Katie Lou Samuelson is the WNBA Draft’s most deadly three-point shooter, and now headed to the Chicago Sky as the No. 4 overall pick in the WNBA draft. The 6’3 guard/forward is able to get her shot off in an instant, create for others, and use her size to snag boards down low. She has all of the talent to become a WNBA all-star.
Katie Lou Samuelson is a perfect fit for the Chicago Sky
The 6’3 sharpshooter can do a little bit of everything.
When “Lou” gets on a roll, the game can get out of control quickly as one drained three leads to another and another. She locks into zones of relentless confidence where she launches shots that are slightly off-balance or contested and it won’t even matter. In March 2017, she became the second college basketball player to ever drain 10-of-10 three-point shots, as Andre Smith did the same for George Mason nine years earlier.
Samuelson could start in the WNBA today.
Why Sky fans should be excited about Samuelson
With the W changing to a more three-point-oriented league each season, Samuelson’s skills blend perfectly. At 6’3, she’s on the taller end of wings, which should only help her launch an already-speedy shot from deep. In four years at UConn, she’s averaging 41 percent from deep, and 84 percent from the foul line. Her jumper is elite.
Lou is more than a shooter, though. From the wing, Samuelson is a great passer, able to find players in the low post and cutting to the basket. She may never play a traditional guard’s role, and the system she’s placed in might dictate her early passing success, but in college, she’s averaging three assists per night over her entire career.
Samuelson has also become a significantly better rebounder as a senior. With fewer elite bigs on Connecticut’s roster, she’s stepped up, averaging three more rebounds than the year prior with seven. Her rebound rate jumped more than two percent over that span.
Why Sky fans should be nervous about Samuelson
Samuelson has been hit with an injury that’s cost her playing time in three of her four seasons. In her freshman year she broke a bone in her foot in the Final Four that saw her miss the championship game. After missing five games due to several ankle tweaks in her junior year, she needed surgery after the season. And this season, Samuelson missed four games due to back spasms.
It isn’t clear if any of these injuries are worrisome in the longterm, but it’s notable for any teams using a first-round pick on the UConn great.
If she’s able to keep healthy, Samuelson should, at worst, be an OK starter. Few have ever been able to shoot like she has at the collegiate level, and her height, shot mechanics and high free-throw percentage all suggest that will translate in the pros. Samuelson should join the ever-growing Connecticut elite of the W.
