Lucy Olsen: 2025 WNBA Draft Scouting Report | Preseason Edition

[@aryaa8849]

Been waiting for her!

[@nikkopabon5973]

Not that it matters too much but I’ve always seen her listed at 5’10. Also it’s important to note, that Villanova team was basically just Olsen, Dalce and maybe one of the Maddies. Even when Siegrist was there, that team was still pretty thin. And while Iowa doesn’t have too much in terms of high end talent, their roster is still significantly more capable than Villanova. It’s gonna be interesting to see how much this elevates her game.

[@A350Airways]

My own mock draft had Olsen in the late first round... but after #8 since Olsen is not what the Fever needs right now...

[@nikkopabon5973]

@@A350Airways See I have her as a 2nd rounder unless she can become more consistent from 3. Also, I like Shyanne Sellars for Indiana, they really need a secondary playmaker.

[@HunterCruse14]

Iowa says 5’10, but she was listed at 5’9 at Nova & 5’8 out of high school so it seems like a boosted height thing that some college teams do

[@nikkopabon5973]

@@HunterCruse14 Sounds like she’ll be 5’11 by the time the draft rolls around. This is why the W needs a combine.

[@kountrynotary7445]

Lol 😂​@@nikkopabon5973

[@PredatorKingdom]

She's gonna be great, totally slept on right now. I got her as the 4th best player in this draft, but she will be picked in the 2nd or 3rd round. If the Fever can't get Sonia Citron for Caitlin then this will be the next best option. I think Lucy is and this Iowa team under Jan Jensen will go further than people think.

[@vansantsam]

The Fever should prioritize Sonia Citron as their 1st pick in the draft, Her and Hull on defense would jam up a lot of opponent attacks.. Fever should concentrate on defense and not solely build around Clark for offense. The Fever can hold their own on offense with little help they would be even better but they need to build up their defense - 2nd to the bottom doesn't work.. If they could get their defense in the top 3, then they would dominate and give nightmares to all teams that they face..

[@mikailbumpus692]

I agree 👍 I’m a lifelong Hawkeye and Fever Diehard. You make a very good point there. There is no question, The Fever Can Score and with several weapons on Offense, But that really does no good by itself when you go up into the playoffs, and thats if you make it, then you also must contend with Teams that can also score, and they will control your offensive production because of their Defense, so you have to balance it by limiting their scoring as well, and one true way to do that is to have a Solid Strong Defense.

[@mikailbumpus692]

Thanks Hunter, Another greatly Detailed assessment of a Featured Player. I hadn’t really known too much about this Player, Just some Details, and I’m grateful for you Hunter for filling in alot of blanks here for me on Olsen. She has Strengths, but A Few Areas of concern as well, my personal opinion. Although as a lifelong Hawkeye Alumni, Iam excited to see what She can bring to Iowa. I know that Height vs Taller Ooponent Players can be an issue, But just like any sport a player may be able to overcome that and still excel. Take for instance Leilani Mitchell 5’5” Crystal Dangerfield 5’5” Dana Evans 5’6” Jordan Canada 5’6” or even Skylar Diggins Smith 5’9” all of which Are shorter then Olsen. If Olsen can just play thru Any height disadvantage, that shouldn’t be a problem even in The WNBA. It All Depends on Lucy Herself. I Think that one thing that should be an advantage for her, and help her be more overall Productive is, In Iowa she won’t have to carry the Team alone on her shoulders. And with some of the talent there, it may open up some opportunity for Lucy to improve her stats in various areas. There are 2, areas I would like to see her improve in, it would be her half-court finishing and Improve on Defense. I think when She gets to the WNBA she’s gonna be dealing with a higher degree of Physicality and more aggressive gameplay, So it would be beneficial for her to improve as much as She can. I know there would be people that would disagree with me perhaps on her Draft Rating, but I don’t think she will go in the first round at all unless she has a breakout stellar season at Iowa. Realistically, right now I simply see her as a 2nd Round pick maybe at 9th-12th. Or if She doesnt have a good Senior Year, She could perhaps slip to 3rd Round at 1-5. I know it’s gonna be a very interesting year at Iowa for my Hawkeyes, With the new Head Coach Jan Jensen, a Pupil of The Bluder Bandwagon, but we need to remember, even Coaches have to go thru New Changes, Steps Up, adjustments New Changes, jitters etc, Just like players do. And I also feel that there are some really strong League teams that the Hawkeyes will have to Face, So it will all just be very interesting to see how it all develops. One thing that I’ve seen in the college ranks in any college sport over time is, No matter the ranking, no matter the talent on the team, There are so many countless variables that go up and down like a yo-yo throughout the Season. So low Ranked Teams could Gel and Surge while High Ranked Teams could Slip, while some Teams Remain Consistent as Ranked and Predicted. Anyway, thanks Hunter for another player Feature Video.

