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WHO GOT NEXT? · 2027 DRAFT WATCH · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 26, 2026

Toronto or Houston?

The regular season ended in a dead heat. Toronto and Houston share the best estimated shot at No. 1, Toronto is listed first for now, and JuJu Watkins remains the prospect at the top of the board.

By Shak · Shakeema FunchessEdition 0215 first-round picksFinal 2026 order · lottery pending
PROVISIONAL PICK 01
JWJuJu Watkins
Toronto Tempo logo
TORONTO TEMPO SELECT · PROVISIONALJuJu WatkinsUSC · 6'2" guard

THE DIRECT ANSWER

The player is JuJu. The team is unsettled.

Watkins is still the class’s cleanest combination of star creation, size, foul pressure and defensive playmaking. Her last full season produced 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. If she returns healthy and enters the draft, either Toronto or Houston should turn in the card at No. 1.

EDITION 02 · THE UPDATE

Final night changed the card.

The prospect order stays intact. The team assignments moved, and one international center forced her way into Round 1.

TOP PICK RACE
Toronto Tempo logoTORONTO29.5%
TIED
Houston Comets logoHOUSTON29.5%

Both sit at a .250 cumulative winning percentage. Their combinations will be pooled and divided evenly. If the total is odd, Houston receives the extra combination through the tiebreak procedure.

Zhang Ziyu playing for China
WORLD CUP RISER · PICK 12

Zhang Ziyu is on the board.

The 7-foot-3 Chinese center put up 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks against Team USA on September 4. She turns 20 in 2027, meeting the WNBA’s published age requirement for international draftees.

Scout next: mobility, conditioning, screening and defensive coverages.

THE LOTTERY PICTURE

Toronto and Houston share pole position.

This is the final 2026 regular-season order with the lottery still pending. Toronto is provisionally listed first, and Houston inherits Connecticut’s No. 2 position. Picks 1 and 2 will be drawn, so the top of the board can still flip.

Official versus estimatedThe tied combinations are split, with Houston receiving the extra one if the total is odd. The 29.5% figures come from Tankathon’s current estimate. The WNBA has not published the official 2027 seven-team odds table.

WE KNOW THE W BIG BOARD · ROUND 1

Fifteen picks. A new destination map.

Filter by role or search a player, program or WNBA team. The prospect rankings stay fixed; Edition 02 updates every team assignment affected by the final standings and adds Zhang Ziyu at No. 12.

EDITION 02 · SEP. 26

Why Toronto gets the first line, for now

Toronto and Houston reached the end of the regular season in the same place: an estimated .250 cumulative winning percentage and a 29.5% shot at the first pick. The current projected order lists Toronto first, so this mock does too. That is a placeholder, not a league tiebreak announcement.

Watkins is the player who changes the scale of either build. She has already shown the hard part: creating quality offense when everybody in the building knows she has to create it. At 6'2", she can see and shoot over smaller guards, punish switches, draw fouls and produce defensive events away from the ball. The health check matters after her ACL injury, but the upside remains No. 1.

Houston still gets a franchise guard

Hannah Hidalgo owns the loudest two-way résumé after Watkins. Her pressure defense can change possession after possession, and 25.3 points with 5.2 assists shows she is much more than a disruptor. If Houston lands second, she gives the returning Comets an identity on day one.

S’Mya Nichols, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams make the next tier guard-heavy. Nichols brings size and playmaking, Fulwiley brings burst and defensive chaos, and Williams brings polished shot creation. Clara Strack is the first interior anchor on this board because 6'5" size, double-digit rebounding and 2.5 blocks travel.

Why Zhang entered at No. 12

One game does not make a finished prospect, but Zhang’s World Cup debut answered a better question: can her size and touch hold up against WNBA-level strength? Thirteen points, six rebounds and two blocks against Team USA were enough to move her into this first round. The next test is defending away from the rim and staying effective when opponents make her move possession after possession.

What could blow up this board

The lottery is the obvious answer, but it is not the only one. Watkins has to return healthy. Prospects have to enter. New roles and transfers can change usage. International players can rise quickly once front offices get complete medicals and live evaluations. And team fit will look different after another offseason of trades and free agency.

So save the screenshot, not the certainty. The value of an early mock is seeing the assumptions before the games start changing them.

HOW THIS BOARD WAS BUILT

Production, translation and roster need.

  1. Current orderFinal 2026 regular-season records plus published pick ownership, with Toronto provisionally first.
  2. Prospect rankRecent production, physical tools, role difficulty and WNBA skill translation.
  3. Team fitWhat the selecting team would be buying, not a claim that its current roster is final.
  4. UncertaintyLottery, official odds, eligibility, health and 2026-27 performance remain open.
Receipts

Final WNBA standings · Connecticut 95, Toronto 81 final · Lottery tie procedure · WNBA relocation approval · Houston Comets official site · WNBA lottery method · Current full draft order · Estimated 2027 lottery odds · Prospect statistics and comparison board · S’Mya Nichols’ draft outlook · Zhang Ziyu World Cup profile · WNBA draft eligibility · Zhang against Team USA · Ainhoa Risacher profile · Risacher photo and French league context

Player photos: ESPN, FIBA Basketball and BeBasket. Team and program marks identify the projected destination and current program. This article is an independent editorial projection and is not affiliated with the WNBA, its teams or the NCAA.