In only their second year of existence, the Golden State Valkyries have secured a playoff berth with a 25-9 record, positioning themselves as genuine WNBA title contenders. What makes their ascent remarkable is not the presence of a singular, transcendent star, but the quiet accumulation of collective growth — depth, continuity, and players discovering fuller versions of themselves. They are a franchise that arrived with a promise and has, so far, kept it ahead of schedule, though the postseason will ask harder questions than the regular season ever does.
Valkyries Clinch Playoff Berth; Golden State Eyes Title Despite Lacking Superstar
They've done it without building a superteam.
Mark
So they made the playoffs for the second year in a row. That's the headline, right?
Mimi
It is, but the real story is how they did it. They don't have a superstar. They built this through continuity and depth.
Luke
Wait—Gabby Williams is playing at a high level. Is she not a star?
Mimi
She's an excellent player, but she wasn't known as a scorer until this year. She was a defender first. Now she's doing both.
Mark
And that's unusual?
Mimi
For her, yes. Her three-point percentage jumped from under 30 percent to 34 percent. Her usage rate nearly doubled.
Luke
But the source doesn't say whether that's sustainable. One good season doesn't mean she can do this in the playoffs.
Mark
What about Veronica Burton? She won Most Improved Player last year.
Mimi
She's averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 assists. She's been consistent, which is the point—no one person is carrying them.
Luke
Right, but the article itself says that's a problem. It says neither Williams nor Burton has shown they can win a series alone.
Mark
So they might hit a wall in the playoffs?
Mimi
That's the open question. The regular season and playoffs are different. You need either a superstar or a very deep, balanced team.
Luke
And they're betting on the second approach.
Mimi
Exactly. It's worked so far. Whether it works in a seven-game series against a team with a generational talent—that's what we'll find out.
Der Puls
- The Valkyries clinched their second straight playoff berth Monday, sitting second in the entire league with a 25-9 record — a pace no expansion franchise in WNBA history has matched.
- Gabby Williams, once confined to a defensive role, is now shooting 34.2% from three and operating with a usage rate nearly 10 points above her career average, signaling a player who has been given permission to become more.
- Veronica Burton and Janelle Salaün have reinforced that Golden State's 2025 breakout was no fluke — their continued production makes this a team built on sustainable growth, not a single fortunate season.
- The looming tension is real: playoff basketball rewards star power, and the 2025 postseason showed what a generational talent like A'ja Wilson can do to even well-constructed rosters.
- The Valkyries have earned their seat at the table — but whether their model of collective excellence can survive the brutal arithmetic of a playoff series remains the defining question ahead.
In only their second year of existence, the Golden State Valkyries have secured a playoff berth with a 25-9 record, positioning themselves as genuine WNBA title contenders. What makes their ascent remarkable is not the presence of a singular, transcendent star, but the quiet accumulation of collective growth — depth, continuity, and players discovering fuller versions of themselves. They are a franchise that arrived with a promise and has, so far, kept it ahead of schedule, though the postseason will ask harder questions than the regular season ever does.
The Golden State Valkyries clinched a playoff spot Monday with a win over Dallas, finishing 25-9 and sitting second in the league behind only Minnesota. For a franchise that did not exist three years ago, the achievement carries a particular weight — this is their second consecutive postseason appearance, and they are no longer merely a feel-good expansion story. They are a contender.
Owner Joe Lacob promised a championship within five years of the team's 2023 announcement. The Valkyries are running ahead of that timeline. Their inaugural 2024 season produced 23 wins and an immediate playoff berth — feats no WNBA expansion team had ever accomplished. Now in year two, they have built genuine title credibility without leaning on marquee acquisitions or superteam construction.
The engine of that credibility is Gabby Williams. The 29-year-old wing came to Golden State from Seattle with a reputation built almost entirely on defense. In her new home, she has been asked to score — and she has answered. Her three-point percentage has climbed to 34.2%, and her usage rate has surged nearly 10 points above her career average. As teammate Veronica Burton noted, Williams had simply accepted a smaller offensive role elsewhere because of her defensive value; given room to expand, she has done so without hesitation.
Burton herself, the reigning Most Improved Player, is averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 assists, confirming her 2025 breakout was no accident. Second-year forward Janelle Salaün is shooting nearly 40% from three off the bench and scoring 13.0 points per game. The Valkyries have grown together rather than imported greatness.
But the postseason is a different arena. The 2025 playoffs were a reminder that series outcomes often hinge on singular brilliance — Las Vegas prevailed in large part because A'ja Wilson was playing at a historic level. Williams and Burton are excellent; neither has yet shown the capacity to carry a team through a series on individual will alone. If Golden State's balanced model meets its ceiling in the playoffs, harder conversations will follow. For now, though, they have made good on a promise — and the table they've earned a seat at is a real one.
The Golden State Valkyries locked up their playoff spot on Monday with a victory over Dallas, securing a top-eight finish and a 25-9 record that places them second in the league standings, behind only Minnesota. It marks the second consecutive postseason appearance for a franchise that, three years ago, did not exist.
When owner Joe Lacob announced the Valkyries in 2023, he promised a championship within five years. The team has already exceeded the most optimistic early projections. In their inaugural 2024 season, Golden State won 23 games—more than any other WNBA expansion team in history—and made the playoffs immediately, a feat no expansion franchise had accomplished before. Now, in their second year, they are not merely a playoff team but a genuine contender, and they have built that contention without assembling a roster of household names or marquee acquisitions.
The architect of this success is Gabby Williams, a 29-year-old wing who arrived from Seattle with a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders. She earned her first All-Star selection in 2025 while with the Storm, but her role there was narrowly defined. In Golden State, she has been asked to do something different: score. Williams, who shot below 30 percent from three-point range for her career, is now connecting on 34.2 percent of her attempts from deep. Her usage rate—the percentage of team possessions she is involved in—has jumped to 29.3 percent, nearly 10 percentage points higher than her career average. Teammate Veronica Burton observed that Williams had previously accepted a smaller offensive burden because of her defensive value, but now that she has been given permission to expand her game, she has done so with ease.
Burton herself has been central to the Valkyries' rise. The reigning Most Improved Player is averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 assists, proving that her breakout 2025 season was not a one-year anomaly. Janelle Salaün, a second-year forward who earned All-Rookie honors, is shooting nearly 40 percent from three while coming off the bench and ranking second on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game. The Valkyries have succeeded through depth, continuity, and the collective growth of their core players rather than through the addition of a transcendent individual talent.
But the regular season and the playoffs are different competitions. A playoff series often turns on which team has more star power, and the 2025 postseason illustrated this starkly: Las Vegas won largely because A'ja Wilson, a generational talent, was playing at a historic level. Williams and Burton are both excellent players, but neither has yet demonstrated the ability to carry a team through a series on sheer individual brilliance. If Golden State hits a ceiling in the postseason, the front office will face uncomfortable questions about whether their model of balanced scoring and defensive intensity can overcome the raw talent advantage that other contenders possess. For now, though, the Valkyries have earned their seat at the table.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
She had to take on a role that didn't require her to score as much, and she did that with a lot of grace. So it's been cool to see her now that she has been asked to score more.— Veronica Burton, teammate, to ESPN
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