[@HunterCruse14]

Appreciate your thoughts here! Iowa should be really good this year!

[@mikailbumpus692]

@@HunterCruse14 Thanks Hunter, I certainly hope so. And I’ll be honest, even as a Diehard Hawkeye, There are some really great Teams out there, with Quality Talent that I’ll be keeping an eye on too. I think South Carolina, UConn, The Longhorns and Notre Dame, are going to be Strong this year, and my Sleeper Surprise Pick is - Iowa State who I think will Make a Run into the Sweet 16

[@snapwilson316]

One of my favorite players to watch in college basketball last year. Hope she can carry some of that offense into the W, she's a lot of fun.

[@stavrosforever]

Lucy Olsen! Go, Hawks!

[@johndickson435]

She shoots like Grace Berger

[@kurtjohnson4816]

I see Lucy Olsen as an early 2nd round prospect for any team that needs a dependable combo guard. She's a bit of a Paige Bueckers in her scoring approach, midrange creativity. She's a very good defender, an adequate facilitator (which she will develop at Iowa), and at 5'10", a decent size as a guard. She has enough quickness for the W. She's a joy as a teammate, which should not be overlooked. If she is still available as a 2nd round Fever pick, they might do very well to sign her; especially if they feel that Wheeler's contract is too much to bear.

[@billsmith5166]

She's going to have the weight of the world on her shoulders.

[@usveteran9893]

Can you explain the median outcome to me? I assume the higher the score, the better. Is that correct?

[@HunterCruse14]

Yes yes. Here's the system: 20 - draftable; 30 - reserve; 40 - rotation-caliber; 45 - top-end backup; 50 - average starter; 55 - above-average starter; 60 - All-Star caliber; 70 - All-WNBA caliber; 80 - MVP candidate. For example, I have a 45 floor and 55 ceiling for Sonia Citron, which gives her a 50 median grade.

[@nicholasmaharaj5493]

Great breakdown as always ,lucy is my player to watch this season ,midrange menance and solid ,talented player overall.

[@brorick5472]

She plays taller than 5'9".

[@rodrickedwards2759]

Great midrange. Need a left hand and 3 point shot.

[@bennybenson5]

I see D Henry’s name on there for ratings, how would you rate Christyn Williams pre injury?

[@HunterCruse14]

I had a 30 grade on Williams pre-injury. Her & Olsen are pretty similar as prospects imp

[@ladyvolshoopsfan]

I could see her as a steal if she slips in the draft. Imagine if she goes to Phoenix! I like Diana but the clock is ticking an Olsen if Diana comes back for one year could learn and grow behind one of the greats.

[@Griffinphii]

lets not forget that she has alot to learn at Iowa

[@KB_OMeara]

She is 5 10”. Other than that I think you are pretty darn close.

[@mikem.s.1183]

You're placing too much value in her midrange. Let's take a look at efficiency and quality of shots. Her shots measured by expected value per shot. Her 3 pts% was 0.296 in 2024. The expected value of her 3 ptrs was thus 0.882. Not good, but not bad either. Her mid-range expected value per shot was worse. Her mid-range rate was 0.42. That gives an expected value per shot of 0.84. Her 2pts% was 0.489, which gives her an expected value per shot of 0.978.This is her highest expected value, her highest efficiency. Her layups pull her efficiency up. So, she has 3 options: - keep betting in her speed and change of direction to get easy, efficient 2 pts - improve her mid-range to be closer to avg numbers of 2 pts ( around 0.97) - improve her 3 ptrs. If she improves this percentage (doesn't have to be Caitlin Clark levels), from 0.296 to 0.33 (perfectly feasible for her talent) her efficiency per shot will skyrocket to 0.99. That's pretty solid and will make a huge difference to the Hawkeyes. With her speed, her ball control and how she reads defenses, if she improves her 3 ptrs to this level she'll be tremendous. For comparison: Caitlin Clark expected value for 3 ptrs was in her last season 1.134. Steph Curry (and Trae Young is very similar) last season was 1.224. With this level of efficiency and quality of 3 ptr shots any game can potentially be won.

[@Sevon-g4d]

I don’t see her on any mock drafts I think she goes first round