Natalie Nakase made headlines last season when she told the whole world that guarding Caitlin Clark all came down to being physical with her and taking away her opportunities to go left. Those comments resurfaced last week when the Indiana Fever beat the Golden State Valkyries 90-82 and Clark recorded 22 points on 7-15 shooting and 9 assists.
It was a thrilling game with great shotmaking from Clark, tough defense from the Valkyries, and a moment when Clark and Tiffany Hayes got into it. Valkyries-Fever seemed to be shaping up to become a great rivalry.
But Natalie Nakase doesn’t see it that way. It’s not that she doesn’t think of the Fever as rivals—she does—but she also considers everyone else a rival.
“Everyone’s a rival in my eyes,” Nakase said after the Valkyries beat the Fever in a 90-88 rematch at Chase Center behind strong two-way efforts from Veronica Burton, Gabby Williams, and Janelle Salaün.
That win was about more than just getting revenge on the Fever, though. It sent a message to the entire league: The Valkyries are at full strength, and they can beat anyone. They look every bit like a potential championship contender right now.
The Valkyries are one of the best teams in the league right now
With five wins and just two losses, the Valkyries are currently tied with the Minnesota Lynx for the best record in the WNBA. They have the league's best defensive rating and regularly hold opponents to under 80 points. They have also taken a significant leap offensively with the addition of Williams, sporting the fourth-best offensive rating in the W.
The Valkyries have a well-balanced offensive attack. Burton, Williams, and Salaün all average double-digit points and can go off on any given night. Kayla Thornton isn’t putting up the same numbers she was last season, but we all know what she is capable of. On top of that, the Valkyries just got Cecilia Zandalasini back from a concussion, rookie Juste Jocyte made her debut earlier this week, and Kaitlyn Chen has shown an ability to provide a scoring punch off the bench.
Their defensive approach is just as well-balanced. The roster is full of tough, physical defenders who can take on multiple positions, and Kiah Stokes has been an outstanding rim protector. She is tied with A’ja Wilson for the second-most total blocks in the WNBA.
Going into the season, there were widely considered to be two tiers of contenders. The New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces sat just a bit above everyone else, and the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream were next in line. The Valkyries beat the Liberty and Fever. They can play with the best teams in the league and look ready to make some real noise in the playoffs.
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