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Kaitlyn Chen is starting to look like the steal of the 2025 WNBA Draft

Kaitlyn Chen is hooping in the Bay Area.
ByElaine Blum|
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May 31, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen (2) warms up before the Las Vegas Aces game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
May 31, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen (2) warms up before the Las Vegas Aces game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2025 WNBA Draft was filled with great talent. Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen are stars and future MVP candidates. Kaitlyn Chen, meanwhile, entered the W with low expectations. She was a third-round pick, indicating that many teams didn’t even believe that she would be able to make a WNBA roster or contribute meaningfully to a team. 

Her rookie season was a rocky ride. She didn’t make the Golden State Valkyries’ opening-day roster, but was re-signed when several players left to play for their national teams in EuroBasket. The Valkyries waived Julie Vanloo in a controversial move to keep Chen around for the rest of the season. She was a depth piece, only averaged 10.3 minutes per game, and saw just four minutes of playoff action in a Game 1 blowout. 

A year later, landing Chen with a third-round pick looks like an absolute steal for the Valkyries. With Carla Leite starring for the Portland Fire now, Chen took over as the Valkyries’ backup point guard behind Veronica Burton, and she’s been good, more than tripling her scoring output with just four extra minutes per game. 25 games into the season, she is averaging 7.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 14.6 minutes per game. 

Chen is outplaying several 2025 draft picks this season

Out of the thirteen third-round picks from the 2025 WNBA Draft, three are currently on a WNBA roster: Chen, Liatu King, and Taylor Thierry. Chen is the only one with a regular roster spot. King signed a development contract with the Minnesota Lynx, and Taylor Thierry is on the same contract with the Seattle Storm. 

Chen also matches up pretty well with second-round picks in her draft class. Nine second-round picks are currently on WNBA rosters, including three players on development contracts—Maddy Westbeld with the Chicago Sky, Bree Hall in Indiana, and Sania Feagin with the Fire. 

Anastasiia Kosu and Aicha Coulibaly average more rebounds per game than Chen, but no second-round pick can top her production in all major categories. 

Not even every first-round pick can say that. For example, Georgia Amoore, Saniya Rivers, and Aziaha James all average fewer points per game than Chen. Two first-round picks—Hailey Van Lith and Ajsa Sivka—aren’t even on a twelve-player roster right now. Van Lith signed a development contract with the Sun, and Sivka opted to play college ball instead of coming to the W. Moreover, Chen is seeing more minutes than her teammate Juste Jocyte, who was the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft. Jocyte is only 20, though, and very much a long-term development project for the Valkyries.

Kaitlyn Chen is putting together a great season

After a busy offseason that saw Chen put up big numbers for USK Praha in Europe and thrive in AU, the 24-year-old looks much improved compared ot her rookie season, and not just because she was given a bigger role. 

More than anything, she looks much more confident and comfortable than last year, and teams have struggled to keep her away from the rim on drives. For example, she scored 14 points—all on layups and free throws—in less than four minutes in an 88-75 win over the Indiana Fever. 

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