Who will be available for Valkyries at No. 5?

WNBA DRAFT

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Kiki Iriafen, who played three seasons for Stanford before transferring to USC, could be a target of the Valkyries, who have the No. 5 pick in the WNBA draft. NHAT V. MEYER — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP FILE

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By Nathan Canilao

Bay Area News Group

Monday will mark a historic day for the Golden State Valkyries.

The WNBA expansion team will participate in the draft for the first time, picking fifth overall. The Valkyries will also select fifth in the second and third rounds.

The new players will join a roster that began to take shape in December when Golden State made 11 picks in the expansion draft and added veterans Tiffany Hayes and Monique Billings in free agency. The team currently has 17 players on its roster.

This year’s draft has a surefire talent at the top in UConn star Paige Bueckers, who led the Huskies to a national championship last week and is a near lock to go first overall to the Dallas Wings.

Seattle holds the second pick, followed by the Washington Mystics with the third and fourth selections.

The Valkyries might need a little luck to find an impact player at No. 5.

In the last 10 drafts, the fifth pick has produced two All-Stars (Las Vegas forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Dallas standout Arike Ogunbowale) and solid starters in Jordin Canada and Aerial Powers.

But overall, the production hasn’t been great. The career scoring average of the last 10 players selected fifth is a combined 6.5 points per game.

Given that this year’s draft is deep with players who have high upside, including a few household names, Golden State might strike gold with its first pick.

Here are five prospects that the Valkyries could take at No. 5:

Dominique Malonga, center, France: Malonga could have the most upside of anyone in the draft. The 6-foot-6 center, only 19, was dubbed the “female version of Victor Wembanyama” by fellow Frenchman and former San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker.

Defensively, Malonga is a force as a shot blocker and helpside defender. Her long arms and athletic bounce make her a natural shot blocker at the next level.

She averaged 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for ASVEL Féminin of Ligue Féminine de Basketball — the top women’s basketball league in France.

Mock drafts have Malonga going anywhere from second to sixth. Should she fall to the Valkyries, she would be the fourth French player on the team’s roster.

Aneesah Morrow, forward, LSU: Morrow possesses the tools to be an impact player on both ends right away.

The 6-1 LSU product led the nation in double-doubles as she averaged 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game this past season.

Her defensive upside and high motor on the glass make her an intriguing prospect to add to Golden State’s roster, which at the moment is lacking a young, top-tier athlete.

Kiki Iriafen, forward, USC: Bay Area basketball fans are very familiar with Iriafen.

Before transferring to USC for her senior season, Iriafen played three years at Stanford. She led the Cardinal in scoring in 2023-24 before joining forces with USC superstar Juju Watkins this past season.

In her final two college seasons, Iriafen averaged 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and helped USC reach the Elite Eight.

Hailey Van Lith, guard, TCU: After Bueckers, the most popular player in this year’s draft is undoubtedly Van Lith.

The TCU point guard became the first player to make it to the Elite Eight with three different teams after taking the Horned Frogs to the brink of the Final Four this past season.

She had a career resurgence with TCU, averaging 17.9 points and 5.4 assists per game on 45.2% shooting from the field and 33.8% from the three-point line.

At 5-7, Van Lith struggled as an on-ball defender for most of her college career. But she has proven to be a certified bucket getter, even as a freshman.

Juste Jocyte, guard, Lithuania: The Valkyries could continue building their roster around international players by selecting Jocyte.

The 19-year-old point guard is intriguing because of how well she can create shots at her age. She has a lethal floater game and is a crafty ball handler who can get to her stepback jumper with ease. Jocyte is a smooth lefty that showed upside as an elite pick-and-roll ballhandler in Europe.

Like Malonga, Jocyte played in France’s top women’s league, averaging 12.7 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 35% from beyond the arc.