The Wings had a chance of preventing the Valkyries from clinching a playoff spot. They had a 44-32 lead after the second quarter and kept the game close until the very last moment. Paige Bueckers scored 27 points on 11-20 shooting from the field. Haley Jones and Maddy Siegrist also scored in double figures, and Myisha Hines-Allen recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
In the end, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Valkyries, though. Golden State got the four-point win and punched its first-ever ticket to the postseason. French youngsters Janelle Salaün, Carla Leite, and Iliana Rupert willed the team to victory alongside more experienced players in Veronica Burton and Monique Billings.
The Wings are very familiar with two players in that group. Burton spent the first two seasons of her career with the Wings before being waived. Now, she is the leading candidate to be named Most Improved Player at the end of the season and led a team to a historic playoff appearance.
Carla Leite never suited up for the Wings, but they drafted her ninth overall in 2024. A few months later, the Wings elected not to protect Leite in the expansion draft. The Valkyries selected her, and the 21-year-old quickly became an integral part of her team’s success.
Carla Leite played an important role in the Valkyries’ win
The Valkyries’ win was a true team effort, but when asked what changed the game’s momentum, Natalie Nakase mentioned Carla Leite, who came off the bench and infused the team with energy. Leite played 22 minutes and recorded 15 points on 6-8 shooting from the field, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. She also finished the game with a game-high plus/minus of +28.
It was one of her most efficient scoring games and Leite looked incredibly comfortable running the offense. Her five assists were the second most she recorded this season. She only exceeded that number in a 99-62 win against the Washington Mystics to close out August.
Leite could have been a part of the Wings’ young core
After losing Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard in the offseason, the Wings are retooling and amassing young talent that fits around Paige Bueckers. After all, there is no guarantee that Arike Ogunbowale will return after another losing season and the worst statistical year of her WNBA career.
Bueckers, who was already named an All-Star starter in her rookie season, is the focal point of the Wings’ future. The Wings also have several other rotational players under the age of 25: Luisa Geiselsöder, Aziaha James, Haley Jones, Diamond Miller, JJ Quinerly, and Maddy Siegrist.
Leite could have been an integral part of the Wings’ young core. Not only does she have experience playing professionally overseas, but she has also proven that she can contribute to a playoff team at the WNBA level in her first season and at a young age. She will only get better from here on out.