The Golden State Valkyries had a chance to tank and aim for a lottery pick in a stacked 2026 WNBA Draft. Instead, they made a successful and historic playoff push to establish Golden State as a potential free-agency destination. Due to their successful inaugural season, the Valkyries will get to pick eighth in the upcoming class. Since they can’t get a young superstar, they will need to land a role player who can contribute immediately and help the team win.
ESPN’s latest mock draft gave them just that with UCLA sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens. Kneepkens may not turn into the kind of star Awa Fam, Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd, and Flau’jae Johnson promise to become at the WNBA level, but she would fit well into the Valkyries’ system and provide some much-needed 3-point shooting.
The Valkyries need good 3-point shooters in their system
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase quickly implemented a fast-paced system that relied heavily on 3-point shooting and defense. Her squad definitely had the latter part down, finishing the regular season with the third-best defensive rating in the league.
The 3-point shooting didn’t go quite as well. The Valkyries led the league in 3-point attempts with 29.9 per game, but only converted 32.5% of those shots. They ranked eleventh in 3-point percentage. Only the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings shot worse percentages.
The Valkyries had solid shooters. Iliana Rupert, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Tiffany Hayes all shot over 40% on at least 3.9 attempts per game. Janelle Salaün shot 36.6% on 4.8 attempts per game. At the same time, however, other players struggled. Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries in attempts but shot only 28.2%. Kate Martin and Veronica Burton shot 31% and 34.5%, respectively. Rookie Carla Leite only converted 17.3% of her two attempts per game.
A wild free-agency period and an expansion draft threaten a lot of roster changes for the Valkyries. Even with that uncertainty, drafting a player like Kneepkens in the middle of the first round should excite Valkyries fans.
Kneepkens is one of the best 3-point shooters in the draft
Kneepkens is currently in her fifth college season and her first at UCLA. She previously played in Utah and never shot below 38.4% from three on at least 4.4 3-point attempts per game over her first four seasons. She’s off to a great start at UCLA, putting together two 20-point games and regularly filling up the stat sheet. She had two bad 3-point shooting games, though, bringing her average to a career-low 34.5%. Nevertheless, Kneepkens promises to bring an efficient 3-point shot to the WNBA.
Kneepkens has been more than just a 3-point threat during her time in college. She also works hard on the boards, averaging at least four rebounds per game each season, and dishes out a solid number of assists. The 2025-26 season is the third consecutive season that Kneepkens has averaged at least three assists per game.