May 26, 2025
Seven things we’ve learned about the Golden State Valkyries through three games
Early in their debut season, there are some promising patterns, but reality checks await
It is a small sample size, to be sure, but three games into the Golden State Valkyries’ inaugural season, patterns are already beginning to emerge. And with two wins in their first three games, some short-term conclusions can be drawn. Here are seven takeaways so far.
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Natalie Nakase will be a WNBA Coach of the Year candidate
Yes, it’s early, but no coach in the league has done a more impressive job than Natalie Nakase with the team they have on the floor.
Nakase is the Valkyries’ identity at this point. While she is apt to say she just wants her players to be themselves, she is quickly molding them into the team she wants them to be. That is a team that will play fast and lean into defense, with the awareness that it isn’t yet where it wants to be (including this season). This team also clearly enjoys playing together.
The defense is ahead of the offense
The Valkyries rank 11th in the WNBA in scoring and last in assists per game in the early going. They are shooting 36.5% from the floor and 24.8% from beyond the 3-point arc. They have been together as a team for less than a month, and there are many moments where it looks that way.
But the Valkyries also rank first in the league in steals per game at 10.3. They bring energy and intensity to the defensive end that will hopefully pay off in offensive opportunities. They will need that down the line to compete against some of the league’s most efficient offensive teams.
“We know we have that in ourselves,” Nakase told reporters after Friday night’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks. “We want to be as disruptive as possible.”
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The Valkyries have more talent than you think
But the players might not be names you know. Veronica Burton is solidifying her hold on the starting point guard role, playing about double the minutes she’s averaged in her career to this point. She is averaging 12.0 points per game, up from 3.0 a season ago in Dallas.
Carla Leite, the rookie point guard from France, put up 19 points on Friday against the Sparks. She was also on the floor for the final six minutes as the Valkyries held on to beat the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
Julie Vanloo is only in her second year in the league, but she’s a 32-year-old international veteran with great instincts and a 3-point shot that can bolster the offense.
Temi Fagbenle is well-known to WNBA fans who saw the impact she had for the Indiana Fever last season. But her hard work in the paint and her athleticism are going to make her a popular player in San Francisco, too.
And then there’s the young French star, Janelle Salaün …
Salaün is a catalyst
The French star and WNBA rookie played her first game on Wednesday against Washington, putting up 10 points. The 23-year-old forward will miss at least seven games while competing for the French national team at EuroBasket, and she is going to be missed.
“[Salaün] is meant for these moments. When we need a bucket, we are pretty confident putting the ball in her hands,” Nakase said on Friday.
Although Salaün only arrived in San Francisco in time for opening night (and did not play), she is confident in her game. She said that is the key to her ability to acclimate quickly to her new team.
“If you work, then show this work,” Salaün said. “Be confident and believe in the work you’ve done.”
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Reality checks are coming
When Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell return to Los Angeles’ lineup, the Sparks will be a better team. Right now they don’t look like a team with a postseason future. Washington is a rebuilding team that isn’t likely to make the playoffs, either.
Golden State’s next five games are against a gauntlet of elite WNBA teams: a back-to-back road series against the defending champion New York Liberty, a home game against the unbeaten Minnesota Lynx, a road game at the Phoenix Mercury and a home date against the Las Vegas Aces.
This stretch will test this young team in every way and likely show how much further it needs to go, not just this season but over the next couple of years.
Two of the team’s most recognizable players may end up in limited roles
Monique Billings and Kate Martin were among the well-known names the Valkyries acquired in the expansion draft. Billings, the former UCLA standout, came off the bench in the Valkyries’ first two games and missed Friday’s game with a right ankle injury. She is averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game so far.
Martin, meanwhile, is still trying to find her footing after spending her first season as everyone’s “little sister” on a star-laden Las Vegas team. She is averaging 13.3 minutes per game on a team where the expectations for her are raised.
“It’s not about her acclimating,” Nakase said on Friday after Martin scored a season-high 6 points in 10 minutes against the Sparks. “It’s about wanting her to be herself. I gave her a hug before the game and told her that I’m her biggest fan. I know the type of player she is and all of the hard work she puts in.”
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Winning is not a bad thing
A strong season by the Valkyries isn’t the problem it appears to be on paper. (To be fair, strong is an entirely relative term for an expansion team.) While Golden State would love to be in position to draft a “face of the franchise” player in a 2026 draft class that will include UCLA center Lauren Betts and UConn guard Azzi Fudd, building a franchise culture that’s appealing to veteran free agents is probably just as important.
A new collective bargaining agreement this offseason is set to jumble the WNBA like a popcorn machine. And the Valkyries, with salary cap space and a player-friendly head coach, will be an interesting choice for players in a way they weren’t this year.
Written by Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith has covered women’s basketball nationally for more than three decades. A 2024 inductee into the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Hall of Fame, Smith has worked for ESPN.com, The Athletic, the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as Pac-12.com and WNBA.com. She is the 2017 recipient of the Jake Wade Media Award from the Collegiate Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) and was named the Mel Greenberg Media Award winner by the WBCA in 2019.
