Kaylene Smikle: 2026 WNBA Draft Stock Rising

If you want to play on the wing, or build yourself up as a versatile forward for the next level, the University of Maryland is a great spot to develop your game! Brenda Frese and her staff have repeatedly found success at the college level, while simultaneously developing this archetype of players for the WNBA. That’s a testament to the players she recruits, the level of knowledge and coaching the staff brings, and the style of ball the Terps play.

Junior wing, Kaylene Smikle, a transfer this past spring, is yet another example of a playmaker being molded into a better pro by spending time in the Maryland program.

What’s made her such a successful player early for the Terps? How have things changed in her evaluation? What are the areas of growth to look for the rest of the season and moving forward?

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Early Season Evolution

While Smikle’s usage rate is largely the same as when she was at Rutgers (30.8% in 2024-25 compared to 32.5% in two seasons at Rutgers), how she’s getting the ball has been quite different.

Smikle has spent 31.3% of her used possessions in transition, per Synergy Stats, above, but similar to her 27.2% rate in her sophomore year.

Where we see the biggest difference in utilization: 30.1% of her current usage has come via spot-ups (includes shots and drives) as opposed to both seasons at Rutgers below 20%! She’s traded many pick and roll opportunities for more of those wing attempts/looks. Don’t get it twisted, Smikle is still capable of handling the ball and making plays with a screener, but this adjustment is huge in her development.

It’s worth noting right now that Smikle is shooting 70.6% from beyond the arc. That is of course not sustainable, but I’ve found her shot really encouraging to start the year. Her release looks quicker and cleaner of the catch, with notably better prep work to receive the ball. Smikle spotting up more instead of bringing the ball up or handling routinely has led to more of those opportunities, taking nearly 76.5% of her jumpers off the catch (60% across two seasons at Rutgers).

Smikle was a player you had to consider behind the arc in past seasons, but I would still have considered her jumper inconsistent. It’s early, so we don’t want to overreact to small sample size, but again, the subtle changes tell us this is a different level of shooter headed into 2025.

That change coupled with the evolution in usage has unlocked what makes Smikle such a difficult player to guard, her ability to attack the paint off the dribble.

Playing off of other playmakers, Smikle has turned into an offensive grenadier for the Terps, always loaded and ready to fire, efficiently and immediately. That’s something this team lacked at times last season, and her addition is going to continue to prove vital for Maryland as the year unfolds.

Star guard Shyanne Sellers has thrown 28 dimes already this season through 5 games: 10 of them have been to Smikle, the most prolific offensive two player game for the Terps thus far per CBB Analytics (next closest is 5 assists from Sellers to Christina Dalce).

I watch her scoring runs/outbursts in the Duke and Syracuse games and think of what it can continue to look like as she eases in at this level, and at the next level. We need more versatile wings at the next level that can bring efficiency, effectiveness, and the ability to play off of others.

Smikle is showing the potential to do that at quite a high level! While her talent was easy to see at Rutgers, it was harder to quantify and pull apart translation to the next level when looking through the lens of efficiency and role. She had clear value with the ball in her hands and across areas of the court, but it’s really tough to be a primary option at the next level.

She had a fairly average true-shooting percentage across two years at Rutgers (51.6%) which accounts for free throws and 3-point shooting. She’s at 69.7% this season, one of the best efficiency marks in the country, in the 96th percentile per CBB Analytics. Again, that’s an unsustainable rate, but indicative of her shift.

How can Smikle keep adding to her game this season, and moving forward?

Rounding Out

Smikle is excellent at getting into the paint, but continuing to improve her ability to finish will be key. She makes a significant impact with her strength of drawing fouls (leading the Terps with 4.4 free throw attempts per game), but is currently shooting 46.7% at the rim on half-court attempts, in line with her 45.1% rate in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

That’s not untenable, given her penchant for drawing fouls, but it’s something to monitor for improvement moving forward. Getting to the rim isn’t a question for Smikle, but continuing to improve her pacing and slowing down will be key for getting the most out of her first step explosiveness. A tightened up handle could also be huge for cutting down some of the paths she takes off the catch. Watching her attack off the dribble, there are times when she can take a pretty wide path instead of a more direct one, and it seems to stem from some discomfort dribbling into traffic and through contact.

Put that in tandem as well with her finishing: She is adept at pulling out some picturesque highlight reel finishes with lengthy extensions, scoops, and off-hand rolls. She has the difficult stuff down pat!

However, continuing to rep out the easy work and fundamental finishes will make that hit harder, and her more efficient. I’d love to see a continued focus on playing off two feet and using two hands to finish. She has some of that same element as DiJonai Carrington where she’s so athletic that she can kind of smother herself by doing athletic things attacking the rim. Blending those two worlds together matters a ton at the next level, something Carrington has made massive strides in (pun intended).

As a side note, I’ve liked Smikle’s defensive activity, but think continuing to show her ability to guard up and down with strength and consistency is something I’ll be watching. She can gamble a bit, which I don’t mind, but picking and choosing those spots and avoiding missing scheme is important. I have no doubt she’ll find that with Maryland, however, as this group has the potential to be an elite defensive unit, getting back to the roots of how Frese has molded this program.