1 week Ago By Oliver Browning
All eyes have been on Paige Bueckers ahead of this year’s WNBA Draft.The UConn star, who was moved to tears as she capped her college career by guiding the Huskies to March Madness glory, has been the presumptive No. 1 pick for months.
Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 pick of this year’s WNBA DraftGettyAveraging 19.9 points, 4.
4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in her senior year, as well as dropping a UConn tournament record 40 points in the Sweet 16, it’s little surprise that ‘Paige Buckets’ is expected to follow in the footsteps of Caitlin Clark and go first overall on Monday night. But she could be rivalled by a French phenom who has drawn comparisons to NBA star Victor Wembanyama.
Enter Dominique Malonga.Standing at 6-foot-6 tall, the center is already an Olympic silver medallist at 19 years old.Malonga is regarded by many as a unicorn prospect who has played in France’s top professional women’s league since she was 15.
The teenager is currently averaging 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.
5 assists for Lyon Asvel Feminin.She was the youngest player on France’s Olympic team at the Paris Games, and helped her country to the gold medal game, where they were beaten 67-66 by the United States.While Malonga is perhaps not a household name on the same level of Bueckers, given she did not go to college in the US or feature in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, many mock drafts have her as the No.
2 pick.She’s a force down low, an effective finisher near the rim and moves extremely well for her size.Last October, she made history by becoming the first Frenchwoman to dunk in a EuroCup game — aged just 18 — and is regarded as a player with an extraordinary ceiling.
Malonga could rival Bueckers for the No. 1 pick, but is expected to go second overallGettySome evaluators believe she could go on to be better than Bueckers in the WNBAGettyAccording to The Athletic, there is a growing subset of talent evaluators who think she could eventually be better than Bueckers.However, the Dallas Wings won’t take the chance on Malonga with their No.
1 pick, especially since she is a member of the French national team and will regularly have international commitments during the summers.That means the Seattle Storm, picking second, could bag themselves one hell of a player.To perhaps further cement herself as the No.
2 pick, Malonga has long been compared to her French compatriot Wembanyama.Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker first made the link back in 2021, citing similarities in size, athleticism and perimeter skills between the pair.While she admitted being compared to the San Antonio Spurs All-Star is an ‘honor’, the teenager has made it clear she wants to forge her own path on the court.
Malonga won a silver medal at the Olympics last summerAFPThe French teenager has been compared to NBA All-Star WembanyamaGetty“Being compared to Victor is nice because he’s a great player,” Malonga, who boasts a remarkable 7-foot-1 wingspan, said in a recent interview.“The things that he’s doing are so amazing, so of course being compared to him is an honor.“But I want to make sure that I don’t lose my identity in that and I still have my game.
“When I’m on the court I play as Dominique Malonga, not as Victor.” This year’s WNBA Draft is stacked with talent, and the likes of Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron and Hailey Van Lith are all expected to be top picks.But Malonga is projected to be selected ahead of those names, and behind only Bueckers.
If Dallas follow the script and take ‘Paige Buckets’ off the board first, then expect to see the French star hooping in Seattle next season..
