Mock draft sends Lauren Betts to Wings with No. 1 overall pick

The Dallas Wings have been linked to UCLA center Lauren Betts with the potential number one overall pick in the WNBA draft.

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts drives past Cal Poly Mustangs forward Gillian Bears. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings are keeping an eye on the collegiate basketball season to try and figure out who they should take with the number one overall pick in the draft if it were to happen this spring.

The looming lockout the WNBA is facing puts the timing of the draft up in the air. But there is reason to believe it should happen around the same time it normally does in April or shortly after. If and when it happens, the Wings will have the number one overall pick, and Hoops HQ writer Eden Lasse believes UCLA center Lauren Betts will be the pick.

"After struggling a bit to start the season, Betts has played her way back to being the No. 1 pick. Dallas needs a big, but not only that, Betts is a generational center," Lasse wrote.

"Her footwork is extraordinary, her passing out of double-teams has become one of her most underrated skills, and Betts has much better foot speed than people realize. She’s good at running the floor and can slide with smaller posts when they try to play the perimeter. Dallas is going to be building for the next few seasons, and I can’t think of a better duo to anchor the team than Betts and Paige Bueckers."

READ MORE: New mock draft gives Dallas Wings a co-star for Paige Bueckers

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts boxes out Long Beach State Beach guard Brynna Pukis. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Betts could be Wings' top pick

In 15 games this season, Betts is averaging 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Bruins. Those numbers are lower than they were a year ago, but she is still finding a way to be an important piece of the puzzle for UCLA.

It's hard to deny Betts and the potential she has. Whichever team ends up picking her will be thankful to have her.

If that team is the Wings, she and Paige Bueckers could become a lethal duo in the league for many years to come.

READ MORE: Paige Bueckers could be on the best team in Unrivaled League

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