Game 16 preview: Golden State Valkyries vs Seattle Storm, 5:30 PM PDT.

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Table of Contents

• News

  • Life without the Three EuroBasketeers

  • How to watch

  • GSV injury / absence report

• What to expect

  • A game preview

  • Comparative team power rankings

  • Apricot’s season game summaries

    • Apricot’s Valkyries & Basketball Basics videos

  • Oversimplified guide to the Valkyries roster

  • The fate of the EuroBasket substitutes: Laeticia Amihere, Chloe Bibby, Bree Hall, Kaitlyn Chen, Aerial Powers

    • Update: Aerial Powers waived

    • The long answer

    • Into the weeds: it’s easy for GSV to waive any player

News

Life without the Three EuroBasketeers

Here are the games in June where GSV will have 1/3 of the team leaving for Eurobasket.

• June 9 at #11 Los Angeles Sparks (W, OT thriller victory)

• June 14 vs #5 Seattle Storm (W, big lead, close victory)

• June 17 at #13 Dallas Wings (L, out-hustled, faded at end)

• June 19 vs #7 Indiana Fever (W, held Caitlin Clark to zero 3s for only the second time in her career)

• June 22 vs #11 Connecticut Sun (W, blowout win)

• June 25 vs #1 New York Liberty (L, last minute loss)

• June 27 vs #12 Chicago Sky (W, pulled away late)

• June 29 vs #5 Seattle Storm ← YOU ARE HERE

  • Likely Fagbenle return

• July 5 at #2 Minnesota Lynx

  • Probably return of all EuroBasketeers

Expect ferocious fight and heart against the odds, and if we ever get a Full Squad, then they should be able to beat all but the top WNBA teams.

Discussion of the post-Eurobasket cuts are at the end. In short, I still expect all the new additions to be cut and Iliana Rupert to join the team from France, but it’s not certain.

How to watch

• Usually: KPIX+ (Bay Area), KMAX (Sacramento)

  • In the Bay Area, KPIX is channel 5, and KPIX+, the home of Valkyries basketball, is channel 44 (cable 12). In Sacramento, KMAX is channel 31, and KOVR is channel 13.

• Friday games are streamed on ION, available on Fubo and YouTube TV and elsewhere. Be careful, last time ION mis-titled the games on their multiple channels, so try all of them to find the Valkyries.

• WNBA League Pass if you are out of the blackout region. Even if blacked out, in theory the game is available right after the conclusion.

GSV injury / absence report

• Salaun, Vanloo and Zandalasini are officially gone for Eurobasket.

• Fagbenle should be back and ready to play.

• Carla Leite is OUT with a lingering back problem.

  • If I were to guess, I’d say they are going slow with Carla’s back because Kaitlyn Chen has proven to be an adequate backup PG, and it would also be nice for KC to get one more showcase game of 10+ minutes in her last game before they likely cut her.

What to expect

From the Valkyries:

• High energy

• Fast pace, fast breaks

• Aggressive defense trying for on-ball steals and deflected passes

• League-leading three-point shooting (in attempts, definitely not accuracy)

  • We Lose Money On Every Sale, But We Make It Up In Volume™

• Five-out formations, pick and roll, and HORNS formations

• Shifting defensive schemes, occasional 2-3 zone

A game preview

From No Cap Space (which is a name that gets funnier the more you think about it):

Seattle Storm (9-6) vs. Golden State Valkyries (7-7): 8:30 PM ET, League Pass

Why it’s worth a watch: This is one of great narrative games because while it doesn’t make or break anyone’s position in the standings or playoff seeding, it can give us a good week or so of talking points. The Valkyries have been an extremely fun cast of characters and their front office have already staked a legit claim as being one of the best overseas scouting and talent identification departments in the league. Natalie Nakase has been one of the best stories of the year and feels like a coach we’re going to enjoy having in the league for a long time.

Seattle is so much more talented from a roster construction standpoint. Everything points to the idea that they should cruise to a win here. But that just isn’t the Golden State team we’ve become accustomed to watching this year. They regularly meet moments they have no business even glancing at. That’s what makes me excited for this one on a Sunday night.

Comparative team power rankings

Power rankings are all made up, but they are useful to see the conventional wisdom about teams. Here’s one from Swish Appeal:

5. Golden State Valkyries (7-7)

In their inaugural season, the Valkyries have shown flashes of brilliance thanks to elite coaching and experienced veterans. Their commitment to a fast-paced offense and stifling defense has produced some spectacular moments. Usually, expansion teams are a few years behind the rest of the league, but this Valkyries teams looks like a potential playoff team already.

