In the two-year history of the Golden State Valkyries, they have never had a true closer and l season, lost several contests by blowing late leads. That’s changed. Gabby Williams has the ability to win games.
This year, the Valkyries are 10-1 when leading going into the fourth quarter and Williams is a big reason why. She averages 5.3 points in that frame, ninth in the league. At times, they will need more from her as they are 4-6 when they don’t have the lead.
Known as a defensive specialist for much of her career, Williams joined the Valkyries in the offseason on a three-year, $3.7 million deal as a free agent with the expectation she’d take on an offensive burden, too.
So far, she has done more than expected.
“She’s absolutely a star, she’s our star,” said Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase. “She’s definitely an All-Star, but she’s going to give credit to her teammates, because that’s who she is.”
The bench depth is helping
Golden State leads the WNBA with 34.3 points off the bench per game, powered by 12.5 per game from Janelle Salaun, the second second highest for any bench player in the WNBA this season. The French forward was a Valkyries starter all last season, but her role was reinvented this year to fit with the new starting lineup.
But Salaun isn’t the only bench player with big contributions. Kaila Charles is third on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game and Tiffany Hayes is shooting a solid 44.2 percent after finally being fully healthy for her first time with the Valkyries. Laeticia Amihere, even with a stretch of games where she sat out, has gotten some big rebounds and blocks as Kiah Stokes’ backup center.
The Valkyries defense is first-rate
The Valkyries have the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA at 102.1, which is a calculation of the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions. Only Minnesota Minnesota Lynx (97.4) has a better one.
Golden State somehow allows the fewest points in the paint (31.2 per game) despite being a drastically undersized team. Teams also make only 26.9 shots per game, the fewest in the WNBA.
“I think they just take pride on that side of the ball,” Nakase said. “Those are the players we intentionally went after. When we talk about deep roster and strength in numbers, it’s because you need to be able to sustain guarding a Sabrina (Ionescu with 9 points vs Golden State), a Paige (Bueckers 5-for-13 shooting against Valkyries), a Kelsey Plum (with 9 points vs Valkyries). I think it’s heart and hustle.”
Williams and point guard Veronica Burton make up one of the most difficult defensive back courts to penetrate in the WNBA, while Stokes has been a dominant shot blocker as the team’s starting center.
They are 8-1 when they hold teams to under 80 points.
“It genuinely is our entire team,” Burton said. “We have a lot of people that take pride on the defensive end, and a lot of really incredible defenders but it allows us to get into people. A lot of guards like to shoot threes, and it’s hard to get into them because a lot of teams don’t have a back line that they can rely on, but we do.”
Kaitlyn Chen is a reliable backup to Veronica Burton
One of the Valkyries biggest question marks before the season was who was going to play point guard off the bench. Kaitlyn Chen, who rejoined the team last year, has proven to be a more than adequate option.
Chen leads the Valkyries shooting 53.1 precent from the field and is fifth in shooting among bench guards with at least five games. With the team looking to rest Burton a little bit more, Chen has been one of the Valkyries’ most valuable players.
When the Valkyries shoot, they win
Golden State makes the most three-pointers in the league with 10.8 per game but has the lowest points in the paint per game at 35.5. They are 9-4 when they shoot more three-pointers than opponents but 3-3 when they shoot fewer.
They’ve had several cold shooting streaks, such as a 1-for-12 fourth quarter in Seattle and a scoreless streak of six and a half minutes in Las Vegas. With their excellent defense, they have survived that in some games, but against the league’s elite – namely, the Aces and Minnesota Lynx – going cold doesn’t cut it.
Consistency on offense through all four quarters is probably the Valkyries next big step as they transform into a contender. Heading into the second half they are on the road against Atlanta, Washington, Toronto, Connecticut and Indiana for the longest road trip of the season.
