If you asked Burton’s teammates, there is no one better suited for the award than her. In an interview with Kenzo Fukuda of Clutch Points<\/a>, Valkyries center Iliana Rupert made her thoughts crystal clear on Burton’s MIP candidacy. <\/p>\n Floated the MIP question about Veronica Burton to Iliana Rupert:<\/p>\n \u201cShe better be! There\u2019s no way she cannot have this. She\u2019s been improving a lot\u2014 in everything. I don\u2019t think there are any other players who\u2019ve had this growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Rupert literally gave the full case for Burton \ud83d\ude05: https:\/\/t.co\/QF8Xrwd1Sx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4QaQpcojr2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) August 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n “She better be. There\u2019s no way she cannot have this,” Rupert said of her teammate. “She\u2019s been improving a lot\u2014 in everything. I don\u2019t think there are any other players who\u2019ve had this growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Burton’s rise to status comes at the same time that the Valkyries are on the verge of a playoff run, of which Burton herself has been instrumental in. The Valkyries are currently the eighth seed in the playoffs, though every game coming down the stretch is crucial in keeping that position in tact. <\/p>\n “She’s [Burton] on a good team that is hopefully making the playoffs, so she better have it,” Rupert added. <\/p>\n After the first three seasons of her career that her saw with an intermittent position as a role player coming off the bench, Burton has thrived in her opportunities with Golden State. She has started every game she has appeared in and seen her minutes-per-game more than double to 29.2. <\/p>\n Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) drives to the basket against Phoenix Mercury center Natasha Mack (4) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. \/ Eakin Howard-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Joining the Valkyries in the Expansion Draft from the Connecticut Sun, Burton was uncertain of her place in the league. But, the confidence and trust shown to her by Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase assured Burton of her place, and the mental side of the game quickly caught up with her physical talents. <\/p>\n \u201cThe element of trust that my coach has in me. It instilled in me just a different type of confidence. \u2026 I think that\u2019s every point guard\u2019s dream,” Burton said (via Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic<\/a>). “And it challenges me in a way that I haven\u2019t been challenged before.”<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest surprise, and jump for myself, and leap, it\u2019s just been the mental fortitude,” Burton added. “The mental toughness and just the confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether or not the MIP award comes her way at the end of 2025, Burton has found new life in herself as a player. If the confidence her coach and teammates have spoken of and shown her are any indication, this is not the peak for Burton, but the first light of a long and successful career. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n