2024 MLP Draft Comprehensive Recap and Analysis
The 2024 MLP Draft
The 2024 MLP Draft offered a deep dive into the evolving dynamics of professional pickleball teams. Analyzing the 2024 MLP Premier Draft requires an in-depth examination of the strategies, player selections, auction dynamics, team compositions, and the overarching themes of the event. This draft represented a pivotal moment in professional team-based pickleball, reflecting both the sport’s growth and the nuances of building competitive teams within an auction-based selection system.
2024 MLP Draft Overview
The 2024 MLP Premier Draft introduced a dynamic and somewhat controversial format, blending auction mechanics with strategic team building. The reactions have been mixed, with some praising the innovation and others critiquing the execution and preparation. Notably, the absence of established veterans like Rafa Hewett and Irina Tereschenko, alongside rising stars like Jaume Martinez Vich and Vivian Glozman, sparked conversations about the draft’s strategic depth and the evolving landscape of professional pickleball.
Team Evaluations and Grades
Seattle Pioneers
Grade: B+
Seattle demonstrated a nuanced understanding of value and team chemistry in the 2024 MLP Draft. Seattle’s strategy centered around leveraging Ben Johns‘ exceptional talent, securing him for a bargain at $840k, and focusing on winning men’s matches and mixed matches featuring Ben. However, their conservative spending post-Johns’ acquisition meant missing out on potentially higher-impact players. The selection of Andrea Koop and Jessie Irvine adds experienced solidity, while Collin Johns‘ inclusion capitalizes on familial synergy.
Columbus Sliders
Grade: B+
Columbus executed a balanced strategy, prioritizing talent and composition. The Columbus Sliders crafted a balanced team, highlighted by Riley Newman and Meghan Sheehan-Dizon‘s solid foundations. Connor Garnett and Brooke Buckner round out the team with potential and growth. Their strategy appears to balance expertise with emerging talent, aiming for a cohesive unit that can leverage individual strengths for team success.
Dallas Pickleball Club
Grade: B+
Dallas created a team with significant dominance potential. The Dallas Pickleball Club opted for a blend of proven chemistry and potential, with JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson forming a core duo. Tyra Black‘s inclusion adds depth, while Augie Ge represents a calculated risk on new talent. This team’s success hinges on leveraging JW’s leadership and the synergistic potential of the Johnsons.
DC Pickleball Club
Grade: B-
The DC Pickleball Club blended youth and experience for a competitive mix. DC’s mix of youth and experience, with James Ignatowich and Rachel Rohrabacher bringing fresh energy complemented by Dekel Bar and Allyce Jones‘ seasoned play. This blend could create dynamic pairings, though the team’s overall success will depend on integrating these diverse styles.
Arizona Drive
Grade: B-
Arizona Drive focused on securing talent with upside in the 2024 MLP Draft. Arizona’s strategy focused on securing top-tier talent with Andrei Daescu and Dylan Frazier, while Lacy Schneemann and Kaitlyn Christian offer upside potential. Their approach emphasizes individual brilliance, betting on high-ceiling players to translate their talents into cohesive team success.
New York Hustlers
Grade: B-
New York assembled a team with intriguing dynamics. The New York Hustlers aimed for athletic dynamism, selecting Jack Sock and pairing him with solid players like Jackie Kawamoto and Lea Jansen. Carson Klinger‘s selection is future-oriented, suggesting a balance of immediate competitiveness with long-term development.
LA Mad Drops
Grade: B-
LA’s draft focused on individual talent over strategic coherence. The LA Mad Drops focused on creating a fun and competitive team, emphasizing chemistry and previous MLP success. Catherine Parenteau and Thomas Wilson bring proven compatibility, with Hunter Johnson and Jade Kawamoto adding depth and versatility.
St. Louis Shock
Grade: B-/C+
The Saint Louis Shock took a gamble with their picks, showing confidence in their scouting. St. Louis’s selections suggest a balance of proven talent and speculative picks, with Anna Bright leading the charge. The success of Hayden Patriquin and Gabriel Tardio could energize the team, but Kate Fahey remains a wildcard, her performance a critical factor in the team’s overall grade.
Orlando Squeeze
Grade: C+
The Orlando Squeeze focused on solid picks and speculative bets. Orlando’s draft reflects a mix of solid foundations and question marks, particularly regarding Parris Todd‘s recent form. Federico Staksrud‘s leadership and the potential chemistry with Vivienne David and Jay Devilliers are pivotal, but the team’s coherence and strategy execution remain to be seen.
New Jersey 5’s
Grade: C-
New Jersey’s strategy appeared muddled in the 2024 MLP Draft. The selection of Anna Leigh Waters early on was seen as controversial given the available talent pool. Zane Navratil and the sleeper picks of Mari Humberg and Will Howells suggest a gamble on unproven potential, with the team’s success heavily reliant on these players exceeding expectations.
Utah Black Diamonds
Grade: C-/D+
The Utah Black Diamonds‘ draft strategy has received a mixed reception, hovering between a C- and D+ grade, largely due to concerns about player health and team dynamics. The selections of Tyson McGuffin and Tyler Loong, in particular, have sparked discussions regarding their ability to synergize on the court, given their history of tension. Furthermore, the draft saw Callie Jo Smith fall two positions from her ranking in the previous year, while questions linger about Alix Truong‘s readiness to compete at the premier level. This combination of factors positions the Utah Black Diamonds as one of the draft’s most conjectural teams.
Compounding the scrutiny is the team’s financial strategy; the Black Diamonds are the only team that concluded their selection without reaching the $500,000 mark, effectively operating under a significantly smaller budget compared to their competitors. This fiscal conservatism suggests an unorthodox approach to team assembly, ostensibly prioritizing geographical proximity over conventional metrics of team-building. With three of its four players—Loong, Smith, and Truong—based in Utah, and McGuffin not far off in Idaho, the team seems to be betting on local cohesion to offset its financial and potential chemistry disadvantages. However, this strategy leaves room for speculation about its effectiveness, as it introduces additional challenges in a competition where financial leverage and harmonious team dynamics are key to success.
Texas Ranchers
Grade: D-
Texas’s approach to the draft was perplexing, reflecting a significant gamble. Texas’s approach was puzzling, with early investments in Christian Alshon and Tina Pisnik that seemed out of sync with available talent and auction dynamics. Etta Wright at 15 was a solid pick.. Pablo Tellez‘s late-round value pick does little to mitigate the concerns about the team’s overall construction and potential for success.
Strategic Themes and Observations
The draft highlighted a strategic dichotomy between teams prioritizing immediate chemistry and those betting on individual talent with the hope of cohesion. The auction format introduced a layer of financial strategy, making the value of picks as crucial as the players themselves. Bargain acquisitions like JW Johnson and Dekel Bar stood out, suggesting that some teams managed the auction dynamics more effectively than others.
Teams like Seattle and Dallas exhibited clear strategies focused on leveraging existing chemistry and proven track records in MLP formats, while others like Texas seemed to struggle with balancing the auction’s financial constraints against the talent pool’s depth. The draft’s format, while innovative, underscored the necessity for teams to adapt quickly and strategically to secure optimal outcomes.
2024 MLP Draft
The 2024 MLP Premier Draft was as much about the strategies off the court as the potential play on it. While teams like Columbus and Arizona appear poised for success, the true test will be in the season’s performance, where strategic gambles and draft-day decisions will be put to the ultimate test. The draft’s mixed reception highlights areas for improvement in process transparency and preparation, setting the stage for an intriguing MLP season ahead.
