The Valkyries have a clear calling card: defense. They are a gritty, physical team and rank fourth in defensive rating across the league. Only the Lynx, Mercury, and Dream—three of the top four teams in the league—are better defensively.
Offensively, the Valkyries haven’t been as strong. They rank tenth in offensive rating and often struggle to put points on the scoreboard. Natalie Nakase and her team already had to overcome a giant challenge when Kayla Thornton—the team’s most productive offensive player—went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Now, amid one of the most important stretches of the season, the Valkyries’ offense took another hit. Iliana Rupert is in concussion protocol and will miss some time. While Rupert joined the team late due to national team commitments, she had an immediate impact on the team’s offense.
Iliana Rupert has played well since joining the Valkyries
With Thornton out, Rupert is the Valkyries’ fifth-leading scorer. She is also one of the team’s second-best volume 3-point shooters. Five active Valkyries players take at least four threes per game. Shooting 44.2 percent on 4.3 attempts per game, Rupert only trails Cecilia Zandalasini in accuracy from behind the arc.
Rupert played 12 games before having to leave the Valkyries’ most recent game against the Atlanta Dream. Over that stretch, she scored in double figures six times, including a season-high 17 points in a 101-77 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
The on/off numbers also speak to Rupert’s offensive impact. When she is on the court, the Valkyries’ offensive rating is 8.8 points better than when she is off the court.
Having a true stretch-five playing heavy minutes has added another dimension to the Valkyries’ offense. Temi Fagbenle, Monique Billings, and Laeticia Amihere are not great 3-point shooters. With Rupert on the floor, guards like Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes have more space to attack the rim and someone to run pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop actions with.
Playing without Rupert and Billings, who is still out with an ankle injury, will put the spotlight on Amihere to play backup center minutes behind Fagbenle.
The Valkyries face a gruelling stretch
While the Valkyries have already widely exceeded expectations in their inaugural season, their playoff spot is not secured yet. They have a 1.5-game cushion between themselves and the eight-seeded Seattle Storm at the moment, but that could change quickly. From now on, every game has the power to affect the playoff standings.
The Valkyries have 10 games left. Seven of those games are against other playoff teams, including Minnesota, Phoenix, and New York. The other three games are against Washington, which was in the run for a playoff spot before they traded Brittney Sykes and just beat Indiana and Los Angeles, and Dallas. The Wings may be one of the worst teams in the league, but Paige Bueckers and co. have shown the ability to beat playoff teams all season long.