The Golden State Valkyries were not expected to play well in their first WNBA season. However, the league's latest expansion team currently holds a respectable 8-7 record -- good for fourth place in the Western Conference. This Valkyries team is surprising the WNBA. The latest Kate Martin trend suggests Golden State can take another step forward.
Martin's numbers don't jump off the page. The 25-year-old -- who is in her second WNBA season -- is averaging 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per outing across 14 games played. In her 16.9 minutes of action per contest, Martin is recording a 34.8 field goal percentage and 33.3 three-point shooting percentage. Overall, she is taking 6.4 field goal and 3.9 three-point attempts per contest.
She has increased her shooting aggressiveness in recent action, though. Martin has taken at least eight field goal attempts in her past three games and at least 11 field goal attempts over her last two matchups. Martin scored 21 points on 15 field goal attempts against the New York Liberty this past week. On Friday, the Valkyries guard finished with 11 points on 11 shots against the Chicago Sky.
She's displayed a willingness to get three-point attempts up at a higher rate as well. Martin has taken a total of 17 long-range shots across her last two games. A two-to-three game stretch is not necessarily an indication that Martin is changing her complete approach to the game. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that she's finding her groove within Golden State's offense.
Overall, the Valkyries have won three of their past four games. Martin has played well in three of those four contests. She is important to the success of the Valkyries.
Will Kate Martin continue to be aggressive?
Martin's 6.4 field goal attempts per game are ninth on the Valkyries' roster. Her 3.9 three-point attempts per outing rank seventh on the team.
The Valkyries have had a number of other players lead the way from a scoring standpoint. Averaging 7.0 points per contest, Martin is 10th overall on the Valkyries in the category.
Golden State, despite surpassing expectations, has had a fairly inconsistent season. Natalie Nakase may be open to the idea of Martin receiving more attempts per game on a consistent basis, as opposed to every once in a while. She features the potential to be a reliable scoring option, so it will be intriguing to see if Martin commands a more notable role in the offense as the season progresses.