The Chicago Sky‘s 2024 season did not go to plan. Despite drafting Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese in the first round, the team wasn’t able to put it all together, going 13-27 and missing out on the playoffs entirely. Reese and the Sky are hoping for a big turnaround, and they’ve made some moves this offseason to make sure that happens. The 2025 WNBA Draft will be their last chance to add a playmaker to the squad.
In the latest mock draft published by Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic, Paige Bueckers obviously goes No. 1 to the Golden State Valkyries. But an interesting pick comes later in the first round, when the Sky select Te-Hina Paopao of the South Carolina Gamecocks, Cardoso’s former college teammate.
Chicago Sky draft Te-Hina Paopao in The Athletic’s mock
Merchant believes Paopao would be a perfect fit for the Sky for several reasons, but mainly due to her shooting ability as an off-ball guard.
She is an excellent shooter off the catch and off screens, and she knows how to play with ball-dominant bigs. Plus, she will have immediate chemistry with Kamilla Cardoso, her former Gamecocks teammate. Coach Tyler Marsh emphasized movement shooting as an area of need when Chicago hired him, and there is no one better than Paopao at that specific skill.
Paopao spent the first three seasons of her collegiate career at Oregon before transferring to South Carolina in 2023. Alongside Cardoso and several other stars, while led by the legendary Dawn Staley, Paopao lifted the NCAA Championship trophy after defeating Caitlin Clark and Iowa.
In her second season with South Carolina, Paopao has continued to play at a solid level, although her three-point shooting has regressed quite severely. Still, she’s a 40% shooter from the perimeter throughout her college career and would pair well in a backcourt that has Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins.
Read the full article here
