The Valkyries are in a great position for a franchise that just tipped off its second season in the WNBA. After last season’s historic playoff run, they added Gabby Williams, a one-time All-Star who fits the team’s identity perfectly, and are once again in the position to make the postseason. Their defense is as strong as ever, and their offense looks much improved.Â
But the Valkyries are still missing something: a go-to offensive star, an All-WNBA caliber player, maybe even an MVP candidate. Their last two losses, especially an 84-79 defeat at the hands of the defending champions, made that very clear.Â
Someone like that is rumoured to become available after this season. Napheesa Collier only signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Lynx, which sparked speculations about her desire to play elsewhere once she’s recovered from the ankle surgeries that still have her sidelined. Cheryl Reeve and Olivia Miles are doing everything they can to keep Minnesota’s appeal alive for Collier, but she could also accomplish great things with the Valkyries and her former UConn teammate.Â
The Valkyries sorely missed a go-to star in the last two games
The Valkyries 87-84 loss to the Lynx came down to the wire. Down three, Natalie Nakase drew up a play for Cecilia Zandalasini. The Italian star got a solid look, but missed it.Â
Zandalasini is not a bad choice for a game-tying shot with the clock winding down. She proved over and over again that she could hit big shots last season. But just imagine how much more confident you’d be going into that situation with an MVP candidate to take the final shot. Collier may not seem like a go-to option for a must-make 3-pointer, but she shot 40.3% from long range last season.Â
The Valkyries also did a good job hanging with the star-studded Aces. They overcame a 12-point deficit and had a one-point lead with just 52.3 seconds left in the game. Becky Hammon has the luxury of having several multi-time All-Stars and a four-time MVP on the court to handle clutch situations—and they did. Jackie Young got the ball to A’ja Wilson, who hit a turnaround jumper to give the Aces the lead.Â
Veronica Burton took the lead back with a layup on the other end, but Young hit a big 3-pointer, and when she fouled Burton on the other end, the reigning MIP missed a free throw to tie the game with 9.9 seconds left.Â
Once again, it would have been great to have another proven star to match the Aces’ trio of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. The Valkyries have great players Nakase trusts, but no one who can quite rival the force that is the Aces’ big three.Â
Napheesa Collier would be a great fit in the Valkyries’ system
Everything the Valkyries do revolves around their defense. Collier could fit into that system seamlessly. She was, after all, the 2024 DPOY and has four All-Defensive Team selections on her resume.Â
Offensively, Collier can do a little bit of everything from scoring in the paint to knocking down threes to dishing out assists. She does it efficiently, too. Collier joined the exclusive 50-40-90 club last season.Â
With Collier’s defensive contributions and another go-to offensive option, the Valkyries could quickly go from a gritty playoff team no one really wants to play to a legitimate title contender.Â
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