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Anriel Howard: F, 5’11, Mississippi State

College Stats in 2018-19:

27 games, 27.4 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 52.0 FG%, 30.3 3P%, 72.3 FT%

Where she’ll go:

Howard could go anywhere from late first round to early third.

The Rundown:

More than any other highly-regarded prospect in this draft, there seems to be a complete lack of consensus on what will happen with Howard in this draft. That uncertainty makes sense—Howard is a difficult prospect to evaluate.

There are some undeniable positive elements in Howard’s game. She is probably the best rebounder from the wing in this year’s draft, she can score from two-point range at an elite level and she projects as someone who could become a very good defender despite the fact that her defensive numbers at Mississippi State don’t jump off the page.

However, a big concern with Howard is her size and her three-point shooting. At 5’11, Howard is not a big forward. She isn’t a good enough ball-handler or passer to play the guard spots at the next level and she will need to be extremely aggressive and position herself well in order for her rebounding skills to translate to the WNBA. That being said, there’s a strong chance that happens. However, what is less likely to work out is Howard’s three-point shooting. While she’s shown flashes, she’s inconsistent and will probably never be a very reliable shooter from range.

There are two ways to look at Howard, either she’s an exciting, athletic wing prospect who can make a team better in a lot of ways at multiple positions, or she’s a player who, while definitely dominant at the college level, won’t really have a natural fit in the WNBA.

Howard is a type of player who could make a front office look very smart for snagging her with a later pick but taking her comes with a fair amount of risk. She definitely needs further development on the offensive end to be a player who can stay on the floor in the WNBA, but her rebounding is absolutely elite. Rebounding is an important skill but being only a rebounder typically isn’t enough in the WNBA. There’s a sense in the league that players (especially forwards) need to be able to do a little bit of everything—Howard might turn into that player, but it’s not a sure thing.

With Howard, it would be very helpful to be able to read minds. It’s incredibly up in the air where she’ll be drafted.

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

Anriel Howard Is This Draft's Biggest Mystery