{"id":599139,"date":"2026-04-12T13:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599139\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T13:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:08:09","slug":"who-should-the-valkyries-choose-with-their-first-round-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599139\/","title":{"rendered":"Who should the Valkyries choose with their first-round pick?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden State Valkyries<\/a> don\u2019t need to find a savior when they select eighth in Monday\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

They need a fit.<\/p>\n

Fresh off a debut season that proved a star isn\u2019t required to reach the playoffs, Golden State<\/a> enters the WNBA draft searching for players who can seamlessly plug into a system built on depth, discipline and unselfish play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Natalie Nakase\u2019s scheme, where ball movement and versatility trump isolation scoring, the priority isn\u2019t chasing upside alone \u2013 it\u2019s finding the next piece that keeps everything connected.<\/p>\n

Last year, Golden State went the draft-and-stash route with the fifth overall pick, selecting Lithuanian guard Just\u0117 Jocyt\u0117, who spent the year overseas after getting drafted. The Valkyries cut<\/a> second-round pick Shyanne Sellers just days into training camp and initially released Kaitlyn Chen<\/a> before eventually re-signing her in the middle of the season and keeping her through the playoff run.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the team is still being put together through free agency, the Valkyries will have interesting options with the eighth pick as plenty of college and international players are slated to be available when they get on the clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are five prospects that would fit Golden State\u2019s roster:<\/p>\n

Gabriela Jaquez, point guard, UCLA<\/p>\n

Jaquez is the quintessential Nakase point guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nothing flashy. Just a player who doesn\u2019t mind doing a little bit of everything to help her team win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jaquez, the younger sister of Miami Heat forward Jamie Jaquez, plays much bigger than her 6-foot frame suggests. The SoCal native averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the newly crowned national champions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jaquez was the Bruins\u2019 best player in their national championship win over South Carolina as she had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After Portland took backup point guard Carla Leite in the expansion draft, there is a clear need for ballhandling depth. Jaquez can bring versatility to the position that would be ideal in the Nakase system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"UCLAUCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) celebrates after UCLA defeated Texas in a women\u2019s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin)<\/p>\n

Gianna Kneepkens, shooting guard, UCLA<\/p>\n

A team can never have enough shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kneepkens can slide perfectly into the rotation as a surefire sniper from the 3-point line. This past season, Kneepkens shot 42.9% from the 3-point line and finished her college career with a 43.1% average.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 23, Kneepkens has had plenty of college experience, playing four seasons at Utah before transferring to UCLA.<\/p>\n

But for as great a shooter as Kneepkens is, she has some clear flaws in her game. Kneepkens isn\u2019t the biggest or most athletic player and struggled defensively throughout her college career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even so, a shooter like Kneepkens doesn\u2019t come around too often and the Valkyries could find ways to hide her defensively when she\u2019s on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"UCLAUCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens (8) during the second half of the women\u2019s National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game against South Carolina, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\n

Raven Johnson, point guard, South Carolina<\/p>\n

Johnson doesn\u2019t necessarily fit the mold of what Golden State does offensively, but with a need at backup point guard, the Valkyries could surely use the defensive tenacity Johnson brings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-9 ball handler was arguably the best point of attack defender in the country this season, using her combination of length, quickness and tenacity to earn all-SEC defensive first-team honors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In South Carolina\u2019s Final Four matchup with Connecticut, Johnson shadowed Huskies\u2019 shooting guard Azzi Fudd, holding the consensus top-five pick to just eight points on 3-for-15 shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taking a player like Johnson would be a bet on intangibles and defensive upside more than anything. Golden State did have trouble guarding more athletic guards when Veronica Burton was off the floor, but can Johnson fit into a system based on constant ball movement and the ability to hit shots from long range?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Regardless, Johnson is a winning player who can serve as a nice complementary piece even in Year 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"SouthSouth Carolina guard Raven Johnson (25) drives to the lane against UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) and forward Sarah Strong (21) during the first half of the national championship game at the Final Four of the women\u2019s NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/John Raoux)<\/p>\n

Nell Angloma, forward, Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglom\u00e9ration (France)<\/p>\n

What would be more on-brand than the Valkyries taking a swing on an international player that many in the U.S. don\u2019t know about?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Enter Angloma, a 19-year-old with all the physical traits to be successful in the WNBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Angloma is currently averaging 15.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in the BWL, France\u2019s premier women\u2019s league. The 5-foot-11 standout can play shooting guard or small forward and has the ability to guard both positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She isn\u2019t a great shooter, but makes up for it with a strong motor that makes her hard to contain in transition and on the offensive glass. If Angloma can develop a consistent jumper, she has the potential to be a solid 3-and-D wing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a big if, and could be the difference between the Valkyries selecting a project like Angloma or a more surefire player that could contribute right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Iyana Mart\u00edn, point guard, Perfumerias Avenida (Spain)<\/p>\n

Continuing with the international theme, Martin is another top foreign-born player\u00a0 expected to be available in the range where the Valkyries are picking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Martin, 20, is not the quickest or most athletic player on the floor, but she\u2019s smart and has seen high-level competition for the last year as she helped Spain reach the EuroBasket finals last summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She is averaging 14.8 points and 4.2 assists for Perfumerias Avenida of the Spanish league and has been a heralded prospect since she won MVP of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Martin has good foundational skills for a point guard, but can she fit in right away? She certainly fits the profile as a player to draft and stash if the Valkyries like her game but feel she is not ready to contribute to a playoff team.\u00a0<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Golden State Valkyries don\u2019t need to find a savior when they select eighth in Monday\u2019s draft. They…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,3335,48,49648,131686,100473,39224,227069,112527,11763,191523,227070,164574,82,630],"class_list":{"0":"post-599139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-lake-county","12":"tag-marin-county","13":"tag-mendocino-county","14":"tag-monterey-county","15":"tag-napa-county","16":"tag-north-bay","17":"tag-northern-california","18":"tag-santa-cruz-county","19":"tag-solano-county","20":"tag-sonoma-county","21":"tag-sports","22":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}