The Valkyries are in a bit of a winning rut, and at this point coach Natalie Nakase says there is only one person to blame: herself. "I’ve got to do a better job," she told reporters following the team's 95-64 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. "I have to do a better job of navigating this type of West Coast to East Coast trip."
Golden State has lost four of their past five games. In addition to Sunday's match, the team went down 104-102 to the Aces, 78-77 to the Mercury, and 67-58 to the Storm. The Valkyries are also playing without Kayla Thornton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury after All-Star Weekend.
Despite the tough spot the team finds themselves in right now, the Valkyries have still defied nearly every expectation put on them during the preseason, and the league's tough scheduling — which has already come under criticism from players and coaches — may also be the true culprit behind their current dip in success.
The Valkyries played uncharacteristically poor basketball against the Sun
Golden State committed 23 turnovers and at times were losing by more than 30 points during Sunday's match. While turnovers have been a problem for the team before, they've rarely suffered so large a loss. The Valkyries headed into the game poised for success, fresh off an 86-76 win over the Dallas Wings that saw four of the team's players racking up points in the double digits.
The Valkyries are also facing four more games on the road. The team will travel to Atlanta to spar with the Dream on Tuesday, to Washington DC to play against the Mystics Thursday, to Chicago to take on the Sky on August 1, and then head back out west to Las Vegas to go up against the Aces on August 3.
To say such a schedule is grueling is an understatement. There are growing calls for the league to take a strong position in terms of long-term player health and readiness when considering how games are scheduled, an issue that was highlighted by Caitlin Clark's absence from the All-Star 3-point contest and the All-Star Game, both of which were held in Indianapolis and hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Rebecca Lobo also said Saturday that a "priority" of the upcoming CBA negotiations "has to be addressing the condensed schedule." While players have not been as vocal about making the schedule part of the changes they're demanding, it's likely to be a key factor in conversations as they continue this year.