The Golden State Valkyries sometimes have so many names doing too many great things that it's hard to focus on specific players after a game. One night it'll be Gabby Williams, the next it's Janelle Salaün, or maybe Tip Hayes.
There's one consistent pulse that has defined the Valkyries' dreamlike 2026 campaign, though, and it's point guard Veronica Burton.
Comeback Kid
The Valkyries are no strangers to adversity. The second-year team finished the season as the No. 2 seed, and yet their season has seen some low lows, especially on the offensive end. Williams and Burton, Golden State's one-two punch, are not players known for over-the-top scoring abilities, and there have been many times where shots simply refused to fall for the team as a whole, getting them into some ugly spots.
Friday's game against the Dallas Wings––a win-or-go-home Game 3 in the first round of the playoffs––looked to be that way for a while. At one point, the seventh-seeded Wings went on a 20-0 run spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters, during which the Valkyries missed 15 straight field goals. Williams missed six shots and only scored two points in the first half, and while veteran Tiffany Hayes was able to contribute 13 points of her own in the first 20 minutes of the game, things were looking bleak. Arike Ogunbowale couldn't miss, carrying her Game 2 heroics over to the Bay. Social media had already decided that the Valkyries' dream run was over.
Burton, in true franchise point guard fashion, decided otherwise.
There's a clip circulating from Friday's game, in which Burton gathers her team in a huddle in the middle of the court and leads them in a deep breath. It's a simple gesture, really, but it embodies who Burton has been for her team all year long: the one who, when things get tough, can ground her teammates and take over on the floor.
Burton scored a deep 3-pointer to finally break the Valkyries' scoring drought a few minutes into the third, and followed it by driving to the basket, converting tough shots, finding open teammates, forcing jump balls and snagging rebounds over 2026 Most Improved player Jessica Shepard (6'4) and Awak Kuier (6'6).
"We [were] down around 16, and [Burton] dove for a ball...Possession ended up being ours and she...starts slapping the floor," Valkyries assistant coach Kasib Powell recalled at the end of the game. "It was almost like a desperation; like, 'C'mon y'all, we need y'all right now.’"
"It was just inspirational to see her still be fighting the way she was, you know? She doesn't care who she goes against, how tall they are, how quick they are...It definitely gives us inspiration to continue to fight," Powell continued.
Burton finished the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Valkyries came back to win 77-73 and advance to the semifinals.
Burton's All-WNBA case
This heart is nothing new for the point guard, and it's elevated the 2025 Most Improved Player to, in my eyes, being deserving of a spot on an All-WNBA team this year. She may not be the flashiest, and if you don't watch the Valkyries very much you may have doubts, but the numbers and results speak for themselves.
During the regular season, Burton averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 stocks per game. Of the 13 players this season to average five or more assists per game in the regular season, she averaged the least turnovers (1.5), and in August, she become the player with the second most games in WNBA history with 10+ assists and 0 turnovers, trailing only Sue Bird.
The advanced stats are pretty spectacular, too. Burton is second in the WNBA in VPM (Data Ballr's metric that measures value per 100 possessions through a combination of shotmaking, forced turnovers, rebounding, and more) with a +5.02. At 5'9, Burton is one of the league's premier drivers, finishers, rebounders, and on-ball defenders, and she's a huge reason why they made the playoffs last year and why there were the No. 2 seed this year. She didn't get that sole Defensive Player of the Year vote for no reason.
Burton is what a basketball purist may say is a point guard in the truest sense. A player that makes all her teammates better, is available to start 44/44 games no matter how hard she's hit, and someone who does everything when its needed while also knowing when to feed to hot hand when she can't get it done.
I'm not sure there are 5 players, let alone 10, that have done anything nearly as special in 2026.
Burton underperformed on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, and despite the fact that the Valkyries won without her contribution, she will be the deciding factor for how far this Valkyries team goes. It's up to her (along with Williams) to shock the world and do the impossible.
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