.
At the end of the day, this is not 2025 all over again. This isn’t a deep draft because the fifth-year seniors were in 2025 due to COVID eligibility.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the Fever in this draft. Hakez has been mocked to the Fever multiple times—this isn’t random. A lot of people have been talking about her and the UCLA players getting drafted.
I stand by this: if someone drafts certain players in the first round, that’s not a smart decision. But players like Kiki Rice, Gian Neepkins, Lauren Betts, and Gabriella Hakez are guaranteed first-round picks.
This could be a huge year for UCLA with potentially four first-round picks. The first round could be 50% UCLA and 50% international players. It’s wild.
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