Kiki Rice goes No. 6 in WNBA Draft and makes history as Toronto's first ever pick

Kiki Rice made history on Monday night. As she became the first WNBA Draft pick for the Toronto Tempo. The Tempo drafted Rice with the No. 6 pick, making her a string of three straight UCLA players being drafted. Rice is coming off an amazing senior season that ended with the championship. She plays elite defense out on the perimeter and operates an offense very well.

Rice is a good player to take at this pick for the Tempo. Most mock drafts had her going at No. 5 to the Chicago Sky. But they ended up going a different direction with another UCLA player in Gabriela Jaquez. So, Rice falls right into Toronto’s lap and will be a good building block for the future. The area of Rice game that not many players can match as her ability to rebound and get out in transition.

When you look at the guards in the draft, there are not many that are better equipped to have a good career like Rice is. She shoots the ball very well and is a smart player at the point guard position. She also can play team defense in a zone or one on one defense. Allowing her to be one of the best defending guards in the entire draft. That alone separates her skill set from a lot of players.

UCLA will have a very tough time replicating all that Rice was able to provide in her college career. She expanded her game at every level and went from not being able to shoot to being a very good 3-point shooter. Her growth and hard work alone show that she will be very good at the next level as well. Something that is needed for a new franchise and she fits right into helping build them up.