No one expected the Golden State Valkyries to make the playoffs.
ESPN projected the Valkyries to be the worst team in the WNBA.
The Athletic projected they’d be the third-worst.
But those projections were way off. Instead, Golden State is on track to finish the season with the league’s 6th-best record, securing a playoff spot with a week to spare. It’s a better record than the Seattle Storm, who are headlined by veteran All-Stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, and Gabby Williams. It’s a better record than the Kelsey Plum-led Los Angeles Sparks, and the Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah-Boston led Indiana Fever.
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The success has come despite the fact that their only first-round 2025 draft pick, Juste Joyce, remained overseas this season.
It’s come despite the fact that their leading scorer, Kayla Thornton, suffered a season-ending injury midway through the year.
It’s come despite the fact that they mostly whiffed in free agency, securing only one big name (Tiffany Hayes).
And, though we’ll never be able to pinpoint exactly why Golden State has outplayed so many other teams this season, much of the credit has to go to their thoroughly-prepared head coach, Natalie Nakase.
It’s clear that Natalie Nakase has put together an incredible rookie coaching season
As media members, it can be tough to evaluate coaching. We’re not in the locker room at halftime or in the film room at practice. And, we can’t always glean how much poor execution is due to the staff and how much is simply the players struggling to implement concepts that were effectively presented.
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But oftentimes, it’s something you can feel – how players respond when a coach pulls them to the sidelines, the authenticity with which they gush about their coach to the press when given the opportunity.
On the Valkyries, Veronica Burton plays with a joy she’s never exhibited in the WNBA. She plays freely. Rookies Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün don’t often present as first-year players.
Nearly the entire Valkyries roster is overachieving. Burton is the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player, having upped her average from 3.1 to 12 points per game. Cecilia Zandalasini has upped her average from 4.6 to 11.2 points per game. Leite and Salaün are adjusting to the WNBA beautifully.
And the Valkyries are winning. That’s the most important thing.
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They’ve won more games than any expansion team in WNBA history, and everyone has taken notice.
In talking to people around the league, there’s a strong sentiment that a ton of Golden State’s success should be tied to their head coach.
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve — one of the winningest coaches in WNBA history — recently praised what the Valkyries have been able to do under Nakase in a pregame press conference.
“When you combine a level of compete with talent and buy-in, that’s the most dangerous thing you can get,” Reeve said.
And in an interview with the Chicago Tribune last week, when Angel Reese sounded off about her own team’s level of compete, she used the Valkyries as a reference point.
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“Watching Golden State — no offense, but I don’t think they’re more talented than us on paper,” Reese said. “But they play hard as hell.”
The Valkyries are 23-19 this season; the Sky are 10-32.
Becky Hammon, Cheryl Reeve, and Karl Smesko are all deserving candidates, too
In addition to Nakase, I considered three other candidates for this award:
All three coaches had outstanding seasons, and all three led their teams to Top 3 finishes. Coach of the Year is an award that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Historically, this award is given to a coach who exceeds expectations, an interpretation that would benefit both Nakase and Smesko (the Lynx and Aces both have MVP candidates and are fresh off Finals appearances).
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Smesko and the Dream currently have the 3rd-best record in the WNBA, and have made a massive leap from last season, when they had the 7th-best record. Some of that is the team’s new systems, and some of the improvements can be linked to offseason acquisitions Dream forward Naz Hillmon has gone to the media to make Smesko’s COTY case:
“I don’t think I’ve heard enough noise about that, honestly,” she said, delving into how much the Dream exceeded expectations this season.
Then, there’s Cheryl Reeve. The Lynx have been the most dominant team in the WNBA this season – owners of the league’s best record (32-9) and point differential (9.8). While the Lynx are led by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, it’s Reeve who has found a way to empower everyone on the roster, from spark plug Natisha Hiedeman to defensive anchor Alanna Smith.
That being said, Reeve was already awarded for that ability to maximize a roster led by role players that were bought in last season, when she collected her fourth Coach of the Year honor.
There’s also Becky Hammon, who has overseen a ridiculous in-season turnaround that saw the Aces rattle off 14 straight wins after finding themselves a .500 team midseason. Hammon has previously been rewarded for her coaching once, in 2022, and there’s a strong case to be made that she deserves to be in the conversation once again: the Aces don’t have depth rivalling other contending teams, and Hammon helped keep the team together after such a difficult early start.
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But, while Reeve, Hammon, and Smesko have all put together coaching seasons to be proud of — and deserve to be recognized — this award typically favors those who exceed expectations and maximize a roster with limitations.
As such, Nakase — who led a team full of bench players and overseas players to the playoffs — is the no-brainer selection here.
This week, senior WNBA writer Noa Dalzell is unveiling her selections for all of the WNBA awards: Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Most Valuable Player, Sixth Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, the All-WNBA team, the All-Rookie team, and the All-Defense team. In each article, Noa shares her reasoning behind the selections.
