Third-round draft picks rarely make it to the WNBA, despite the serious talent of the players selected.
This year, the most talented player in the final round might be Matilde Villa, the 5-foot-8 guard from the Italian club Reyer Venezia. After being selected 32nd overall by the Atlanta Dream, she gave a brief statement to her Italian team’s website:
For me it’s a dream come true, I’m very happy. I see it as recognition for all the work I’ve done so far. When my name came out I felt a very strong emotion. A few weeks ago they warned me that I could be included in the draft, I was also aware that they might not even call me, so the emotion was even greater. Now the focus is on the season finale with Reyer, who I thank for helping me grow in these two seasons, we are one step away from our goal which is first place.
Villa started her career in Costa Masnaga, a small municipality in Lombardy, Italy, inhabited by less than 5,000 people. She made her debut in Serie A, Italy’s top league, at 14 years old. As a 16-year-old, she scored 36 points in 34 minutes in a regular season game, which elevated her to future star status in the eyes of basketball fans and analysts.
Suddenly, her small town team became popular, with her play covered nationally. As a 14-year-old, she played for the U-14, U-16 and U-18 national teams. She made her debut on the Italian senior national team in 2021 at 16. She’s currently the starter for the national team and Venezia. For her club, which currently sits atop the league table in Serie A, she is averaging 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
What makes Villa so special? Her confidence handling the ball and her shooting efficiency. Just this season, she’s making over 50 percent of her 2-point and almost 40 percent of her 3-point attempts. She’s not afraid to drive to the basket and score on taller, more experienced players. Villa also is a unique passer who can pull off flashy plays, sharing the ball in an eye-catching manner. For a player her age, she has tons of experience and she’s battle-tested, which positively impacts her on-court decision making.
To put things bluntly, she shouldn’t be this good this early in her career. A very smart call by the Atlanta Dream to call dibs on Villa, who definitely is one of the players to watch in women’s pro hoops over the next couple of years.