The Golden State Valkyries didn’t have a single player average 30 or more minutes per game in the regular season. Even Gabby Williams, the new face of the franchise, played just 25.1 minutes per game and was on a load-management plan before and after the FIBA World Cup. Veronica Burton led the team with 28.6 minutes per game.
Natalie Nakase felt comfortable leaning on her depth and has continued to do so in the playoffs. Williams still averaged just 31.2 minutes over the first two rounds, even though only one of the six games was a clear blowout.
The Valkyries’ focus on rest and recovery is a lesson Nakase took from her first year as a WNBA head coach into year two.
“Our goal last year was to win it,” Nakase said in a recent practice media availability. “We got injured, so I took a lot of responsibility for that, whether it was intensity of practice, all those little things. I take full responsibility.”
Fatigue could be a deciding factor in a best-of-seven series, which gives the Valkyries a bit of an advantage. They have the better depth with ten players, who are all very capable of playing at this stage, and their most important players have had a lighter minute load so far.
The Valkyries will benefit from their regular-season strategy in a long series.
Unlike the Valkyries, the Atlanta Dream had to lean heavily on their top players all season long. Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada, and Angel Reese all averaged over 30 minutes per game in the regular season. Howard actually led the entire league in that category. On top of that, Howard and Reese played for Team USA in Berlin.
They are playing even more in the playoffs. Howard played just over 38 minutes per game across the first five games, and Canada played 36. Reese and Hillmon are at roughly 33 minutes per game. Even 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner averaged 26.4 minutes. If Allisha Gray is healthy, the Dream will probably stick to a seven-player rotation—a much tighter rotation than the Valkyries’.
This might be the first time we will get to see what a best-of-seven series looks like in the WNBA. Last season, the Aces’ swept the Phoenix Mercury in four games. If the series becomes a long, physical, defensive grind, the Valkyries may ultimately have the advantage because their top players have played less, and more players can contribute off the bench if a starter struggles.
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