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SAN FRANCISCO– The Golden State Valkyries were handed devastating injury news ahead of their rematch with the Dallas Wings. The team announced hours before the game that all-star Kayla Thornton will be out for the remainder of the season.
Thornton suffered an injury to her right knee earlier this week in practice and underwent successful surgery earlier today in San Francisco.
Thornton was not on the floor on Wednesday during the open session of the Valkyries' practice. After Wednesday's practice, a reporter asked head coach Natalie Nakase if there was a reason Thornton was not practicing. At the time, Nakase said that Thornton was “Just resting.”
As the Valkyries' first-ever all-star in franchise history, Thornton started in 22 games this season, leading the team with 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. It's a difficult loss for a team attempting to make a playoff push in their very first season, especially since, by all accounts, Golden State considered her the heart and soul of the team.
Earlier this season, after Thornton scored a career-high 29 points in a win over the Chicago Sky, Kate Martin highlighted not only Thornton's significant leap as the primary scorer of the Valkyries but also her character and leadership.
“It goes beyond basketball. She's a tremendous person; she's somebody you want to be around all the time,” Martin said in her postgame press conference. “She's a great leader in the locker room, a great friend.
“And so, it's really fun whenever she's all of that but also a phenomenal basketball player. You can learn a lot from KT and how she plays, and I'm just really glad she's getting all the success that she's getting.”
What does Kayla Thornton's injury mean for Valkyries moving forward?
While season-ending injuries are never timely, Thornton's injury comes right when they need her the most. It's been a difficult July thus far as Golden State has lost five of its last six games, falling to ninth in the standings.
And with another arduous road trip in sight, the Valkyries will have to manage without not only their leading scorer, but also the player who unlocked a lot of Nakase's lineups.
With Thornton's injury, the Valkyries will only have 11 players available moving forward. They can't sign a player outright through a hardship contract because they aren't under the 10-player minimum that would allow them to do so.
The team can potentially move Thornton onto their inactive list, which would allow them to sign someone to their roster to replenish their depth. However, there aren't any obvious free agents right now who could contribute as effectively as Thornton has.
Regardless, Valkyries will have to forge ahead through the second half of the season without their leader to guide them on the court.
