WNBA Draft 2024: Will Kamilla Cardoso go no.1?

Entering the WNBA Draft, she's the best player from the nation's best team. So can 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso go No. 1 in the WNBA Draft? The possibility of that is slim. The speculated indisputable frontrunner, however, is Caitlin Clark, whose remarkable college basketball season saw her become the anointed top pick in the WNBA Draft.

The Indiana Fever holds the first pick and to say that a middle-America college star will sell tickets in the basketball heartland would be an understatement. Clark might not make a massive splash in New York or Los Angeles. In Indiana, she'll be basketball royalty.

Nevertheless, the dynamics of the draft could still hold some surprises. Kamilla Cardoso impressed with a remarkable NCAA Tournament, including a 15-point, 17-rebound effort in the title game when she and the Gamecocks bested Clark.

Her stock has been on the rise. While it seems highly improbable for anybody other than Clark to go No. 1, here's the case for Kamilla Cardoso and why she could be the surprise replacement pick.

Will Kamilla Cardoso go No. 1 in the WNBA Draft 2024?

South Carolina and Kamilla Cardoso outlasted Cailin Clark in the NCAA championship game. But Clark seems destined to go first in the WNBA Draft.

The chances are thin but Kamilla Cardoso's importance in the league warrants consideration beyond a simple dismissal.

One reason Cardoso could move up is that at 6-foot-7, she is an ideal player for a team that's light in the post. While Clark's 6-foot frame and guard skills will be a good fit for many teams, Cardoso will instantly bring defensive and rebounding credibility wherever she ends up.

Most Draft projections place Cardoso at third in the Draft to the Chicago Sky. With the Sky's starting post players are 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4 and their best player is a wing scorer, Cardoso fits seamlessly into their lineup.

Indiana Fever who holds the No. 1 overall pick, has a pair of outstanding young frontcourt players like WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, and 22-year-old Nalyssa Smith, making Cardoso a less urgent need for them.

Cardoso's path to the top pick was wide open if Clark had not entered the draft. Stanford's Cameron Brink is the only other player generally listed above Cardoso in mock draft predictions.

Ohio State's Jacy Sheldon is another one of the top-ranked guards in the Draft other than Clark. If Clark weren't in the picture, Indiana could certainly have traded down with the Sky or another post-light team for the right to nab Cardoso. The Fever could have used a later pick to still pick Sheldon or another talented perimeter play.

At the end of the day, it's hard to imagine Clark not being selected first, given her skill set and the Fever's needs. However, a guard-heavy team willing to make a gamble could still change everything.

Do you think Kamilla Cardoso sneak into the top spot in the WNBA Draft? Let us know in the comments!