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As a first-year expansion franchise, the Golden State Valkyries have unsurprisingly undergone more midseason roster moves and lineup changes than any other team this season. Yet through the seemingly constant changes throughout the first half of the season, coach Natalie Nakase and the organization focused on adaptability and embraced a “next player up” mentality.
But for all the Valkyries’ resiliency so far, losing leading scorer Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury, as the team announced Friday, will demand the most substantial recalibration yet.
“We cannot replace KT,” Nakase said. “It’s impossible.”
In the face of the emotional blow, the Valkyries had a quick turnaround to rally for their 7:00 p.m. tipoff against Dallas on Friday night. The team, now 11-12, came together for a much-needed 86-76 win over Paige Bueckers and the visiting Wings, behind five players scoring in double-figures.
The 10-point margin not only ended Golden State’s three-game losing streak and kept it square with the Washington Mystics in the hunt for a low-seed playoff bid, but it offered a glimpse into how the Valkyries could win moving forward.
At first, it appeared as if the Valkyries were on track to compound the brutal loss of Thornton even further by shooting 17.6% and scoring just 10 points in the first quarter. But a strong second quarter followed by a 33-point surge in the third went beyond a simple “next player up” response — it was an all-hands, collective effort.
French rookie Janelle Salaün’s performance ranked among her most impactful of the season as she scored 16 points and added seven rebounds. Her output reflected just how deep her offensive toolbox is — converting transition buckets, drilling the corner three-ball, and driving through traffic in the paint for an and-one finish.
Cecilia Zandalasini, stepping into the starting lineup in place of Thornton, added 10 points and knocked down two-of-four attempts from beyond-the-arc. Both Salaün and Zandalasini were natural candidates to absorb a greater share of the offensive load in wake of Thornton’s absence, mostly because the two are the closest to Thornton positionally as versatile wing players.
In their first test, they rose to the moment.
It was Tiffany Hayes, the Valkyries’ most experienced WNBA player, that led her team in scoring for the night with 17 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Hayes’ impact went far beyond the box score as she filled the leadership void, bringing the kind of vocal presence and encouragement that Thornton was so often relied on for — her performance was as much about tone-setting as it was bucket-getting.
“Tiff is a vet, a selfless vet, that we can always lean on,” Nakase said postgame. “She’s not one of those leaders that has to ‘ra, ra, ra’ she just talks when necessary and I thought she did a great job tonight.”
One of the night’s highlights was Golden State’s third quarter swing, led by its newly completed French trio. Salaün, Carla Leite, and Iliana Rupert, making her Valkyries debut after joining the team from France for the second half of the season, put on a show that brought the Chase Center crowd to its feet, combining for 24 points to lead the third quarter output for the violet and black.
Leite’s aggression off the dribble through the paint supplied 14 points off the bench, and reinforced the strength of the Valkyries’ backcourt rotation as starter Veronica Burton, who played well defensively, did not convert a single field goal for the game.
As for the highly anticipated Rupert introduction, the 6-foot-4 French center’s back-to-back triples not only energized the crowd, they signaled a new dimension for Golden State’s offense: a floor-spacing big with the ability to pull opposing defenders out of the paint. Rupert’s range, coupled with starting center Temi Fágbénlé’s playmaking ability, provides the Valkyries a valuable new wrinkle.
All those positives made for a feel-good win in front of the Valkyries home crowd.
But when it came time to celebrate, reality set in.
That was a second-to-last Dallas team Golden State defeated and the pain from losing Thornton still very much exists. Even if Salaün or Rupert or Zandalasini can step up, there are still question marks surrounding how the Valkyries navigate her absence.
The 6-foot-1 forward had been the focal point of the offense, starting all 22 games prior to the injury and leading the team in scoring with 14.0 points on 12.5 shots from the field per game. She was also Golden State’s top rebounder (7.0) and led the team in steals (1.3) per game.
Nakase shared the devastation she and her team are feeling.
“KT is a huge part of who we are, what we stand for, and where we are today. She’s our leader, she has a massive presence,” Nakase said. “All I could say now is how we feel, we’re in pain.”
Nakase declined to specify the nature of Thornton’s knee injury — whether it involved the meniscus, ACL, or another ligament. Rehabilitation timelines would vary significantly depending on the diagnosis.
Losing a team’s best player is never easy, but this timing in particular, adds to the blow. Friday’s win and a 1-0 head-to-head advantage nudged the Valkyries just in front of the Mystics in the (very fluid) race for the final playoff seed, but now, a five-game, eight-day, 10-flight road trip stands ahead.
For a team still in search of a landmark win outside of Chase Center — they are 3-8 on the road — this is a critical stretch that could very well define the trajectory of the Valkyries’ season. The team will take off to play at Connecticut, Atlanta, Washington, and Chicago, before rounding out their road stint in Las Vegas. And without Thornton, the outlook is sobering.
Realistically, the Valkyries’ best-case scenario would be a 2-3 mark, but a 1-4 — or worse — skid would complicate their path to postseason contention.
Golden State’s upcoming road trip could prove pivotal, not only in shaping or crushing its playoff hopes, but potentially in prompting a roster decision from general manager Ohemaa Nyanin to help the team keep on track with its vision after Thornton’s injury.
With the August 7 WNBA trade deadline approaching, it’s fair to wonder whether Nyanin and Nakase see an opportunity to engage in the trade or free agent markets and seek a potential upgrade for a team that has far exceeded the expectations typically attached to expansion franchises. Regardless of how management proceeds, Valkyries players remain locked in on the games ahead.
“People come and go, that’s just kind of the name of the game and injuries are part of the game unfortunately, so it is the next woman up mentality,” said Kate Martin, who was a surprising omission from Nakase’s rotation on Friday. “We want to make KT proud and do everything in our power to keep pushing and continue our success.”