OAKLAND — The Golden State Valkyries have exceeded expectations through the first half of their inaugural season.
Most experts predicted the Valkyries to finish at the bottom of the league standings, but the expansion team has found itself in the playoff mix.
With 22 games left in the season, the Valkyries are a half-game behind the Las Vegas Aces for the final playoff spot. Should Golden State make the postseason, it would be the first expansion team to make the playoffs in WNBA history.
Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Still, the Valkyries (10-12) have more work to do after losing three straight to enter the All-Star break.
“My expectations were always high for this team, so we’re below my expectations right now,” center Temi Fágbénlé said after Tuesday’s practice in Oakland. “It’s a first-year team, but it’s about day by day. We’re always just trying to get better.”
Here are the biggest storylines going into the second half of the season:
Shooting woes
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase made it clear in training camp that they will not shy away from letting it fly from the 3-point line.
Golden State has stayed true to Nakase’s philosophy, but the Valkyries’ 3-point shooting was inconsistent through the first half of the season.
While they made the fourth-most 3-pointers in the league before the break, the Valkyries shot just 30.7% from deep, which was the second-lowest percentage in the league. Golden State takes a league-high 30.5 3-point shots per game.
“Fatigue hits,” Fágbénlé said. “It was hitting right before the break as well. … But you gotta just try and bring our best each game.”
Guard Tiffany Hayes is having a career year shooting 46% from beyond the arc. However, Italian forward Cecilia Zandalasini is the only other Valkyries player shooting better than 35% from the 3-point line.
Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) takes a shot against Chicago Sky’s Michaela Onyenwere (12) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Can the defense climb to No. 1?
To overcome their shooting woes, the Valkyries have relied on their defense to keep them in and win games.
Golden State finished the first half of the year with the WNBA’s fourth-best defensive rating (98.8 points per 100 possessions) as they held teams to 28.8 points in the paint per game and had the second-best defensive rebound percentage at 72.5%.
Still, that hasn’t been good enough for the Valkyries. Nakase has said throughout the season that the Valkyries want to finish the year No. 1 in team defense.
Golden State certainly has the versatility to do so with Fágbénlé, Hayes, Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings being above-average defenders.
“We’re ahead of the game right now, but we can be more intentional with bringing out the best of our skillset,” Nakase said. “Defensively, we looked up a couple of stats that showed we’re good and bad. We just have to make sure we continue to improve every single day.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Laeticia Amihere (3) grabs a rebound against the Connecticut Sun in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
New frontline depth
While Fágbénlé and Billings proved to be a solid center combo for the Valkyries through the first half of the season, the duo lacked the athleticism to be shot-blocking bigs.
The Valkyries will add that dynamic to their center depth as Iliana Rupert, who was chosen from Atlanta during the expansion draft in December, will join the team for the second half of the season.
After missing the first 22 games to fulfill international commitments, Rupert will make her debut with the Valkyries on Friday against the Dallas Wings. The French center profiles as a shot-blocker who could also help the Valkyries stretch the floor on offense.
“I think my game could fit very well into what the team is doing,” Rupert said Tuesday. “It’s a lot of fast break, a lot of shooting, a lot of movements. That’s what I love the most. When the ball doesn’t really stop and you have to make a lot of reads and shoot the 3s, that’s really what I’m good at.
“I think it makes a huge difference to have a solid blocker. I’m really tall. I have long (arms). I think that will help the team more.”
Time will tell whether Rupert will crack the Valkyries’ rotation, but she is already familiar with Nakase’s coaching style. Rupert won a championship with Nakase with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022 when she was a rookie.
“She looks great already,” Nakase said of Rupert. “A lot of our coaches were already implementing here on film and getting on the floor. She fits right in.”
Iliana Rupert of Team France reacts after a 3-point basket during a semifinal against Team Belgium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Bercy Arena on Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/TNS)
Can the Valkyries make a playoff push?
For the Valkyries, the goal from now to the end of the regular season will be to secure a playoff spot.
The top eight teams in the league will make the playoffs regardless of conference, and the Valkyries are right in the mix.
Golden State has a shot to finish the year strong it has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon.com. The Valkyries will play the Wings three times, the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky twice and the Los Angeles Sparks once – all teams who are currently not in playoff contention.
Despite an All-Star year from Thornton, the Valkyries will need to find another consistent scorer to close games. Thornton had one of her worst shooting stretches in the six games before the All-Star break. The Valkyries went 1-5 in that stretch.
Golden State still has another long trip ahead of it.
After Friday’s game against Dallas, the Valkyries will embark on a five-game road trip that will take them to Connecticut, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago and Las Vegas in a span of seven days.
But now that the Valkyries have clarity with their roster and what they do well on the floor, Golden State is set up to make a playoff push.
“I think this has been a great reset for our team,” guard Kate Martin said. “We have an opportunity to clean up a lot of the things that we did in the first half that we know we could do better in the second half. Now, we have our full team together. So now it’s about being able to gel and make the necessary changes to keep it rolling.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings (25) celebrates after the Golden State Valkyries win against the Chicago Sky at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Originally Published: July 24, 2025 at 5:40 AM PDT