7. Seattle Storm (9-6)

Seattle’s season has been defined by inconsistency, with flashes of their championship pedigree mixed with puzzling losses. Veteran leadership remains strong, but the supporting cast has struggled to find reliable rhythm on both ends of the floor.

Their offense will always be limited due to their poor shooting. Their over-reliance on forcing turnovers on defense to generate good scoring opportunities makes their ceiling lower than other teams with strong records. But, the Storm’s experience gives them the potential to make some noise later in the season, if they can find their groove.

Apricot’s season game summaries

• Game 15 wrap: Valkyries pull away late to put away Chicago Sky; Thornton career-high 29; Chen and Martin in double digits and close game

• Game 14 wrap: Always Close Enough to Hurt™; GSV takes champs NYL to last shot; Kate Martin goes wild, but so do Johannes and Stewart

• Game 13 wrap: GSV fast breaks + 2-3 zone = blowout of CONN

• Game 12 wrap: Shorthanded Valkyries storm back from down 13 to beat Caitlin Clark's Fever going away

• Game 11 wrap: Wings outrebound Valks, pull away late; Amihere and Hayes show promise and pain in return

• Game 10 wrap. Valks blowout Storm, then un-blowout Storm, still win. Always Close Enough To Hurt™

• Game 9 wrap. Leite out of the doghouse, closes out the game with Thornton in OT to beat LA; Salaun pours in 21

• Game 8 wrap. Valkyries blow out #3 Aces and contain MVP A’ja Wilson

• Game 7 wrap: Buddhism teaches us that suffering comes from attachment to material things

• Game 6 wrap: Valkyries even with WNBA Finalists Lynx at half, get blown out in Q4, storm back at end too late

• Game 5 wrap: So close to the upset of the year... Always Close Enough To Hurt™

• Game 4 wrap: Liberty blast Valks early by 25; GSV storms back to within 11, but fade in the fourth

• Game 1 wrap: GSV thrills and fights but can't overcome Plum's record-setting 37

Apricot’s Valkyries & Basketball Basics videos

Oversimplified guide to the Valkyries roster

Four players left through the month of June to participate in Eurobasket (thoroughly explained earlier): Fagbenle, Salaun, Vanloo, Zandalasini. Don’t worry, just four of the most important players. A shooting-starved team is losing their #1, #2, and #4 in threes per game, and Fagbenle is their starting center. This is a huge disruption to a team that has only been together about 1 month. It’s also a big opportunity for everyone staying.

• Starters, slightly scoring challenged but feisty defenders

  • #22 Veronica Burton. Solid point guard, organizes and calls all the plays; outstanding defender and ball-stealer; decent at running pick-and-roll, not quite explosive enough to blow by but can muscle in layups and running hooks.

  • #5 Kayla Thornton. Vet all-around forward. Likes to spot up for corner 3s and get dirty fighting for rebounds everywhere. With Burton is a team leader and organizer. Was WNBA Player of the Week last week! Key bench player for the champion Liberty,

  • #7 Stephanie Talbot.

    • Vet wing who can shoot the 3 (in theory; 15.4% 3P in reality so far).

    • Starting since the Eurobasket exodus.

    • Had been penciled in as starter in preseason, but injuries delayed her debut until Game 3 and she has looked rusty every since.

    • Had been a Did Not Play - Coach Decision until Eurobasket.

    • As a starter, has not been scoring, but did make some sweet passes, spirited steals, and awful turnovers. Had something of a breakout game vs NYL.

  • #0 Carla Leite

    • Youngest at 21 y.o., was 2024-25 EuroCup Finals MVP.

    • Excellent bounce back games after being in Coach Nakase’s doghouse, barely playing in a 4 game stretch before Eurobasket.

    • Some dazzling speed on drives and horrible turnovers. Rookie life.

    • Promised NOT to leave for Eurobasket, a commitment that has won my heart.

    • Might be out for a back injury

  • #25 Monique Billings. Sturdy scorer and rebounding vet, starting to really hit her stride as the screener in pick and roll. Can pop out for 3 or finish through contact.

  • #14 Temi Fágbénlé. Decent scoring, all-around, solid solid vet center. Can run pick and roll and punish mismatches by posting up.

• Entertaining Bench, slightly chaotic

  • #15 Tiffany Hayes.

    • Lightning bug driver, unstoppable in the open court. But this team leader (she spoke at opening day) had a bad nose RE-INJURY and is still wearing a big mask.

    • IND was the first game where she looked comfortable (all year!) and could display both her speedy footwork guarding Caitlin Clark 1-on-1 and also running effective pick and rolls emphasizing her speeding to the rim for layups.

  • #20 Kate Martin. The most popular player, Iowa teammate of Caitlin Clark.

