As key players return from EuroBasket, Golden State Valkyries face tough roster shuffle

“I don’t know that much, to be honest,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said before the game. “She just landed, and I wanted to give her the night to rest. She played heavy minutes overseas. So I’m going to focus on today’s game and then hit her up later tonight.”

Fágbénlé is the first of four players to return to Golden State from EuroBasket, where Great Britain finished 0-3. Getting Fágbénlé, who currently ranks fourth in the league with a 54.3 percent field goal percentage, back on the floor marks the start of a roster reintegration process that will continue for the next week.

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Golden State has two more games in this five-game homestand, including Friday’s match-up with Chicago and Sunday’s bout with Seattle. Fágbénlé will almost surely be on the floor by the end of the weekend, and will hopefully bring some of her momentum from EuroBasket, where she led Great Britain with 7.3 rebounds per game and was the team’s second leading scorer with 12 points per game.

Meanwhile, a handful of other Valkyries players remain overseas, continuing to compete in the tournament. Janelle Salaün is representing France, Julie Vanloo is playing for Belgium and Cecilia Zandalasini is suiting up for Italy. Salaün’s French teammate, Iliana Rupert, is expected to make her Golden State debut as well once she returns. All three countries, as well as Spain, are guaranteed to play in either Sunday’s title game or the third-place game.

Then, Golden State’s difficult choices begin in earnest. The first was already made when the team waived veteran Aerial Powers to make room for Fágbénlé. Fan favorite Kaitlyn Chen re-signed, but has played limited minutes in her return. South Carolina product Bree Hall, who also signed just last week, will be in a precarious spot as well.

And what about Laeticia Amihere and Chloe Bibby, signed to replace some of the absent international players? Both have played important minutes for the Valkyries over the past two weeks as the team has won five of its last six games. How can general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and Nakase find room for all the players they want to keep? The short answer may be, they can’t. But that’s an issue for another day.

“We have constantly been changing our rotations,” Nakase said. “I don’t know how many starting lineups I’ve had … There’s no friction, no jealousy. It’s just like ‘Hey, this is our home. This is our family. Let’s play as hard as we can tonight.’”

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Fourteen players are averaging double-figure minutes so far this season, speaking to both Golden State’s depth and Nakase’s confidence that every player on her bench can contribute meaningfully. And the timing couldn’t be better to add the EuroBasket players back into the rotation as Golden State sits solidly in playoff position with two-thirds of the season to go.

All four are coming off strong appearances in the tournament. Salaün is averaging 18.0 points a game for France, with Zandalasini right behind her for Italy at 17.5. Meanwhile, Vanloo is distributing 5.8 assists per game, and Rupert is averaging 5.3 rebounds.

New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, whose team has played three games against the Valkyries already this season, says she is impressed with how the Valkyries have approached building their roster, including both the international talent and the players they have brought in to fill in during the Eurobasket period.

“They have evaluated players well and Natalie knows how she wants to play,” Brondello told media after Wednesday’s game. “Instead of just going and getting young players, they have gotten established international players. Basketball is a global game and this is the most international team in the league. But they have also gotten players that might have been sixth players or role players on their teams, and those players have had an opportunity to rise up to the occasion and they have. They are going to get some really valuable pieces back soon and they are going to make some noise as this season progresses.”