This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Lynx 

Han Xu: 6’9, C, China 

College Stats in 2018-19: 

N/A 

Where she’ll go:

Han will be a first or second-round pick.

The Rundown:  

Han is an enigma. She’s a 19-year-old phenom from China who many considered to be a WNBA prospect in 2020 or later. Instead, she’s emerged onto the scene thanks to her performance in the 2018 FIBA World Cup.

Han scored 22 points and added five rebounds and two blocks against top-shelf competition in China’s group stage loss at the hands of the USA at FIBA. Xu’s size and length are elite and she’s very agile and light on her feet for a player of her height. She can stay in front of faster and smaller players and she has great shot-blocking instincts. Additionally, Xu has good touch from the outside for a center. She also by all accounts has a great feel for the game and a high basketball I.Q., though it’s hard to tell from the limited chances we’ve had to see her in competition.

In order to be effective in the post in the WNBA, Han will need to get stronger—she’s extremely thin right now and that will make things difficult for her guarding post players like Liz Cambage and Sylvia Fowles. Han is better getting blocks off help-side defense than guarding other centers one-on-one. However, given that she’s only 19, Han will certainly be able to put on muscle once she spends some time with WNBA strength coaches.

Han is an extremely tantalizing talent. She could end up being a singular player in the WNBA. However, it’s hard to predict where she’ll fall in the draft because she will definitely take some time to develop. If a team really loves her potential, it’s definitely possible to see her going in the first round, but it’s more likely she’ll end up in the second round. If the Lynx take her, they’ll be getting an extremely exciting prospect who could learn a ton from Fowles and really develop into a player who could take the reins in the middle when Fowles decides to hang it up.

Regardless of where she is picked, Han could be a star. It just probably won’t happen until she has a few years to grow.

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