The WNBA has seen an explosion of point guard talent in recent years. Cailtin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles are changing the game, and veterans like Chelsea Gray are still playing at a high level. However, Veronica Burton is showing she belongs in the best point guard conversation.
Burton was a role player in her first three seasons in the WNBA, but she's found a leading role with the Valkyries, who are one game away from winning the WNBA Finals. That idea was unfathomable in Golden State's first season last year and more so when the Atlanta Dream dominated Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, but Burton has been the catalyst behind her team's 3-2 series lead.
It started after that Game 3 loss when Burton said, "I think it would be silly to overreact now," per Valkyries Beat's Marisa Ingemi.
There was no panic from Burton or in the Golden State locker room, and the 26-year-old showed that with a 13-point performance in Game 4, including a deep 3-pointer that helped the Valkyries turn things around offensively.
In Game 5, Burton, again, scored 13 points, and she blocked four shots, which tied Diana Taurasi's record set in the 2009 WNBA Finals for most blocks by a guard in a game, per the WNBA. It also was her postseason career-high. She did that standing at a billed 5-foot-9.
After that performance, it was natural for Natalie Nakase to praise her. The Valkyries head coach went further by calling Burton the "best point guard in the league." In a very specific way, this statement is true.
Burton serves as a steady leader on and off the court
In a traditional sense, the point guard sets a team's tone. When you think of Clark, Bueckers, Miles, and Gray, you already have a sense in your mind about how their respective teams want to play. The same is true for Burton and Golden State.
On defense, the Valkyries want to make life hell for opposing teams, and Burton starts that by attacking the other team's point guard. Her counting stats might not be as great as those of the aforementioned group of guards, but if you asked them who the best defensive point guard in the WNBA is, they might say it's Burton.
In the WNBA Finals, that has been Jordin Canada. Burton has made things difficult for the Dream guard when Atlanta has the ball, and she's attacked her when the Valkyries have the ball. Her scoring might not be efficient, but over a seven-game series, that ball pressure can take its toll.
Another thing Nakase stresses is communication with her players. That's what she credited for her team's turnaround, and Burton has played her part with her on-court impact and on the sidelines when she's pumping up her teammates.
Burton has said all the right things in front of media. Whether it's praising teammates like Kiah Stokes or keeping focus on the task at hand, the fifth-year guard understands how to pace her team. It's those intangibles combined with a high basketball IQ on offense and defense that make her a top point guard in the WNBA.
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