She’s 7-Foot-3 and the WNBA Is Circling: Zhang Ziyu’s 2027 Draft Case

Zhang Ziyu will almost certainly not go undrafted in 2027. She is likely to be a first-round pick. The most realistic range is No. 5 to No. 14.

1. Draft eligibility and her stance

Zhang was born in May 2007. She turns 20 in 2027. WNBA rules make international players automatically eligible in the calendar year they turn 20. She does not need to declare. The 2027 draft will include her name.

Her willingness matters more. Chinese media figure Fu Zhenghao MVP reported that during the NBA China Games, Zhang met NBA commissioner Adam Silver and other executives. Three WNBA team executives asked her directly whether she would enter the draft and play in the United States. Several other teams called her agency. Zhang is determined. She wants the WNBA to improve her game and fix specific weaknesses.

Her team has sent a clear signal. A top-seven pick would satisfy her. A top-15 pick would meet expectations. The message: top seven, she comes; top 15, she probably comes; after No. 15, treat her as a stash. That flips the risk onto teams. A low pick spent on a player who never arrives is wasted.

2. Scarcity: height the WNBA has never had

Her draft value starts with her body. The New York Post reported she is 7 feet 3 inches, or about 2.23 meters. That would make her the tallest player in WNBA history, ahead of the late Margo Dydek at 7 feet 2. FIBA lists her at 2.23 meters. Some outlets say 2.26.

Height alone is not the point. For a center that tall, her mobility and ability to take contact stand out. Her free-throw touch is good for her size. Against the United States, she made 10 of 11 free throws. She is not only a paint finisher. She has a shooting base and room to grow.

NBA Draft Room ranks her No. 2 in the 2027 class and projects her to the Washington Mystics. Another outlet moved her from No. 4 to No. 2 after her warm-up games. Only JuJu Watkins, the top guard in the class, sits ahead of her in that projection. The 2027 class is strong. Watkins is the clear No. 1. Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo and other elite American prospects are near the top. Zhang being in the top-four conversation shows how rare her profile is.

3. Immediate impact: how she compares to international centers

The best reference is not potential. It is what she has done against centers already in the WNBA or about to enter.

At the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, Zhang averaged 13 minutes, 8.8 points, 5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and shot 62.5%, all off the bench. Per 36 minutes, that is about 24.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. Against the United States, she played 18 minutes and scored 13 points with 6 rebounds. U.S. coach Kara Lawson said after the game that if Zhang keeps improving, she can find a place in the WNBA.

The matchup with Dominique Malonga is the clearest test. Malonga, a French center, was the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds on 55.5% shooting in the WNBA that season. In the World Cup quarterfinal, France beat China 78-61. Zhang played 18 minutes, made 3 of 4 shots, and had 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Malonga made 2 of 10 shots and scored 4 points with 9 rebounds. After the game, Malonga said, “I have never been dominated like that in my life.” Malonga was the second-leading scoring center in the WNBA that season. A 19-year-old Chinese center holding her to 20% shooting is not a small signal.

The matchup with Awa Fam matters too. Fam, a Spanish center, was the No. 3 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. In a pre-World Cup warm-up, China lost to Spain 71-72 in overtime. Zhang had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks on 10-of-14 shooting. Fam had 8 points and 6 rebounds. Both teams used their main players. The game was close. There was no garbage-time stat padding. Fam averaged 9 points and 4.7 rebounds in the Spanish Liga Femenina and was Valencia’s top player. Zhang outplayed the future No. 3 pick.

Same-age comparisons help. Fam is one year older. At Zhang’s current age, Fam played in the 2025 EuroBasket and averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 23.6 minutes. Malonga is two years older. At Zhang’s current age, Malonga played in the 2024 Olympics and averaged 2.8 points and 2 rebounds in 7.1 minutes. Zhang’s per-minute output at the World Cup is ahead of what both did at the same age.

4. Weaknesses: clear limits, but not fatal

Zhang has clear weaknesses. Lateral mobility is the biggest. She lost weight and improved her straight-line movement. Side-to-side movement is still a problem. The WNBA is faster. It values spacing, pick-and-roll and switching. Traditional heavy centers have less room. Zhang can be targeted in pick-and-roll defense. Her decisions after catching the ball against double teams are not polished. Her 2.8 turnovers per game at the World Cup show that.

Those weaknesses need context. Malonga averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds as a WNBA rookie. Fam scored 10 points in her rookie debut. Neither rookie season was perfect. If Zhang enters the WNBA and, even while adjusting, produces close to her World Cup numbers against the United States and France, that is 18 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. For a first-round pick, that is solid.

She is already changing her body. Reports say she dropped from 150 kilograms to 135 kilograms and cut her body fat from 22% to 18%. Her baseline spin, sprinting and pick-and-roll defense improved. Her effective playing time rose to 20-23 minutes. Her three-quarter-court sprint improved by only 0.3 seconds. Still, a 2.26-meter player doing that work shows she and her team take the professional step seriously.

The criticism about her mid-range game needs data. Zhang shot 45.5% from mid-range at the World Cup on 2.2 attempts per game. Malonga shot 38.5%. Fam shot 38.5%. Zhang’s percentage and volume are not lower than theirs. For giant centers, catching and turning are the hard parts. Mid-range shooting can improve with work.

5. Business logic: the draft is not only about basketball

The WNBA is a business. Draft decisions are not only about basketball. Zhang brings the Chinese market. No team can ignore that. The league’s commercial value is rising. Expansion has made teams hungry for talent.

Yao Ming’s 2002 NBA draft is a useful comparison. He had extreme height, long-term potential and a huge market behind him. Teams praised him. Today’s WNBA is less friendly to big centers than the 2002 NBA was. But a rebuilding team with a mid-first-round pick can take Zhang as a low-risk bet with high upside. Even with defensive limits, her scoring and the attention she brings can return more than the pick costs. Zaragoza, a Spanish club, contacted her team after a warm-up game and said it would build around her. That shows her market value.

6. Conclusion and prediction

Zhang will almost certainly not go undrafted. Even if she said she would not come immediately, a team would use a second-round pick to stash her. That is normal in the WNBA international draft.

She is very likely to be a first-round pick. Her rare size, immediate scoring and market attention support that.

My range: No. 5 to No. 14. The top three are uncertain. JuJu Watkins is the likely No. 1. Other elite American prospects fill the top. If Zhang improves over the next year and her weight loss shows more in games, she can push into the top seven. A No. 2 projection has some basis. Mid-lottery to mid-first round is the safer call.

The reason: the 2027 class does not have ten players with clearly better immediate impact. Zhang does not fit the modern style. She does fit teams that need scoring and attention. In one draft class, international players with historically rare size and ready interior scoring are hard to find.

Whether she sticks in the WNBA is a separate question. The draft is about upside. Teams bet on possibility. Zhang is worth a first-round pick. She may even be worth a long-term plan. She clearly believes that too.