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Cierra Dillard: 5’9, PG, Buffalo

College stats in 2018-19 (as of Feb. 28, 2019): 

27 games, 36.4 MPG, 25.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 3.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 40.0 FG%, 36.0 3P%, 79.4 FT%

Where she’ll go:

Dillard will be a second or third-round pick.

The Rundown:

There’s no doubt that Dillard is a star at the college level. She averages a ridiculous 25.9 points per game—second in NCAA DI competition behind Megan Gustafson—and couples that with top-20 assist production. The question is if Dillard will be able to continue producing against tougher competition and in a lesser role.

Dillard slimmed down before the start of this season and improved her quickness—that’s paid dividends for her this season and boosted her WNBA stock as well. Dillard is a bulldog getting to the rim, she can take contact and she’s a shifty dribbler who can shake free of her defenders and knock down shots. Dillard is also incredible at drawing fouls—she’s attempted the most free-throws in NCAA DI competition.

A big part of Dillard’s offense is her three-point shooting. She attempts 8.9 of them per game, hitting 3.2. The concern with Dillard is that she won’t have the freedom to take as many shots on a WNBA team and she’s not especially efficient. Will she be able to produce if she only takes 5-10 shots per game instead of the 19.4 attempts she gets in college? Dillard has a 34.6 percent usage rate on Buffalo. That won’t happen anywhere at the next level.

For Dillard to be productive in the WNBA, she’ll need to get better at shooting off the catch and picking her spots to get open. She’ll also need to make sure she stays aggressive with more limited looks and continues getting to the line. Dillard will also have to stay diligent on the defensive end. The 3.0 steals are impressive and something any WNBA team would love to see her replicate, but she’ll need to prove that she can be a solid defender in the pick and roll as well.

One thing that isn’t in doubt is Dillard’s effort or potential. She’s worked extremely hard to get to the level she’s at today and is blowing her numbers from last year out of the water. She sees herself as a WNBA player, and justifiably so, she’ll just need to respond in the right ways to what is certain to be a decreased role at the next level.

Check out the rest of our prospect profiles, plus more Lynx-related draft coverage at lynxbasketball.com’s Draft Central.