The Golden State Valkyries drafted Juste Jocyte as the team's first-ever WNBA draft pick last year, a decision that confused some fans who weren't familiar with her game, but didn't surprise those that were. Jocyte opted to spend the 2025 season at home in Europe, and is set to make her debut for the team this season.
Anticipation is high. Teams and fans love their rookies, and Jocyte has been touted as one of Europe's brightest talents (out of a field that's brimming with exceptional basketball players).
Jocyte spent last season with Girona, a team that prioritizes interior play. Deciding to spend the season with the team helped to scale her skills so she can hit the ground running in the WNBA. Like a lot of European newcomers in the league, Jocyte is still young (she's only 20 years old) and her ceiling is high; if things work in her favor, Valkyries fans could be seeing her on the court for many years to come.
Juste Jocyte practiced with the team for the first time this weekend
Jocyte joined the Valkyries for her first-ever team practice on Sunday, and the team will host the Connecticut Sun this evening. It's not yet clear if she'll actually play (she's listened as questionable), and head coach Natalie Nakase has said that the decision largely rests with Jocyte and how ready she feels to execute the team's playbook.
But what is clear is that whether it's tonight or later this week, Jocyte will finally introduce herself to the WNBA. As she told reporters Sunday, the WNBA is different from her home EuroLeague, but the game of basketball is still the same. "I’ve been professional for quite some time, and I came here later, but it’s the same game for me," she added.
Nakase also told reporters that Jocyte has been watching a lot of team film, and she's "picked up a lot of things" already. That might come as a bit of a surprise to some fans, but it indicates that Jocyte is taking her role on the Valkyries very seriously. Nakase also said Jocyte is a "three-level scorer," meaning she can attack in the paint, hit threes, and also score from the mid-range. The Valkyries are known as shooters, and it sounds like Jocyte will fit right in.
Though she's a newcomer to this roster, Jocyte has experience playing against or with several of her Valkyries teammates, include Kaila Charles and Janelle Salaün.
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