International Flair: Storm select Latvia’s Kitija Laksa in the WNBA Draft

For the second year in a row, the Storm select an International player in the first round.

For a second consecutive season, the Seattle Storm selected an International player in the first round of the WNBA Draft by selecting Latvia’s Kitija Laksa 11th overall. In 2019, Seattle drafted Australian Ezi Magbegor with the 12th overall pick in the first round.

Because Magbegor was only 19 years old and the Storm had roster constraints, the team kept her overseas in 2019, so that she could continue to develop while playing professionally in Australia.

Magbegor shined in her 2nd season in the WNBL (Australia’s top basketball league). In 24 games, she improved her scoring average to 13 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per contest.

While the original plan for Magbegor was for her to join the Storm in the 2020 season, that wasn’t 100% clear if that was still the case. The Storm only have enough roster space for one more player to be added to the team and have Magbegor and their three draft picks competing for that spot.

On Friday night, during a post-draft conference call with the media, we got our answer about the plans for Ezi Magbegor.

“Alisha and Talisa, our GM and Assistant GM, went over there (to Australia) to watch her play this year. The plan is for her to join us in the 2020 season.”

— Coach Dan Hughes

With Magbegor headed to Seattle. What does that mean for this year’s first-round pick? Well, it seems the Storm are using this strategy of drafting International players as a way to work around the roster limitations of the WNBA.

“No. Both camps have talked about the projection being 2021 (for Laksa) to come to the Storm. Both Alisha and I saw her in the World Cup and playing at South Florida. We knew this is a special addition offensively. But both camps understand this is pointed towards 2021.”

— Coach Hughes when asked if Kitija Laksa would join the team in 2020.

Laksa played college basketball at the University of Southern Florida where she was a prolific scorer but after tearing her ACL just three games into her senior season, she opted to return to Europe instead of entering the 2019 WNBA Draft.

Laksa’s best season in college was her junior year (2017-2018) where she averaged 21.1 PPG while shooting 97% from the Free Throw line (#1 in the country) and 38% from three-point range. She knocked down 126 three’s that year which was good for 5th best in the nation. Her sophomore season she averaged 19.2 PPG with 39% shooting from three-point range while knocking down 101 shots from beyond the arc.

After recovering from her torn ACL and playing overseas, Kitija saw varying degrees of success on the court.

While playing seven games in the Estonia-Douglas Basketball League (2019-2020), Laksa averaged 18 points in just 22 minutes per game. She also scored 17 points in the Championship game to help lead TTT Riga to the title with a 107-67 victory over Aistes-LSMU.

Things didn’t come quite as easily while playing in Euroleague. The top basketball league in Europe. Laksa averaged just 8 points and struggled shooting just 20% from three-point range in seven games.

Despite those struggles, Kitija is a legit three-point specialist who should fit right in with the Storm who led the league in made three’s in 2018 and should be near the top of the league in 2020 with a returning Breanna Stewart.

It’s also not surprising to see the team draft Laksa as they will need a long-distance scoring threat after trading away Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis this off-season.

I asked Coach Hughes what stood out the most while scouting Laksa and what role she can play on the team.

“She’s a 3 (small forward), she can play the 2 (shooting guard). She has good size. She moves without the ball unbelievably. She really has a knack for reading screens, a quick release on her shot and an excellent three-point shooter. I scouted her during the World Cup, on that professional stage, their whole offense was geared towards her. She was a difference maker.”

— Coach Hughes on Kitija Laksa

When asked by the media how her experience playing in Latvia and the Euroleague would help her prepare for the transition to the WNBA Laksa had this to say.

“I’ve played a lot of different types of basketball, between my experience in college, my national team, now with the professional team. I think I will be ahead of other rookies in the league because I’ve played at a higher level and know what it takes to fit it, to learn from the best, to listen to the coach and execute what is asked from us. I’m coachable and always hungry for basketball. I’m very excited!”

— Kitija Laska

Additional Draft Picks

With the Storm’s second and third-round draft picks they added 6’3” Power Forward Joyner Holmes out of Texas and 6’0” Shooting Guard Haley Gorecki from the Duke Blue Devils.

Holmes was selected 19th overall in the 2nd round by Seattle. In my previous draft article, I targeted Holmes in what I considered would be a steal of a pick at 19 if she were to fall to Seattle. Interestingly enough, Beatrice Mompremier, many of whom predicted would be drafted in the first round was still on the board when Seattle drafted Holmes.

Mompremier had a foot injury that might have scared away some teams. Her game was also more limited to scoring solely in the paint. Mompremier was selected one pick after Holmes, going 20th overall to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Holmes dealt with her own ankle/foot injury while in college and never quite reached her full potential after earning the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year award in 2017. She finished her senior season averaging 13.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.5 SPG.

When asked what attracted the team to Holmes, Coach Dan Hughes had this to say.

“We were very high on Joyner. Even if the first round had played out a little differently she was on the board to be discussed with that pick (11th overall). Joyner has a pro body, she moves quickly, she has a face up game. She has a very high upside and we wanted to work with that upside. The common theme we heard about Joyner was that her best years will be as a pro. She brings a great deal of athleticism, good skill, a face up game as well as a back to the basket game. We were really pleased to give her an opportunity and get her in the second round.”

Gorecki missed more than 1/2 her freshman season playing just 14 games in 2015-2016 and missed the entire 2016-2017 season with the Blue Devils due to injuries. She missed another seven games her redshirt sophomore season. She was finally able to get healthy and put up extremely impressive numbers in her junior and senior years.

Gorecki led Duke in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals her senior season, averaging 18.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 2.1 steals per game. She was the only player in the country that played in a Power 5 conference to average those stats across the board (Ionescu came close but only averaged 1.5 steals per game).

“Haley, we projected [her to get drafted] in the second round,” said Seattle head coach Dan Hughes. “Haley is one of the most productive players in America in the college game. Take a look at the stats, take a look at how she impacted the game. She has good size at 6-0. She gets to the foul line about as well as any player in college basketball a year ago and she has high skill. So, we really like that.  With all that skill, there is a toughness about her that was very, very attractive.”

Gorecki and Holmes are expected to join the Storm this season in training camp and will need to compete with the team’s veterans in hopes of impressing enough to land a spot on the final roster.

It is always an uphill battle for any 2nd or 3rd round picks to make a roster in the WNBA. Many fans around the league are frustrated that there are not enough teams or roster spots available for all the talented players that have come out in recent years.

It is still unclear whether the 2020 WNBA season will take place as all sports have currently been suspended or delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.