In their second season of play, the Golden State Valkyries don’t have many mysteries left. One of their last will finally be resolved this week.
Ever since the Valkyries took Lithuanian star Juste Jocyte with their first draft pick, fifth overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, her role has been a question mark.
Unlike the American players in the draft whom fans had come to know from their time playing in the NCAA, like Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron, Jocyte was not a household name. And then, she didn’t join the team last year at all, instead continuing to represent her country at EuroBasket, an Olympics-qualifying tournament. The Valkyries and Jocyte told fans she would be a key part of this year’s team, but when the 2026 season started, she still wasn’t here.
On Sunday, five games into the season, the 6-foot-2 wing practiced with the Valkyries for the first time. During this week’s homestand, she should finally make her debut, and answer a pivotal question that has lingered for more than a year.
Is Jocyte going to be the Valkyries’ franchise player?
Jocyte is a 20-year-old who has never played a professional game in the states and will be joining a team that expects her to be WNBA ready and potentially one of their best offensive playmakers.
She averaged 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game at EuroBasket this winter before joining the Valkyries.
“It’s a different league, but it’s the same game,” Jocyte said on Sunday after her first practice with the team. “I’ve been professional for quite some time, and I came here later, but it’s the same game for me.”
Her debut has been long anticipated by a front office that has been building around the idea of their 2025 draft pick for the past few months.
She was protected in this year’s expansion draft and made the team despite never having practiced with a WNBA team before this season, and she took up a roster spot during the first few games when the Valkyries were shorthanded with injuries. That is a lot of trust in a young player.
“She actually picked up a lot of things through film sessions,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after Jocyte’s first practice. “But then now to see her, she flowed really well.”
Nakase advertised the left-handed shooting Jocyte as a “three-level scorer,” meaning she has the ability to score near the rim, from mid-range and 3-point depth. She also can create offense by drawing defenders towards her and creating space for teammates who she can then pass the ball.
“She’s a really big guard who can create for others, she can shoot, she can step out, and she’s in the post,” said Valkyries guard Kaila Charles, who played against Jocyte in Europe this winter. “She’s so versatile, and it fits with the system that we have.”
Jocyte has played with – and against – many Valkyries players overseas in the past seven years. One is French national team player Janelle Salaün, who has gone against Jocyte in EuroBasket and other international competitions.
“It’s funny because we used to play against each other, and I’m not the friendliest person on the court,” Salaün said. “I didn’t know how she was gonna take it, but I think she’s doing great. We talked real quick, since she’s here, so I think she’s comfortable, and I guess I’m not that scary.”
It wasn’t a surprise to Valkyries staff that Jocyte didn’t join the team last season; the Valkyries knew that would be the case when they drafted her. It’s not uncommon for some international players to get drafted by a WNBA team and keep developing overseas before joining the league. Unlike American players who play in college into their early twenties before being drafted, international players can be drafted as young as 19 years old, so at times top young talent is selected and “stashed” in leagues overseas. That was the case for Jocyte who was committed to playing for her country in EuroBasket.
For the 406 days since she was drafted to the Valkyries, Jocyte has been the mystery in the background for fans, but internally, the team has been anticipating a star.
Maybe this week will be the first chance to see why.
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