2024 WNBA mock draft: Top 5 prospects to look out for in the next year's class feat. Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and more

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have raised the profile of women's basketball to unprecedented levels. Fans are more interested in next year's WNBA draft because it will involve several narratives. This has also raised the stakes for this year's college basketball season as they all try to outdo each other.

The reality is that there are quite a few talented players in the 2024 class not named either Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese. Next year's top five will be very closely matched, and the current favorites who occupy those spots are already quite well-known.

Drafts don't always go the way that they've been predicted to, but the most commonly named prospects are mostly pretty similar.

It's being taken for granted that Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will be top-five picks, but who else will make the cut?

Some of the names mentioned include Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies, Hailey Van Lith of LSU and Cameron Brink of Stanford.

#5. Cameron Brink

Stanford's Cameron Brink had a stellar season averaging 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists which just edges UConn's Aaliyah Edwards out of this top-five ranking.

#4. Hailey Van Lith

Hailey Van Lith teamed up with Angel Reese at LSU after entering the transfer portal from Louisville. Her 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists average last season made her the No. 1 player available in the transfer portal.

While they might yet form a lethal partnership, individually, she's also expected to stake her claim as a top-five draft pick.

#3. Paige Bueckers

UConn Huskies prospect, Bueckers won the Naismith National Player of the Year award last year but was ruled out of the season with an ACL injury. The social media cycle sidelined her a bit from this year's surge in popularity of the top two, but she's a formidable player in her own right.

#2. Angel Reese

Angel Reese was the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and broke the regular season record for the most double-doubles in a season with 34. All eyes will be on her next season to see whether she can repeat her heroics from last season.

Her battle against Clark is one of the most intriguing sub-plots in basketball right now. Where each will be picked will add just another stanza to a long-running saga.

#1. Caitlin Clark

While it was Angel Reese and LSU who triumphed in the national championship game against Caitlin Clark's Iowa, she is expected to be picked No. 1 overall.

Clark had a phenomenal season with the Hawkeyes. She broke several records enroute to the NCAA tournament final. She scored 191 points, the highest ever recorded covering both the men's and women's versions of the tournament.