No one would have predicted it. But the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion team, have now made the playoffs in each of their first two years in the WNBA. They have even done it better this time around, currently sitting second in the WNBA standings with only six games remaining before the playoffs. The secret to this impressive surge, according to head coach Natalie Nakase, is the team’s depth and its ability to maintain a high level of intensity throughout the entire game.
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In an ESPN SportsCenter interview with Madelyn Burke, which the reporter shared on X, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase described the team’s greatest advantage as they head into the playoffs.
“Yeah, just continue what we were just talking about. Just being consistent, playing all four quarters. We talk about emptying the tank. We are really deep. So strength in numbers is huge for us.”
“So being able to play more shorter stints, but as hard as we can, we hang our hats on defense that allows us to create a nice little flow on offense. So as long as we stay consistent within those couple of things, I think we’ll be ready to go come playoff time.”
The Golden State Valkyries are first in the WNBA’s defensive ranking, with a league-best 101.1 points allowed per 100 possessions. They lead the league in points allowed, holding opponents to a meager 76.3 points per game and also allow the fewest points in the paint across the entire WNBA. And notably, they have held opponents below 70 points 11 times this season, most recently holding the league-leading Minnesota Lynx to a season-low 66 points.
According to coach Nakase, one of the factors that has also made their defensive identity so effective is the presence of veteran stars Kia Stokes and Gabby Williams, who joined the Golden State Valkyries this season.
“I think adding Gabby Williams, obviously, and Kia Stokes, those are two elite, I think top two defenders in the league. So adding them, they’re super selfless. They love to play with joy, but they play hard, as they just play really, really hard. So just enjoying playing both sides of the ball, and then adding two great people. I think that’s the result that we have right now,” Nakase said.
Williams and Stokes have absolutely been very crucial for the defensive structure that the Golden State Valkyries play. Stokes leads the team and ranks near the top of the league with 1.76 blocks per game, racking up 65 total blocks this season. And Williams averages 1.6 steals per game, 59 total, consistently fueling the Valkyries’ transition offense.
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But beyond the players, coach Nakase also acknowledges the role that the front office has played in assembling the roster that it has. According to her, they did the due diligence to identify players who really fit the defensive philosophy that the team wanted to establish.
“It goes back to the front office. Ohema, like, they intentionally picked players that kind of already had embedded in them the grittiness, the selflessness, the play for each other. And at the end of the day too, they want to see more success from their teammates other than them. And I think that’s really been kind of like really key to our success.”
Overall, the defensive identity the Valkyries have played with has definitely worked so far. Now, going into the playoffs, according to coach Nakase, they just have to remain consistent, especially throughout the game, without losing concentration across all four quarters.
Last season, they didn’t go beyond the first round of the playoffs. However, with the way they’re playing, it won’t be surprising if they make a much deeper run this year.