The Valkyries have a roster filled with international talent. So, the team will be short-handed for some time, while Janelle Salaün, Temi Fagbenle, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Julie Vanloo compete in EuroBasket. To make up for those losses, the Valkyries signed Aerial Powers.
Powers is a former first-round pick and experienced WNBA veteran. She has had some injury struggles during her career but is a solid scoring guard when healthy. One thing the Valkyries will need her to do right away is put points on the scoreboard.
The Valkyries will be without some of their top scorers
The Valkyries currently have five players who average at least ten points per game, including the injured Tiffany Hayes. Two of those players, Janelle Salaün and Cecilia Zandalasini, will be gone until early July. So will Temi Fagbenle, who is averaging 9.7 points over nine games, and Julie Vanloo, one of the team’s best playmakers.
The Valkyries already don’t have a ton of offensive firepower and will have to make up for the loss of some of their top scorers. Aerial Powers and Laeticia Amihere could be the key to doing that successfully.
Over nine WNBA seasons, Powers has averaged 10.5 points per game. Her best offensive season was the 2022 campaign, in which she averaged 14.4 points over 35 games with the Minnesota Lynx. In the 2024-25 season, she played in Turkey and averaged 14.7 points over 19 games.
If healthy and in the right role, Powers can fill up the scoresheet. The Valkyries will need her to do just that. While young players like Kate Martin and Carla Leite should be able to step up their game offensively with more minutes available, adding another scorer to the guard rotation will help the Valkyries immensely.
The Valkyries hope to extend their win streak
The Valkyries are already defying expectations. After two big wins over Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Valkyries hope to continue that trend and string together a few wins. Doing that without several key players will be difficult, especially considering some of the games coming up.
The Valkyries’ next matchup is against the Seattle Storm, who just handed the Minnesota Lynx the first loss of the season. Until the end of June, the Valkyries will also face the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty, and get a rematch with the Storm. Those four games will be challenging. However, the Valkyries should still be able to get wins against the struggling Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun, and Chicago Sky.