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On Monday, the Las Vegas Aces selected Dyaisha Fair with the No. 16 pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft. Fair became Syracuse’s first player selected in the WNBA Draft since Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson were drafted No. 7 and 15, respectively, in 2017. In Fair’s final collegiate season, she became the third-highest scorer in Division I women’s basketball history.

“I’m just really looking forward to what (Fair) can bring to (training) camp,” Las Vegas Aces general manager Natalie Williams told The Daily Orange. “She’s also fierce and just a tough kid, so really excited to get her into camp.”

In 2023-24, Fair averaged 22.3 points per game while nailing 37.7% of her 3-pointers on 9.5 attempts per game. Fair’s campaign earned her a second-straight All-ACC First Team selection and AP Third Team All-American honors.

Fair now takes her talents to Las Vegas, where she will compete in training camp for one of the Aces’ 12 spots. Six of the 18 players listed on the back-to-back WNBA Champions’ roster will be cut after training camp.

In a one-on-one interview with The Daily Orange, here’s what Williams said about the Aces drafting Fair:

Aces take advantage of Fair’s drop

Mock drafts from ESPN, NBC Sports and the New York Post had Fair being selected within the first round, while CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and The Sporting News had her outside the top 12 picks.

Guards Nika Mühl (UConn), Carla Leite (France), Brynna Maxwell (Gonzaga), Isobel Borlase (Australia), Leila Lacan (France) and Celeste Taylor (Ohio State) were all in similar positions, but Fair was the eighth guard taken. Williams was unsure where Fair would land but was happy she fell to the Aces’ first pick.

“We thought she could (fall to No. 16), but we also thought she could go higher,” Williams said. “We thought maybe her height would help us, that people may not pick her because of her size.”

Dyaisha Fair became the third-highest scorer in women’s Division I history before being selected with the No. 16 pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft. Joe Zhao | Asst. Photo Editor

Height doesn’t phase Becky Hammon

When asked about the Aces’ drafting Fair — whose biggest drawback is her 5-foot-5 frame — the first thing Williams mentioned was Hall of Fame head coach Becky Hammon’s philosophy.

“When you got Becky Hammon, who is 5-foot-5, 5-foot-6, she wasn’t afraid at all,” Williams said. “She knew what determined, young, talented guards could do.”

Although Hammon is in her third year with the Aces, she’s a professional basketball veteran. As a player, Hammon starred in the WNBA, making six All-Star games from 1999 to 2014.

Her first coaching gig came in San Antonio in 2014, working as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich for the Spurs. Hammon became the second female assistant coach in NBA history and the first female head coach in a game after Popovich was ejected on Dec. 30, 2020.

In December 2021, Hammon was hired by the Aces where she’s remained since. Across her playing and coaching careers, Hammon has seen a variety of talented players. She’ll never gloss over smaller players like herself, making Fair an easy selection for the team.

Microwave scoring

Las Vegas has one of the best backcourts in the WNBA. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young are each coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons, while Chelsea Gray also made the All-Star team in 2023.

The Aces desired to add scoring off the bench, as they already had three elite starters. Last season, reserve guards Kierstan Bell and Sydney Colson averaged 3.7 and 1.3 points per game, respectively.

“(Fair is) definitely a position we’re looking for this year at the 1-2 spot as a backup or, as Becky calls them, a microwave shooter.”

A microwave shooter is a player who can score frequently upon entering a game. Throughout her NCAA career, Fair was one of the best microwave shooters in the sport. Among many moments throughout her D-I career, Fair’s fourth-quarter takeover versus Arizona in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament showcased her high volume scoring best. By scoring 11 straight unanswered points down the stretch, Fair propelled the Orange to a 74-69 win.

“She can get to the rim, she can knock down 3s. She’s able to create her own offense and her ability to get by bigger defenders, so that’s really what stood out,” Williams said.

Move to ACC was pivotal

When asked when Fair appeared on her radar, Williams didn’t acknowledge Fair’s time playing at Buffalo. While she dominated Mid-American Conference opponents, earning First-Team All-MAC three straight seasons, she still didn’t garner much attention from WNBA executives.

“Since she showed up at Syracuse, we’ve been watching her,” Williams said.

Upon producing the same damaging results in the ACC, Fair showed she belonged at the next level. Fair’s three-level scoring prowess and consistent high-scoring outputs appealed to Williams most. Across the 2023-24 season, Fair scored 20 or more points in 22-of-32 games.

“She continued to put up those numbers game after game after game and more,” Williams said.

What to look for in training camp

Fair was the Aces’ first selection in the draft, but her spot on the Las Vegas roster is not guaranteed.

“Just looking forward to (Fair) challenging our veterans, showing that she could knock down some shots and get to the rim, maybe show some of her point guard skills,” Williams said.

Fair’s shooting prowess is well-documented, but some of her on-ball skills need fine-tuning.

According to HerHoopStats, Fair’s 40.7% 2-point percentage in 2023-24 and 2.1 turnovers per game both ranked in the 30th percentile of D-I. Though Fair’s 3.6 assists per game ranked in the 94th percentile, she’ll need to improve her assist-to-turnover ratio to become a viable ball handler for the Aces.

Fair’s driving ability will also be pivotal as she tries to make Las Vegas’ roster. The ACC has some of the best defenders in college, but the WNBA poses a new challenge. If Fair continues to show that facing bigger and stronger defenders is no problem in training camp, she’ll have a better chance of making Las Vegas’ roster and carving out a role in its rotation.

Published on April 18, 2024 at 12:52 am

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon