Gabby Williams may be a superstar, but she's no superhero. If the rest of the Golden State Valkyries want to win the 2026 Finals, it's time they stop treating her like one and step up.
The Atlanta Dream took a commanding 2-1 series lead at home on Wednesday night after routing the Valkyries 97-71. 24-year-old Angel Reese played another phenomenal game, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals, not to mention going 2-2 from beyond the arc. Rhyne Howard, Naz Hilmon, Isobel Borlase, and Jordin Canada all also scored above 10 points, and the team shot an impressive 49% from the field and 41% from 3.
The Valkyries put up a fight for about two quarters, but their carelessness with the ball (resulting in 15 turnovers) and continued offensive woes (35% FG) proved hurdles too high to clear.
"It's very uncharacteristic of us," said veteran Tiffany Hayes about the team's performance in the postgame media availability.
Despite shooting 5-18 from the floor and being visibly off her game, Williams lead Golden State in Game 3 with 15 points. It was her fifth time in nine playoff games scoring the most points for the team. The forward is averaging 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and two steals during this postseason run, and hasn't scored less than 14 points since August. The DPOY runner-up has been outstanding for the No. 2 seed, but the Valkyries' season so far is proof that she cannot continue to be tasked with carrying this team.
This isn't to say that other Valkyries haven't had impressive playoff runs so far. Kaila Charles and Kiah Stokes come to mind as examples to the contrary. There have been very bright spots from practically every player that has touched the floor for Golden State, which makes it all the more frustrating that, in Game 3, the game plan looked to be, "Get Williams the ball and let her make something happen," especially given the exhaustion bound to come with this series' physicality.
The forward has, in this playoff run, established herself as one of the game's best with her clutch performances and three-level scoring. Still, though, Williams' on-court identity is not as simple as "go get a bucket." More importantly, it's not supposed to be. Coach Natalie Nakase prides herself on building a team on which any given player can have a big night, and everyone else will be so high on the thrill of winning that they'll have no time to think about getting credit. It's fundamentally against the philosophy on which she thrives to expect a Kelsey Plum or Marina Mabrey-esque takeover from Williams.
The Valkyries understandably pride themselves on depth, but sometimes, the answer is simple: the other starters need to perform. On Wednesday, only 33 of Golden States' 71 points came from the starting unit, and if you remove Williams from that equation, it's 18. Hayes and unanimous Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaün contributed skillfully from the second unit with 14 and 13 points, respectively, and rookie Aminata Gueye chipped in a quick six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes, but a supporting cast is only as good as the cohort it's sent to uplift.
Gabby Williams needs help from her fellow starters
Veronica Burton went 1-7 from the field and finished with three points, and Kayla Thornton finished with 0. The drop-off from Burton especially has been felt. Since the beginning of the playoffs, the franchise point guard has averaged 8.4 points per game on 33.8% shooting, both noticeably lower than her regular season numbers. Burton's defensive presence and leadership are still vital to this team making it this far this season, but some points on the board wouldn't hurt. Burton's elite driving ability opens the floor for Williams and every other shooter on the Valkyries, which they will need to counter the Dream's three-point abilities.
Cecilia Zandalasini scored 13 points on Wednesday, which the Valkyries need more of. Before Game 3, the Italian forward hadn't scored more than eight points since Game 1 of the playoffs against Dallas, in which she dropped 22. Her high-volume shooting is the perfect building block for getting this Golden State offense back in rhythm with aggressive paint touches and easy passes for even easier looks.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the playoffs were proof that the Valkyries are capable of just about anything on the floor. As Nakase says, though, it's all about "strength in numbers," not hero ball.
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