    • Has hit a couple of threes but her finishing at the rim has been difficult

    • Starting to settle in a bit as a shooter and even as a screener for pick-and-pop. Her four 3s put GSV in position for an upset over NYL.

    • Chaotic on defense: some very heads-up rotations, some bad switches.

• Joined as Eurobasket replacements

  • #3 Laeticia Amihere.

    • Indirectly won this spot over Linskens since GSV is going further into smallball, 5-out, run-and-gun style, which needs a more dynamic athlete to run the court. It didn’t hurt that Amihere hit a couple of threes in preseason.

    • She got some minutes vs SEA and GSV featured her in several keeper-actions where she fakes a dribble handoff to a guard and drives. They were a mixed bag of baskets and offensive fouls.

    • In the DAL and IND games, she has been a bright spot, pouring in points and being very assertive on offense. Amihere adds a different dimension to the team, i.e. get me the ball in the paint or downhill on fake handoff and no one can stop me 1-on-1.

    • On defense, she’s finding her place with some highlight blocks and steals. She’s been getting into the flow of rotating as weak side help from the elbow to cover when there is a small defender stuck in the low weak side.

    • On the other hand, in the NYL game she had a couple of very glaring mistakes: going under on a Marine Johannes screen (which led to an open 3 and then microwave hot Marine making two more 3s in a minute) and misplaying Stewart on an end of quarter drive.

  • #55 Chloe Bibby.

    • A decent forward, whose playing time is hard to predict during Eurobasket. Ahead of her for the 3 big/wing positions are Thornton/Billings/Talbot as starters and then Amihere off the bench. That should in theory leave some minutes to be absorbed by Bibby.

    • In theory, Bibby is a good 3P shooter, shooting 35.5% 3P in 5 years of college. At 6-2, 194 lbs, she guarded bigs credibly if not dominantly.

    • In her debut vs IND, she took up the Talbot minutes and added important points off of pick-and-pop plays on the wing, shooting with a Salaun-like lack of conscience. Hit some more shots vs CON.

  • #2 Kaitlyn Chen. A decent, smart point guard. Chen was, by applause, *the* most popular player in the preseason games, even surpassing Kate Martin. However, she would be behind in the guard depth chart: Hayes, Burton, Vanloo, Leite for sure; and Kate Martin is there to absorb all remaining guard minutes. So there isn’t normally a place in the rotation. With Hayes and Vanloo out, we still have Burton/Leite and Powers/Martin ahead of Chen in the rotation. But if there’s foul trouble (or garbage time), we could see Chen.

    • Update: Leite was held out of the CON game (for I suspect back injury rest). Chen got 21 minutes in a blowout. But a lot of those were real minutes, as she debuted at the start of the 2nd quarter.

    • Chen played real minutes vs NYL. She fought on defense and didn’t turn the ball over on offense. She then not only played real minutes vs CHI, but also closed a tight game!

  • #21 Bree Hall. Guard signed presumably for the duration of the Eurobasket absences. Bree was a champ with South Carolina and was a 2025 2nd rd pick by IND, who promptly cut her after 1 game.

• Away for Eurobasket

  • #24 Cecilia Zandalasini. Another vet wing who can shoot the 3. Has been out all training camp with right foot issue but came into the Liberty game and hit big shots. She was given the last shot to tie the Liberty game, so Nakase believes in her.

  • #35 Julie Vanloo. Goddess of Chaos, inventive and ambitious playmaker guard. Wild with the ball (5+ TOV per 36 minutes) but also makes wild positive plays. A little shaky on defense so far.

  • #13 Janelle Salaün, Fresh off an Italian League Finals MVP, she joined GSV in Game 2 and hasn’t stopped shooting since. She’s reportedly headed for Eurobasket for June so enjoy her while you can.

The fate of the EuroBasket substitutes: Laeticia Amihere, Chloe Bibby, Bree Hall, Kaitlyn Chen, Aerial Powers

DubsNerd asked:

Any thoughts who will be dropped when Temi returns? I was thinking Bibby, but with Linskens gone they still need size, and she is able to hit a 3. So, maybe Ariel or Bree? In any case, I'm not about to second guess Ohemaa at this point, she's done a great job finding players that can fit what Nakase wants to do.

A good question. The short answer is Aerial Powers or Bree Hall are last on the depth chart and I expect them to go first.

Update: Aerial Powers waived

The Valkyries announced 2025-06-25 that guard Aerial Powers has been waived. Powers appeared in two games for Golden State, tallying two points, two rebounds and one assists in seven total minutes of action.

Athlon:

An hour after the news was released, Powers quote-tweeted the Valkyries' post on X to express her gratitude for her experience.

