2025 WNBA Draft: Know everything about Lithuanian prospect Juste Jocyte who could go No. 3 

High-level basketball is nothing new for Juste Jocyte. The Lithuanian guard made her French League debut at 14 years old in December 2019, far younger than the vast majority of future WNBA players. Jocyte debuted for the Lithuanian national team a few months prior before she turned 14, appearing in a EuroBasket qualifying game as a 13-year-old.

It’s incredibly rare for players to face adult competition as early in their development as Jocyte did, but that’s brought her to this point. Now, as a full-fledged starter for Lyon in the French first division, Jocyte will turn her focus to the WNBA. Because of her qualification as an international player, Jocyte can enter the 2025 WNBA Draft as a 19-year-old.

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2025 WNBA Draft: Why Juste Jocyte could be among the top picks

After Paige Bueckers at the top, the 2025 WNBA Draft appears wide open. Dominique Malonga will likely find herself second on many boards, but there’s no certainty after that, especially after Olivia Miles and Flau’Jae Johnson returned to college. Teams could turn to Jocyte, who brings a rare combination of youth and polish that the league covets, given the usual timelines for top prospects.

At 6-foot-1, Jocyte profiles as a strong complementary guard option at the next level. She’s averaging 11.9 points, 2.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds this season on a 49.1% true shooting percentage for Lyon. She hasn’t been able to evolve into a primary scorer to this point, but her feel for the game and off-dribble shooting are attractive traits.

Jocyte’s raw assist total from this season deeply undersells her sheer passing talent. She averaged 4.8 assists per game throughout her youth career with the Lithuanian national team, nearing closer to her true passing talent. Jocyte has the size to pass through and around defenses, thriving as a pick-and-roll operator.

Her manipulation pops off of the tape, as Jocyte moves defenders with her eyes and body language like a seasoned veteran. Despite lacking the burst and explosiveness to burn defenders off of the dribble, Jocyte still creates advantages with her mind. Defenses can’t rely on her tipping her passing intentions, rendering her a dangerous on-ball playmaker.

Jocyte pairs her playmaking with excellent shooting to form a pair of valuable skills on the ball. She shot 33.9% on fairly high volume (7.8 3-point attempts per 40 minutes) as well as 80% from the line this regular season in the French league, indicating future shooting growth. Her outside shooting efficiency extends back to previous years and international play.

She’s a smooth pull-up shooter, seamlessly transitioning from her dribble to her shot. Taller shooters often have high floors in the league and Jocyte should add that same value. Jocyte forces defenders to pressure her or live with the consequences, changing how defenses can cover her in isolation and pick-and-roll situations.

Jocyte’s main points of concern revolve around her athletic limitations, notably as a driver. She hasn’t been an efficient player this season, largely due to her interior scoring. Her free-throw rate in the regular season was solid (26.4%) as a result of her size and craft, but Jocyte shot a frigid 37.5% on 2-point attempts this season.

She has plenty of experience playing against much older, more physically developed defenders, but the WNBA will offer a new level of athleticism. If Jocyte can’t create advantages driving downhill, that could cap her ceiling as an on-ball player. It will put even more pressure on her shooting and playmaking to carry her offensive impact.

Those athletic limitations should project Jocyte more smoothly as a complementary piece next to another offensive star. She’s skilled enough to attack tilted defenses off the catch or off of movement and will benefit from the gravity of another offensive engine. It’s easy to imagine her thriving as a bench initiator, but Jocyte might lack the high-end creation upside requisite of a top draft pick.

Her defense suffers from the same physical and athletic issues. Jocyte doesn’t create turnovers on defense; she averaged under a steal per game this regular season in the French league and has logged two total blocks in six seasons with Lyon.

Quicker, more explosive players can burn Jocyte off of the dribble, forcing her to guard weaker players. She has the size to check some wings, though, which could offer her a more concrete defensive role at the WNBA level. Still, she’ll need to improve athletically to tread water defensively and better weaponize her size and solid positioning.

Jocyte’s athletic limitations narrow her projection at the WNBA level. For most of her life, Jocyte functioned as an on-ball initiator. She’ll need to improve as an off-ball player and become a more consistent connective passer, but she has the theoretical skills and feel to become that player in time.

Why Jocyte is worth the gamble

It’s important to remember how young Jocyte is, especially compared to her college prospect peers. Aside from the other international prospects, Jocyte’s youth should offer some optimism for her development. WNBA teams could turn to other prospects before Jocyte due to favoring experience and polish, but a patient team could benefit from investing in Jocyte for the long term.

She’ll need to shift her approach at the WNBA level, scaling down on offense and playing with more intensity on defense. Mentality shifts can be challenging for any player, but Jocyte has years and years of high level basketball experience.

The impending new Collective Bargaining Agreement could lead WNBA teams to think as short-term as ever, possibly leading to a Jocyte slide. Anything can happen in a draft as wide open as 2025, though. It would be understandable for a team to bet on Jocyte’s talent and track record of dominance for her age, banking on her developing into a strong complementary player on offense.