When the Indiana Fever participate in the 2015 WNBA Draft on Thursday evening, the Fever will make but one selection. A single second-round draft pick at No. 21 overall is a reflection of recent player movement by President and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf, and it signals an evolution of the club’s roster composition.

By comparison, it actually is not the lightest draft in Fever history. Indiana made just two selections in drafts in 2004, 2011 and 2012, and had just one second-round pick (No. 26) with the 2008 selection of NC State forward Khadijah Whittington, who made the club and appeared in 25 games over two seasons. Indiana reached its first WNBA Finals appearance just one year later.

But within the past 12 months, four key players have been added to help the Fever get both younger and more athletic, using picks from this draft to corral additional pieces for new head coach Stephanie White. My friend and FeverBasketball.com beat writer Tom Rietmann will discuss that evolution in more detail with a pre-draft story to run on Wednesday.

In a year when the draft is considered lighter than normal, in terms of immediate impact talent, it was a great move by the Fever, last year, to draft Natalie Achonwa. The 2014 draft was very deep. After choosing athletic forward Natasha Howard with the No. 5 pick, Indiana turned to Achonwa at No. 9.

Achonwa, the 6-4 All-America center who helped guide the unbeaten Irish to last year’s NCAA Final Four before tearing an ACL, would certainly have been a top 5 pick were it not for her injury. Her talent may have been worthy of a No. 1 or 2 overall selection in this year’s draft – perhaps next to her former Notre Dame teammate Jewell Loyd.

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Achonwa has since made residence in Indianapolis after the close of the 2014 WNBA season, and has commuted several times weekly to the Notre Dame campus to retain a position as the team’s director of basketball operations. While in Indy, she has routinely managed rehabilitation activities with the Fever training staff, and kept a workout schedule at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

What she brings to the Fever is size and all-around skill. Size-wise, she is a broader Howard; or a slimmer Lynetta Kizer, who has enjoyed a great winter overseas and looks forward to an enhanced presence within the Fever’s rebuilt front line, anchored by veteran Erlana Larkins. Skill-wise, Achonwa can rebound; she can score and move inside; and she can take a post onto the perimeter with a 3-point shot.

She’s versatile and she will be worth the wait after missing the 2014 season.

Because of Indiana’s newfound interior depth, though, White and the Fever can be slow in their expectations for Achonwa. It still is barely a year after she sustained the ACL tear in an NCAA regional final game against Baylor. Rehab is ongoing. And she also is expected to spend time with her Canadian National Team this summer as they participate in qualification tournaments in advance of the 2016 Olympics.

Indiana will be well-served by the addition of Achonwa, and the maturation of second-year players Howard and Maggie Lucas. Kizer begins her fourth WNBA season, the same as trade acquisition Shenise Johnson who should complement the Indiana backcourt led by Briann January, Shavonte Zellous and Marissa Coleman.

The Fever already has used its 2015 draft quite wisely.

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