Te-Hina Paopao WNBA Draft: Top 5 landing spots for the South Carolina star ft. Connecticut Sun
One of the most exciting players in the 2025 WNBA Draft class is South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao. A transfer from Oregon, the 5-foot-9 Paopao was all-conference three times in her college career, including this past season. Her WNBA future is a bit harder to project than her days of college stardom, though.
Paopao finished her career averaging just 9.4 points per game at South Carolina. While those sorts of numbers normally wouldn't be WNBA Draft-worthy, in the case of Paopao's strong all-around game, an exception could be made. In her five college seasons, Paopao scored 1,738 points, grabbed 502 rebounds and dished out 524 assists.
As she looks to move to the WNBA, here are five potential draft landing spots for Te-Hina Paopao.
Top 5 WNBA Draft landing spots for Te-Hina Paopao
5. Seattle Storm
The worst 3-point shooting team in the WNBA last season at 28.8%, the Storm could certainly use some backcourt help. The departure of Jewell Loyd opens up a backcourt role for an adventurous player. Paopao would do well on a veteran team where she doesn't have to step into an immediate starring role.
Meanwhile, Paopao's combination of skilled play and leadership makes her ideal for a competitive team. After all, Paopao hardly lost any games in college, so she's probably not wired to dive into a bottom-of-the-standings team. Seattle might make a nice fit.
4. Indiana Fever
The Fever are, of course, the team of Caitlin Clark, and the WNBA will make sure nobody forgets that. But for anybody who watched the Fever a year ago, it was plain to see that Clark needed help both in getting the ball and in having viable perimeter options that she could pass to for open shots.
Paopao is the rare player who could help on both fronts. She's played with top talent at the college level and knows how to run an offense without forcing her own shot. But she's also a capable perimeter shooter (294 career 3-pointers, exactly 40% shooting) who can keep defenses honest. Sounds like a nice fit.
3. Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks are coming off a tough season, but with Kelsey Plum and Odyysey Sims, they have a solid backcourt that could use some depth. Paopao hails from California and getting back close to home would be a nice bonus to selection from the Sparks. L.A.'s first pick is ninth, which is about the area in which Paopao starts to appear in mock drafts.
Paopao isn't a massive high-ceiling prospect, but she's solid and dependable and could help take care of a couple of older, veteran guards. Los Angeles could be a solid landing spot for everyone's purposes, which makes it wise to keep an eye on the Sparks.
2. Minnesota Lynx
Several mock drafts have Paopao landing with the Lnyx at the 11th pick in the draft. The Lynx reached the Finals a year ago, and Napheesa Collier is their top player. The backcourt mix for the Lynx is an odd combination of aging veterans and very young players.
Paopao would likely be in the mix for a significant role if she were drafted by the Lynx. This end-of-the-first-round/beginning-of-the-second-round area has long seemed like her most likely draft spot. Minnesota could add depth to the backcourt of the future with Paopao.
1.Connecticut Sun
The Sun have one significant luxury -- back-to-back picks at seven and eight in this year's draft. The Sun do have a pair of solid veteran guards in Diamond DeShields and Marina Mabrey. Still, Paopao would help the team add some quality youth and depth.
The Sun were only middle of the pack in both 3-point shooting and dishing assists a season ago. Paopao would be a day one impact in both of those areas. It seems unlikely that the Sun will use both of its first-round picks on guards, but it also seems unlikely that one of the picks won't be a guard.
Some might prefer Kentucky's Georgia Amoore or Maryland's Shyanne Sellers, but particularly if those players are already off the board (which is certainly possible), Paopao could end up being one of the Sun's picks.
What do you think about Te-Hina Paopao's WNBA future? Share your take on the outstanding South Carolina guard below in our comment section!