The WNBA Draft is Thursday night, which means that the speculation will be over and we'll know exactly where Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis will be playing next season. For now, we're all still wondering -- based not only on how the players will go off the board once the draft starts, but how teams picking early in the draft feel about Mosqueda-Lewis.
As one of the best shooters to ever come through UConn, no one questions her ability to put the ball through the hoop. The issues arise when teams try to find a position for Mosqueda-Lewis, particularly on defense.
Geno Auriemma's response was typically Geno Auriemma. When asked how Mosqueda-Lewis would be able to guard a player like Diana Taurasi, he said (via the Hartford Courant), "Tell me who can guard [Taurasi]?"
Fair question. But also fair are the concerns about Mosqueda-Lewis on the defensive end. Indiana assistant coach Gail Goestenkors spoke about those concerns earlier this season.
"Well, there is no better shooter than she is," Goestenkors said, via the Courant. "If a team needs a shooter, she's going. But her defense and her conditioning are the question marks.
"She's going to have to defend, at the three on the perimeter, and the question is can she defend the most athletic players in the league. Will she get herself into the best shape of her life?
"Again, there is so much respect for Geno and what he is able to get from his players. So with [Mosqueda-Lewis] you wonder if she hasn't gotten herself into tip-top shape at UConn, will she do it at the next level. To have a job, you have to be in great shape and be able to do certain things. But she is big, strong and physical, so that's a good thing.
"But every team needs a player like her. Every team is searching for more shooters. They need one that in crunch time can be depended on. In terms of her defense, she may just need to be one of the smartest players on the floor, one that's able to use angles [to help]."
