When Kaitlyn Chen was drafted by the Valkyries in the third round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, it was historic. She became the first person of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by any WNBA team. But there’s a difference between getting drafted and actually making it to the roster – and Chen witnessed it all firsthand. While she was part of training camp and played in games, she was eventually waived. However, after being re-signed, she became a victim of criticism and doubt. Yet, she never lost hope – all thanks to her head coach, Natalie Nakase.

Chen’s initial stretch with the Valks ended on May 14th, but she wasn’t gone for long. The Valks re-signed her on June 15th, and she was prepared to rejoin the team that drafted her for their regular-season debut on June 22nd. But for a player who had once been called “wasn’t good enough yet” by one of the Mercury’s big three, Satou Sabally, the pressure was immense. And the challenge of proving herself on an already competitive roster made things even tougher.

But Nakase never left her side. That’s exactly why, when asked about her biggest learning from the Coach of the Year, Chen didn’t hesitate.

“Honestly, just like how to be a leader… I felt like she held us point guards, especially, to like a high standard of like, this is like your team. And whatever happens, if it goes poorly, that’s on you. So you got to make sure that you’re holding everyone accountable and like doing everything within your power to make sure the team is prepared,” she said during a recent episode of the Fudd Around and Find Out podcast with Azzi Fudd.

Great learnings indeed – but yes, this was part of a strategic plan to fuel players. When Chen rejoined the roster, the Valks had several players off playing for their national teams on the global stage. So, the team was trying to find someone to fill the gap, and Chen seemed like the perfect match. But Nakase didn’t just want Chen to fill in; she focused on making her a permanent solution for the Valks’ 2025 season.

So, both coach and player understood the assignment and started working on it. As a result, it became common to see Nakase and Chen on a court at the far end of the facility, walking through point guard-specific scenarios.

As Nakase told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview on August 4th, “She has great energy, and anyone knows that coming day to day to work and having someone with a smile on their face uplifts everybody… She challenges herself. She asks me questions all the time. ‘How can I do better in this play? Do you like me in this action, or should I have done this?’ She is constantly asking questions to learn.” And as Chen learned it all, it was time to prove how capable she was.

Nakase took a step forward and allowed Chen to play big minutes, which led the former UConn guard to close out tight games. For instance, in the Valks’ close-knit game against the Chicago Sky, Nakase trusted Chen to play big minutes in the last quarter. The head coach left Veronica Burton on the bench and allowed Chen to seize the opportunity.

And the former UConn guard did just that. She finished the game with 10 points on 75 percent shooting from the field in just 25 minutes. That was her season’s best performance, where Chen fueled the team toward a win. She concluded her season after playing 24 games, averaging 2 points and 1 assist per game.

But it wasn’t just the head coach who acted as a catalyst for her rookie season.

How Valks’ locker room helped Chen’s comeback

Getting support from the head coach isn’t enough to become a fan-favorite player. Chen’s journey was one fueled by her teammates too. When she was waived from the Valks’ roster, she quickly inked a deal with 3XBA, a groundbreaking 3×3 league. But soon, she got a call back from the Valks and made it back to the team, making her debut against the Sun on June 22nd, where she scored five points in 21 minutes.

She was able to play with a free mind because there was no animosity inside the locker room. Playing with a team that had removed her from the roster and re-signed her wasn’t too difficult – at least inside the locker room. “Not that much, ’cause, I mean, it’s training camp, and training camp is sort of quick. You get to know people, but not that much,” Chen replied when asked if the experience affected her relationship with her teammates.

“When I came back, everyone was just super welcoming, and I felt like it was pretty easy to fit in and get along with everyone.” Being waived by a team during the preseason isn’t uncommon, especially considering the limited roster size of 12 spots that teams have to work with. But when Chen returned, she fit right in.

She played and connected with the locker room well. Soon, that connectivity and family atmosphere became key to the Valks’ unprecedented success in 2025. As Temi Fagbenle shared in a July 23rd interview with ESPN, the Valks were a “team of Sixth Women,” meaning that every player set out to play their role and no one was there for the spotlight. That’s exactly how this special group made it a historic season together.

But will Chen – now a key member of the team – get to return to the roster next season? Stay tuned to find out!