France was just one basket away from upsetting Team USA at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Led by Gabby Williams’s 19 points, France fell 66-67 and had to content itself with a silver medal. That loss still stings. Dominique Malonga even said on Sue Bird’s podcast that her national team is coming for a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Berlin in September or the 2028 Olympics, no matter how strong Team USA’s roster is.
France has just as much talent. Veterans Gabby Williams, Valeriane Ayayi, and Marine Johannes will lead the charge, surrounded by youngsters Leila Lacan, Carla Leite, Dominique Malonga, Pauline Astier, and Janelle Salaün. Marième Badiane, Romane Bernies, Aminata Gueye, and Megan Toure will round out the roster alongside the current WNBA players.
To win the World Cup, France will need Williams to play like a star, to be an aggressive go-to scorer to rival the likes of A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. If she can play like that and carry it over to the WNBA, it would also boost the Valkyries’ chances in the playoffs.
The Valkyries face a lot of playoff pressure
The Valkyries went from a surprising playoff team to the number-two seed in just one year. After a 28-11 stretch that saw them hold teams like New York, Minnesota, and Indiana to season lows in points, there are certain expectations about their playoff potential now. A first-round exit would be beyond disappointing, and even a semifinals exit isn’t necessarily on par with expectations within the organization.
The Valkyries’ defense will be their superpower in the playoffs. If they can hold teams well below their usual scoring average, they have a chance to win any game—if their offense shows up. Holding teams below 80 points is great, but it doesn’t do much if the Valkyries struggle to put up points as well. For example, they held the Lynx to just 77 points recently but also only managed to put up 66 points themselves.
The Valkyries’ offense is generally very egalitarian with four players averaging at least eight shot attempts per game. But in the playoffs, there will be times when Williams will have to step up as a go-to star scorer and put the offense on her back.
Hopefully, being asked to do the same for her national team will put her in the right mindset for the playoffs. It won’t be all on her. Janelle Salaün, Veronica Burton, and Cecilia Zandalasini can all hit tough shots, but Williams is the team’s star, and she will have to play like it in the postseason.
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