Top Stories of the Week: Wizards draft Troy Brown, Mystics back in WNBA’s top four

Happy Sunday! Here are the top stories from the past week!

The Wizards drafted Troy Brown and Issuf Sanon

The Wizards drafted Oregon guard Troy Brown 15th and Ukranian prospect Issuf Sanon with the 44th overall pick last Thursday. They are the Wizards’ first picks in two years.

Many of our writers are not happy with the selections. Ben Mehic wrote that Brown’s selection created more uncertainty for the Wizards. So did Kevin Broom. That said, there were more positive assessments on Brown’s selection in particular from outside sources.

Is Marcin Gortat out soon?

Reports came out last week that the Wizards are interested in trading the Polish Machine at some point during the NBA offseason. He was not traded last Thursday during the NBA Draft, so the next “hot period” would be next week during the NBA free agency period.

And more analysis

• Ben Mehic wrote about John Wall needing to put more pressure on the Wizards to improve this offseason and beyond.
• Kyle Andrews wrote about the possibility of Kevin Love on the Wizards. He makes a good fit on the court, but the salary cap gymnastics may be a bit too much to make a move work.

Elena Delle Donne is hitting her stride on the court

The Mystics forward’s arrival in D.C. was the highlight of the WNBA offseason last year. However, neither she or any other Mystics player won a player of the week award in the 2017 season. That finally changed last Tuesday when Delle Donne won her first player of the year award in 2018.

Things are also materializing on the court for the Mystics as well. They won back to back games against the slumping Chicago Sky last week. Washington is now 8-5, fourth place in the WNBA standings. Even better news, Tayler Hill’s back after her ACL tear in the 2017 season.

Delle Donne is also a WNBA coverage activist off the court

This summer, the WNBA has become more vocal about the lack of good coverage on their league. Delle Donne is among the players leading the charge after taking issues with some comments NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made about the WNBA’s shortcomings from a business standpoint. Ava Wallace of The Washington Post has a column on Delle Donne finding her voice, especially with older stars like Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen thinking about their post playing days.

That’s what I have on my plate. But of course, these aren’t the only links out there. If you have another story you’d like to share, feel free to do so as a comment or in the FanPosts.

Have a great week!