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SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries secured a comfortable 74-57 win over the Connecticut Sun to advance to 16-15 on the season. After a subpar first half of 3-point shooting, the Valkyries nailed 10 threes in the second half to take care of business in their final game before another short road trip. Tiffany Hayes, Janelle Salaün, and Cecilia Zandalasini combined for 50 of the Valkyries' 74 points.
But as seamless as Golden State's victory over the Sun was, a few questions linger as the team continues to stay ahead in the race for the 7th and 8th seeds in the playoffs. Here are three lingering questions about the Valkyries' future in the wake of an otherwise textbook win.
Is the free-flowing offense here to stay?
The Valkyries have the highest variance on the offensive side of the ball in the WNBA because of their league-leading 30.2 three-point attempts. It's an approach Natalie Nakase and the Valkyries have preached all season, and in games like these, you can see the logic behind their playstyle. But on nights when the offense can't string together buckets, it's usually because the Valkyries can't find a rhythm beyond the arc.
It's fair to say that the only constant with Golden State's 3-point shooting is the inconsistency, which begs the question: Can the Valkyries be this good from beyond the arc for the rest of the season, or was the shooting just a symptom of playing the worst team in the league?
The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. In her post-game press conference, Hayes talked about the adjustments the team made at halftime to get their offense on track in the second half.
Asked Valkyries’ Tip Hayes about the halftime adjustment on offense that led to 9-three pointers in the 2nd half:
“Just getting into our flow. We were getting stops pretty well it was just the ball was getting stagnant.” pic.twitter.com/DNtkBDBSuU
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) August 12, 2025
“Just getting into our flow,” Hayes stated. “We were getting stops pretty well, it was just that the ball was getting stagnant a little bit. So we were trying to get back into our flow a little bit more. We were driving, and kicking, and hitting our shots tonight. I think that's what was working.”
The key to the Valkyries being more consistent with their shooting lies in the ball movement. That sounds straightforward, and is easier said than done, but the strength of the Valkyries' best scorers relies on the team's passing and playmaking to set up good opportunities. Take Salaün and Zandalasini's big nights. They primarily scored on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
If Golden State can continue to play to their players' strengths, the offense will follow.
Will Natalie Nakase shorten the rotation?
Nakase has described the last couple of matchups as “must-win games,” due to the Valkyries' place in the WNBA standings. Usually, when teams get into the part of the season where every game matters, their rotations shorten. Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbets has already shortened his rotation to eight players in preparation for the postseason.
However, the Valkyries are a much different kind of team in terms of construction. While the Mercury has true stars to lean on and specialist players to plug and play around them, Golden State is very much a win-by-committee team. They gleefully lean in on the fact that all 12 players can see the floor depending on the matchup. But when every game matters, so does every minute, which makes the opportunity cost of playing deep into the bench all the more higher.
In her post-game press conference, Nakase considered the possibility of shortening the rotation.
“It's a lot of variables,” Nakase said. “I'm just literally trying to master every minute, every moment of rest. That's my way of how to evaluate [the rotation]. And then with sub-patterns, it's almost the same thing. I'm literally doing it game by game. It's really just what it's called for.”
Natalie Nakase on the possibility of shortening the Valkyries rotation as the games get more and more important:
“It’s a lot of variables… I’m just literally trying to master every minute, every moment of rest…”
She cited injuries, fatigue, and specific matchups as factors. pic.twitter.com/Thb1EEDLDa
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) August 12, 2025
She cited injuries, fatigue, and foul trouble as ever-changing factors in her decision-making rotation-wise. She also stated that the multiple arduous six-game stretches have been places where she's experimented with the intricacies of the rotation.
“I don't just look at it as, okay, we're going to play eight this game, or we're going to play nine. I got to be ready every minute of the game, every timeout, to see what's working and what's not. Matchups too. So, it's been, for me, being a first-year coach, a great challenge for me.”
For now, the rotation seems like it will remain a game-to-game thing, but how that changes as we get closer to the postseason.
Is a .500 record enough to make the playoffs?
The Valkyries have been teetering just above and just below .500 for most of this season, which remains impressive for an expansion team. That has them floating around the 7th and 8th seeds in the standings with little margin for error. But based on the other teams around them, they might have more wiggle room than you'd think.
Let's take stock of the teams just behind the Valkyries. The Seattle Storm have dropped to 8th due to a five-game losing streak. Valkyries own the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two of them. They also have a 1.0 game lead on the Los Angeles Sparks, another team they have a head-to-head tiebreaker over. And below them, the Washington Mystics seem to have positioned themselves for next season after the Brittney Sykes and Aliyah Edwards trades.
There's even a chance the teams above Golden State could fall in the coming games. Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark just resumed practice. They're another extremely injury-riddled team. And while the Las Vegas Aces have found some momentum thanks to A'ja Wilson, they've been inconsistent all season long.
All of this to say, if the Valkyries can stay near .500, it's not inconceivable they walk into the playoffs in their very first WNBA season. As important as every game is, it's not a win every game or the season's over scenario. It's more of like a don't lose three games in a row, especially to teams close in the standings, scenario.
Bonus! What's up with Violet the Raven's offense?
The Valkyries unveiled their much-anticipated mascot, Violet the Raven, at halftime. But while that Raven can dance, it might take some time for her to develop her offense. She missed her first five layup attempts before finally hitting one on her sixth attempt. Nakase had some advice for Violet moving forward.
“Maybe dunk it,” Nakase joked when told Violet's poor shooting numbers. “How 'bout that? Maybe dunk it. Can't she fly?”
