Kayla Thornton has established herself as a key cog in the Golden State Valkyries system throughout the 2026 season. However, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Natalie Nakase limited the talented forward to around seven minutes of action. The Valkyries head coach has already proven she is willing to decimate a player's role, regardless of past contributions, if it propels her team to victory. And the formula has yet to fail her.
Despite winning Sixth Player of the Year, Janelle Salaün became an expendable piece of Nakase's arsenal after failing to replicate her regular-season form in the Valkyries' first-round series against the Dallas Wings. After recording 30 minutes in the team's 108-100 overtime defeat to Dallas, the 25-year-old featured for just eight minutes in Game 3. Golden State subsequently clinched the series wia 77-73 victory.
Unfortunately for Salaün, Nakase was validated further for pushing the second-year star down the pecking order as the Valkyries swept the Las Vegas Aces in the playoff semifinals. Salaün averaged 6.7 minutes per game in the series and accumulated seven points over the three fixtures.
Kayla Thornton may not have been in the discussion for any of the major individual awards, but Natalie Nakase clearly trusted the 2025 All-Star throughout the regular season and beyond. However, Nakase's championship motivations are clear. Her tactical beliefs outweigh loyalty to her players, and Thornton has already had a taster of her coach's uncompromising approach.
Thornton failed her WNBA Finals audition
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals didn't disappoint. The build-up was electric, the iconic "Ballhalla" atmosphere was contagious, and the product on the floor was stunning. Even under the intense pressure of an opening away-day fixture, the Atlanta Dream started aggressively, with the Valkyries struggling to impose themselves in the first quarter.
While it may be unfair to draw firm conclusions from a game of such magnitude, six of Kayla Thornton's seven minutes on the court came in the opening period. Before the Finals began, the 33-year-old averaged 26.8 minutes per game, so this steep decline in usage suggests Nakase was far from satisfied with her forward's performance.
Each time Thornton matched up against Angel Reese in the paint, she failed to put a lid on her rival's scoring. In comparison, Kiah Stokes swatted away several of the Atlanta stars' layup attempts and relished the physical contest. Offensively, Thornton wasn't much better. She scored no points and missed both of her shot attempts from 3-point range.
Natalie Nakase has a clear defensive blueprint for the Valkyries. If a player's shot isn't falling, they must be making an impact on the other end of the floor. Even during her brightest moments of the regular season, Thornton has never shown signs of being an elite defender, so her minutes on the field directly correlate with her offensive contribution.
Across the final two games of the Las Vegas Aces series, Thornton was in sensational form, averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 46.7% from deep in 31.5 minutes of action per game. In many cases, this level of performance would buy the trust of a head coach, who would give their player time to find their feet -- not coach Nakase.
Whether fans like it or not, Natalie Nakase gets results. The 46-year-old has her sights firmly set on a championship. Kayla Thornton may have had just one bad playoff performance, but evidence suggests that is enough to lose her place in the rotation. The Golden State Valkyries aren't here to make up the numbers; they are here to win, and their head coach's impatient approach has already brought historic success, so why change?
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