GSV drafts Justė Jocytė at #5, Shyanne Sellers at #17, Kaitlyn Chen at #30

a high-ceiling high-risk prodigy, a top pick falling due to injury, a national champion starter

Don’t miss the index for the entire 2025 Valkyries Draft series.

General overview

GSV leaned into getting the most possible value from the draft picks by leaning into their team patience.

Jocyte is a widely admired 19 year old prodigy who has been playing pro basketball since she was 15. I did not exactly predict this pick at #5, but I guess compared to a lot of observers, I did. This is a typical reaction to the pick:

• Golden State Valkyries Stun the World by Picking Obscure Lithuanian Player Justė Jocytė In Their First WNBA Draft

In contrast, Valkyrie Nation had a special scouting report.

• Kiki Iriafen or ultra-hyped Juste Jocyte?

Yes, in general she was not widely projected to GSV nor did she attend the WNBA Draft (I’m not sure if she was invited). Why not? First, she only became draft eligible due to a legal ruling in the couple of months. Second, she’s only 19 (US players have to be 22 to be eligible for the WNBA Draft). And third, she’s very committed to her Eurobasket team. So she may not be on the team much for the next year and she may take time to grow. But GSV can afford to invest long-term in a way that other teams can’t. It’s an investment. She’s the most hyped international prospect in a while. Think: Luka Doncic before the draft.

As for Shyanne Sellers, some mocked Sellers to GSV at #5! She fell all the way to #17 and was there for GSV anyway. She fell because Sellers had a knee injury that seems to have scared everyone off, but GSV can afford to wait for her to heal.

Kaitlyn Chen was the #30 pick. She’s a Californian Taiwanese-American who was an important role player and starting guard for the national champions UConn. Most 3rd round picks have a tough time making a WNBA roster, but GSV has spots to fill…

Now for some highlights and at the end, my live commentary.

Juste Jocyte at #5

Sabreena Merchant: Grading the Jocytė pick

Justė Jocytė, Golden State Valkyries: B+

Golden State continues to double down on European players in its inaugural season, taking the Lithuanian wing who has been a professional since she was 14 years old. Jocytė is only 19 and has the star upside an expansion team needs with her ability to run offense and shoot the ball. It remains unclear how the Valkyries will field a team during EuroBasket, but love the commitment to taking advantage of the international pool of talent.

‪Marisa Ingemi‬ ‪@mingemi.bsky.social‬:

Don't expect Jocyte in the U.S. soon -- EuroBasket is this summer. “The national team is always my priority,” she said to the FIBA Basketball website. “If the WNBA told me I couldn’t leave and had to choose, I’d undoubtedly pick the national team.”

Refugium found these highlights:

Shayanne Sellers at #17

Sabreena Merchant· Something to keep an eye on: how far does Shyanne Sellers drop? The Maryland product was projected to be a first-rounder in every available mock draft, but is still waiting at pick No. 17. Some general managers had expressed concern with Sellers' knee, as she missed some games for the Terrapins during her senior season, but this fall is surprising.

Chantel Jennings· Good spot for Sellers

A prediction (that's probably not so bold): Shyanne Sellers is going to be this year's example of a player who benefitted from falling in the draft and the perfect explanation of why fit not draft spot is the most important indicator for a lot of draft picks in the WNBA. With the Valkyries, Sellers is going to have an opportunity to play as a rookie and establish herself as a reliable player in this league. I've enjoyed watching her play in the Big Ten during the past few seasons, and despite a knee injury this year, I think she could have a long career in the W.

Also, talk about a big week for Shyanne Sellers. She proposed to her girlfriend, Seton Hall and former Maryland player Faith Masonius, and then gets drafted into the W.

Kaitlyn Chen at #30

DubsNerd adds:

Had to dig around some, but I remember reading about her last year when she was a senior at Princeton:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5359156/2024/03/22/princeton-kaitlyn-chen-ncaa-tournament-thesis/

Just two days before the start of the Ivy League tournament, Princeton star Kaitlyn Chen turned in a draft of her senior thesis. A medical anthropology major, Chen is writing on the relationship between sports and meritocracy. More specifically, she’s researching how socioeconomic status influences accessibility to certain sports, and how that translates to college athletics recruiting. She admits, rather humbly, that she is still figuring out parts of her argument, such as how to square the financial barriers athletes have growing up with the hard work they put in. She’s written about 70 pages. “I’ve still got a lot of editing,” she said. “Stuff to take out and put in.”

Apricot’s live commentary

• In the NBA draft, the picks take time because teams are making each other trade offers up to the last second. But in the WNBA, teams aren’t allowed to trade picks on draft day. So IN THEORY that means the picks could come more quickly.

• In reality, #2 pick is taking an eternity when it was decided days ago

• GS Valkyries have the #5 pick in a four player draft. I think if any of Citron, Malonga, Iriafen fall to #5, then GSV grabs them. Otherwise it’s pretty open.

  And it’s Malonga at #2, the dunking phenom

• This is it.... Aneesah Morrow, Shyanne Sellers, Justė Jocytė or even Hailey van Lith to GSV at #5 ??

• JUSTE JOCYTE

• haha, I definitely did not [predict this], but at least I considered her a very serious option

• On drafting short guards: Amoore is off the board, but Hailey Van Lith is still on the board!!

• GSV picking at #17. #10 on the clock. Big names still on the board:

  Shyanne Sellers

  Hailey Van Lith

  Te-Hina Paopao

  Maddy Westbeld

  Sedona Prince (controversial)

  Serena Sundell

  Oops, Van Lith gone at #10

• Woohoo LVA drafts Nye at #13, the first pick who's not an official invitee. That leaves more choices for GSV at #17. Getting close. Still available of the invitees after #14:

  Shyanne Sellers

  Te-Hina Paopao

  Serena Sundell

  Sania Feagin

  Sellers was mocked by some to GSV at #5.

• Okay... at #17 all four are still available. I figure GSV has to grab Sellers, right?

• #17 SHYANNE SELLERS TO GSV

  Some mocked her to GSV at #5, fell to #17. The Jocyte / Sellers draft reminds me of the Kuminga / Moody draft in a lot of ways.

• Sellers had a knee injury that seems to have scared everyone off, but GSV can afford to wait for her to heal.

• Thanks, I'll put these in the write-up

• No, it was a silly joke from Cohen about how MIN loves British players

• Only the most dedicated will stick around for the last GSV pick at #30. But for the record, these are the top mocked players still available:

  Sedona Prince (controversial)

  Rayah Marshall

  JJ Quinerly

  Gianna Kneepkens

  Janiah Barker

  Or does GSV go for another international youngster?

• ‪Marisa Ingemi‬ ‪@mingemi.bsky.social‬

  [[

  At No. 30, the Valkyries use their third round pick to select Kaitlyn Chen

  UConn national champion, former Ivy League sharpshooter, 115 assists this season, California native.

  ]]

• She's 5-9 for people who care about that...