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LAS VEGAS — Returning to the Michelob Ultra Arena gave Natalie Nakase goosebumps. She’d spent the past three years here in the desert, winning two WNBA championships with Becky Hammon and the Aces.
Watching A’ja Wilson dominate, this time against a team she coaches, must’ve sent shivers down her spine.
Wilson, the three-time league MVP, logged 34 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks as she led the Aces to a thrilling 104-102 win over the Valkyries.
Nakase’s team played a somewhat uncharacteristic game, allowing a season-high in points and a season-worst 55% shooting. But the Valkyries otherwise played like they have all year: with relentless intensity, underdog grit, and unselfishness.
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Wilson, however, was overpowering. She had 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting at halftime when no Valkyrie was in double-digits.
“We didn’t do the little things, to be honest,” Nakase said postgame. “She’s the MVP of the league for a reason.”
That’s the story of the Valkyries in their inaugural season — they have blown past any reasonable expectations despite not having a superstar player. Their superstar is Nakase, the former Aces assistant.
The league designed it that way, with the new franchise picking sixth in the draft and allowing teams to protect their best players from the expansion draft. But it doesn’t have to be that way for long.
It’s halfway through the season, and Golden State (10-10) has the same amount of wins as Las Vegas. The Valkyries have almost all the pieces required to win. Almost. Even with the loss, they continue to play like a team that has earned the right to be buyers at the Aug. 20 trade deadline, and owner Joe Lacob’s competitive streak surely won’t hold them back from pursuing such a track.
After Saturday’s loss, Nakase hugged Hammon at midcourt. She was upset by the outcome, and Hammon knew it. That doesn’t mean they’re not “family for life,” Nakase said. That’s what happens when you win a pair of championships together.
For years, the two coaches would call each other in the wee hours of the morning. While the rest of the city was stumbling along the Strip, they were solving problems and reviewing film.
The duo built those championship teams around Wilson.
A star as powerful as Wilson can bend the game to her will. She hit tough turnaround jumpers, set bruising screens, and put back offensive rebounds. Las Vegas pushed the ball in transition to get her the ball in space much more than in the teams’ first meeting, when Golden State limited Wilson to 5-for-13 shooting.
The Valkyries withstood her early onslaught, taking a one-point lead into halftime, but her presence in the paint opened up the court for her teammates on the perimeter, including Jackie Young (30 points). Wilson also got practically half of Golden State’s rotation into foul trouble.
Last year, the Aces lost in the WNBA semifinals after Hammon led them to back-to-back titles. They traded Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and lost Tiffany Hayes and Kate Martin to the Valkyries, but Las Vegas retained Wilson and Chelsea Gray.
Vegas also lost Nakase, and their brain drain is the Valkyries’ gain. But to reach championship heights, Golden State needs a star in its lineup.
Nakase helped the Valkyries survive the stretch of the season in which EuroBasket ate away at a chunk of their roster. She has her players sprinting through actions, sharing the ball, crashing the offensive rebounds, and tracking back in transition.
Nakase’s task in Golden State is the same as it was in Vegas: help build a culture that can win a championship in the franchise’s first five seasons.
The Valkyries are still contending for the playoffs, but they’re starting to leak. A 1-3 road trip dropped their record away from Chase Center to 3-7. The trade deadline is in about five weeks, but it might already be time for reinforcements.
The top eight teams, regardless of conference, qualify for the playoffs. Golden State has a 57.7% chance at reaching the postseason, per ESPN’s basketball power index. Another center or a true scorer — or both — would increase those odds.
Looming collective bargaining agreement negotiations may complicate the trade market, but teams without playoff hopes could still be interested in cashing in veterans for future draft capital.
Could the 6-15 Dallas Wings part with veteran Arike Ogunbowale, a four-time All-Star averaging 16.8 points per game? How about Kamilla Cardoso, the young double-double threat who might be redundant next to Angel Reese in Chicago? Former MVP Tina Charles, 36, is languishing on the league-worst Connecticut Sun. Could there be a way to reunite Nakase with Plum?
A player of Wilson’s caliber won’t be available, at least until free agency, because there’s no one else quite like her. But the Valkyries have already proven that they’re a serious team, and a serious team should be on the hunt for a serious upgrade.
Nakase can’t be the star forever. The Valkyries can speed up the process by acquiring one over the next few weeks, and the franchise could have something special in its first ever season.