For all the talk about the Draft Class of 2001 and it's potential to yield a slew of impact players, it seems the appropriate, for the first time, to assess that impact.

Only four of the 16 first-round picks in this draft are starting regularly for their respective teams and two have yet to play at all.

Here's an almost-midseason review of their progress as professionals.

1. Lauren Jackson, Seattle. Like we all couldn't see this coming from 13,000 miles away. Jackson is the team's leading scorer at 16.4 points a game and is coming off back-to-back double-doubles in her last two games.

2. Kelly Miller, Charlotte. Miller was supposed to be the heir apparent to Dawn Staley, although no one is quite sure that Staley is going anywhere. Miller doesn't appear to be getting very far either. Miller is playing just 10 minutes a game and contributing 3.0 points.

3. Tamika Catchings, Indiana. The former Tennessee star has not yet played a minute as the rehabilitation from her January ACL injury continues and Fever coach Nell Fortner says she is in no hurry to push Catchings on to the floor. But Catchings is practicing with the team and could be in the lineup by season's end.

	Portland's Jackie Stiles deserved to be an All-Star starter.

4. Jackie Stiles, Portland. Stiles has to be considered a heavy favorite for Rookie of the Year honors. She has transformed the Fire from an expansion team with promise into a playoff contender in the Western Conference. Stiles is the WNBA's Player of the Week this week, averaging 22.0 points in her last three games. She's shooting better than 44 percent from the floor.

5. Ruth Riley, Miami. There were those who weren't sure whether the MVP of the Women's Final Four would be able to keep up with the physical post game of the WNBA. So far, pretty good. Riley is making significant contributions to Miami's efforts, averaging better than 21 minutes with two starts under her belt. Riley is averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds a game.

6. Deanna Nolan, Detroit. The Shock pulled off something of a shocker when they took Nolan so high. But on one of the league's deepest rosters, Nolan is still getting her share of time. Nolan missed four games with a sprained knee, but in her first game back she scored 15 points against Los Angeles. She is the team's third-leading scorer at 8.8 poins a game.

7. Svetlana Abrosimova, Minnesota. The Connecticut star sat out the first six games of the season while the healing on her injured left foot was completed. But with the injury to Betty Lennox, Lynx coach Brian Agler has had to press her into action. She has started five of her first seven games this season, playing more than 27 minutes. She is scoring 6.7 points (a figure likely to go up) and pulling down 6.3 rebounds.

8. Marie Ferdinand, Utah. The Starzz felt like they got one of the steals of the draft, adding the LSU product to an already talented roster. At least Ferdinand is living up to her end of the bargain, even if the rest of her team isn't. Ferdinand is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points a game.

9. Coco Miller, Washington. The other half of the Miller twins doesn't appear to be faring any better than her sister at the moment. The rookie guard has played in just eight of 14 games and has scored a total of eight points.

10. Katie Douglas, Orlando. The Purdue product is reunited with former coach Carolyn Peck and like everybody else on her team, she is adjusting to the triangle offense installed by Peck this season. Douglas is averaging 17.2 minutes a game off the bench and scoring 5.2 points.

11. Penny Taylor, Cleveland. The 20-year-old Australian forward is coming off the bench for the Rockers, averaging 17.9 minutes and 6.7 points a game.

12. LaQuanda Barksdale, Portland. Living in the shadow of fellow rookie Stiles, Barksdale has been a non-factor for the Fire. She's played in just two games and has yet to score her first WNBA points.

13. Kristen Veal, Phoenix. It's been a tough transition for the 19-year-old Australian, who is the youngest player in the league. Veal has been asked to do quite a bit right away with Michele Timms still coming back from injury. She has started 10 of 13 games, but has been prone to turnovers and is shooting just 22 percent from the field.

14. Kelly Schumacher, Indiana. When Fortner dealt Kara Wolters to Sacramento and drafted Schumacher, it was clear the 6-foot-4 Connecticut product was going to play quite a bit. Then Fortner made a deal for Olympia Scott-Richardson and Schumacher went back to breaking in at a more rookie-like pace. Schumacher is averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in about 18 minutes a game.

15. Amanda Lassiter, Houston. The Missouri product has been pushed into playing time with the injury to Sheryl Swoopes. She has started seven games for the Comets and is averaging 4.0 points a game.

16. Camille Cooper, Los Angeles. The Purdue product was dealt just before the season opener to New York, where she hasn't played much there either. Cooper was placed on the injured list on June 15, but was activated to the roster on July 2.

Counting Crowds
Thanks to master compiler, Jim Dankiewicz, WNBA attendance figures tell an interesting story. New York is the attendance leader so far this season, averaging 14,724 at Madison Square Garden. Washington is not far behind at 14,334. Only Houston, at 10,813, is also above the five-figure mark, leaving 13 of the league's 16 teams drawing less than 10,000 a game.

Four teams, Charlotte, Detroit, Utah and Seattle, are drawing less than 6,000 a game.

Who's hot: Charlotte
Winners of four straight games, the Sting has worked itself back into a playoff contention with a 5-10 record. That a 5-10 record puts a team in playoff contention is a completely different matter.

Who's not: Phoenix
The Mercury has lost four in a row, dropping to 4-9, which is just one loss shy of their worst start in five years of existence. This team is clearly missing Brandy Reed and her 20-odd points a game in scoring. The thing is, Phoenix isn't far from .500. They have lost five games by a total of 19 points, including two in overtime and one with a shot at the buzzer.

Michelle Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.