Sun add sleepers in Charles, Landrum
Time will tell, but Connecticut Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller believes he came away with two steals late in Friday’s WNBA Draft.
The Sun selected Maryland’s Kaila Charles and Baylor’s Juicy Landrum with the No. 23 and No. 35 picks, respectively.
“We can’t be more pleased and excited with the outcome of this evening,” Miller said during a conference call.
In Charles, a 6-foot-1 combo guard, the Sun landed one of the top 10 targets on their board. They admired her versatility and competitiveness — “We love the warrior in her,” Miller said — and had even contemplated trading up for her. Instead, they stood pat and were rewarded for their patience, nabbing
Charles with the second-tolast pick in the second round.
“To watch her continue to slip in the second round was almost unbelievable for us,” Miller said. “We were very fortunate to be in position to draft Kaila Charles.”
Charles played both the three and four at Maryland, where she averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior. She was a threetime All-Big Ten pick and was twice named Third Team All-America by the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association.
In Connecticut, Charles will team up with fellow former Terrapins Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas, who according to Miller gave her a “tremendous” endorsement.
“She is not only a tremendous driver of the basketball and great in the
open floor, but really been efficient (from) 15 feet,” Miller said. “I have great respect for her touch around the basket … and truly believe while she hasn’t shot a ton of 3s in her career (10-of-45), she has the touch and the mechanics to extend her range, and that’s the only reason I can fathom for her dropping in the draft.”
A 5-8 guard who started every game for Baylor’s 2019 national championship team, Landrum is a career 40-percent 3-point shooter, not to mention a renowned defender.
“Juicy was on a very short list for us to take in the second round and was very much on the board for us in the second round, but when Kaila dropped it was an obvious choice for us,” Miller said. “We did not expect Juicy to still be around at our third-round pick, but again, really, really excited.
“(She’s) someone we valued highly going into the draft.”
Landrum averaged 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting a healthy 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. She hit an NCAArecord 14 3-pointers and scored 42 points in a victory over Arkansas State on Dec. 18. The Big 12’s coaches gave her honorable mention for All-Conference.
“I think we’re getting a two-way player in camp,” Miller said. “Considering the 35th pick, another steal we believe, at that point in the draft.”
Training camps were supposed to open April 26, and the regular season was slated to begin May 15, but both have been delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. The WNBA still went forward with its draft, albeit virtually — without players, teams or media in attendance. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced all three rounds via a live stream.
The Sun did not own a first-round pick after sending three, including the seventh and 10th selections this year, to Phoenix in the DeWanna Bonner trade. But, all in all, Miller felt it was a productive night for one the league’s true contenders.
“Potentially, this roster is one of the elite rosters in the league,” Miller said.
“Certainly if we can stay healthy and gel together and form that chemistry, we have the talent to be in discussion to be one of the teams that make a run toward a potential championship.”
He added: “We’ve put together what we believe on paper to be a tremendous training camp (roster).”