"This chapter may have ended, but God’s plan for me hasn’t," Powers said. "I gave my all and walked away with memories, growth, and gratitude. To the @valkyries thank you for the opportunity. 💜 What you’re building is amazing, and I was grateful to be part of it.

"To the fans who welcomed me with open arms …your love did not go unnoticed. I’m thankful for every message, cheer, and moment. 💜To the ones who supported me through the highs and lows … I see you and I feel your love. 💜💜. I’m proud of the work I put in and even prouder of the woman I’m becoming. The journey doesn’t stop here."

The long answer

The long answer is, here is a list of Valkyries on the bubble, ordered by raw number of minutes played.

1. Amihere

2. Bibby

3. Chen

4. Powers

5. Hall

They are taking the roster spots of the 4 Eurobasketeers and Linskens.

Since Linskens was waived, that leaves exactly one spot for 5 of them. You could squeeze out another spot by waiving Talbot, who has been improving with the more regular playing time, or someone else.

Also complicating things is the rumor that Iliana Rupert, who has been crushing it with France alongside Salaun, will join GSV after EuroBasket. She would take that one spot and leave all 5 out in the cold.

I might be slightly overreacting to recent games, but having watched GSV’s gimmick defenses try to guard the bigs Stewart and Boston, I am now guessing (I have no sources) that we’ll see a straightforward return of the Eurobasketeers plus Rupert and all the EuroSubs will be waived.

Iliana Rupert is 6-4 and can hit the three (shooting 72%!! from 3 in EuroBasket, which I know is unsustainable but in general has decent 3P%) and might have a chance to single cover elite bigs or at least avoid the “swarming wall of gnats” defense that GSV rolled out against Stew. No one else on GSV can do it except maybe Fagbenle. Rupert has decent post game too.

So in short, at least in theory she can pick and pop like Bibby, score over mismatches in the post like LA, and is 1 inches taller than LA. She’s arguably (with Salaun) one of the two best players on a Top 2 national team in Europe.

If we had 15 player rosters, I’d love to keep LA, Bibby and Chen. But we don’t.

It is possible that Talbot could be on the bubble, and could be outplayed by Bibby or LA. Plus Talbot will be an unrestricted free agent and Bibby / LA would be reserved free agents, and reserved is better for the team.

But I now don’t see Rupert skipping the year, from the GSV perspective. The team is clearly ready to compete for a playoff spot and maybe even make a run. What better way to make GSV attractive to next year’s top free agents than to be a SUCCESSFUL, thrilling, popular, well-coached team that just needs one more elite piece?

Arnold wrote:

If Rupert does play this season, does she start? Or does she come off the bench behind Temi?

Would really hate to lose Amihere as she has some physical traits that are not easy to find. Combination of elite length, agility, and competitiveness - she fits Nakase-ball.

My best guess is Rupert will come off the bench as Temi has a better grasp of the schemes and chemistry with teammates and is the incumbent. Then they will experiment with twin towers lineups. Then if GSV needs a shakeup, they try Rupert as a starter.

I like Amihere's positives: her offensive boldness, inside power game and decent driving. She has made some great blocks and steals too. If she goes, I believe it will be because she's too wild and chaotic defensively. Nakase-ball at heart is about being the best defense.

Into the weeds: it’s easy for GSV to waive any player

The team hasn’t announced the exact type of contract of any of the players. The WNBA has listed every one as a “rest of season” contract, but we’ve noted that WNBA.com has been wrong before. Thus, no one knows if these are hardship or just normal rest-of-season contracts like WNBA.com says. I suspect they are rest-of-season contracts, because that gives max flexibility about what to pay the players.

Julia Velson wrote on 2025-06-25:

None of the GSV recently added players are hardship contracts. A hardship is granted by the league when a team has less than 10 available players AND no salary cap room. The hardship exemption is an exemption to the salary cap. These contracts end when the team has 10 or more of its non-hardship players available. Contracts (hardship or not) signed after the beginning of the season and before the midpointvare defined in the CBA ad "rest of season". This language is not about the term of the contract, it is about how the salary is calculated. It is calculated as a pro-ration of the full season minimum.

As I understand it, to waive the rest-of-season contract, you just do it whenever you want and the salary cap impact is only the amount already paid because the contracts are usually not guaranteed. Because GSV has so much salary cap, this is not a concern.

Thus, effectively there is no zero difference in difficulty of waiving between any of the hardship, replacement or rest-of-season contracts. The players will all be waived or not depending on their performance, team needs and most importantly, roster spots.

The main constraint is roster numbers. The pre-EuroB roster was full at 12. Linskens was waived, which puts the roster at 11. So there’s space to keep one more player.