CT Sun’s draft picks hard-pressed to make roster

The Connecticut Sun possess one of the deepest rosters in the WNBA, a collection of talent that should contend for a championship this summer.

And that was before head coach and general manager Curt Miller selected three players in Monday’s WNBA Draft.

The Sun added three guards: Nia Clouden from Michigan State, Jordan Lewis from Baylor, and

Kiara Smith from Florida. Smith suffered a knee injury at the end of the season and will not be available this year, so the Sun picked her as a future option.

Clouden, drafted 12th overall, could earn a roster spot as an offensive weapon — she averaged 20 points and shot 39.6% from 3-point range last season. Miller said the Sun could use scoring off the bench, particularly in the backcourt.

But are there enough minutes available? That seems unlikely.

“We don’t want anyone to get complacent,” Miller said “We want people to fight for the spots on the team.”

The reality facing Clouden and Lewis as training camp begins Sunday is that Connecticut’s roster is nearly set. The Sun have WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones anchoring the frontcourt with center Brionna Jones and guard-forward DeWanna Bonner. Jasmine Thomas

starts in the backcourt and forward Alyssa Thomas is returning from an Achilles injury.

Guard Courtney Williams, a popular player and productive player with the Sun from 2016 to 2019, is back after two seasons in Atlanta. Williams (16.5 points) could start at guard or provide offense off the bench.

The rest of the bench: guard Natisha Hiedeman, swing players Kaila Charles

Adam Hunger / Associated Press Michigan State’s Nia Clouden, right, poses for a photo with commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected by the Connecticut Sun as the 12th overall pick in the WNBA draft on Monday.