SAN FRANCISCO — Justė Jocytė quietly got up from her seat on the bench and walked to the Valkyries tunnel.
Before the Chase Center crowd could wonder what was coming, Jocytė had already climbed on the stationary bike, her legs churning while the Indiana Fever seized momentum early in the second half Thursday night.
To Jocytė, getting on the bike is simply her way of keeping her legs fresh. But to the fans inside the arena, the sequence has turned into something of a bat signal. When the bike starts spinning, everyone in the building knows she’s about to enter the game.
Like her Valkyries debut on Monday, Jocytė, whose name is pronounced YOU-steh Yo-CHEE-teh, did not play a single minute in the first half of Golden State’s 90-88 win over the Fever. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has been upfront that the Lithuanian rookie still doesn’t know all the plays and isn’t in the condition she needs to be in to play heavy minutes.
But when the Fever came out of halftime with purpose — taking a 54-51 lead — and the Valkyries needed a spark, Nakase turned to her youngest weapon anyway. Jocytė, 20, logged just three points but played nearly 16 straight minutes, flashing the poise and two-way potential that’s making it increasingly hard to keep her bike parked for long.
“I hope that (tonight) says that they trust me and that I’m doing something right,” Jocytė said. “I really appreciate that trust. They put me in pretty early in the second half, which I didn’t know if I was going to get in, but I hope that I didn’t disappoint them.”
The Golden State Valkyries celebrate their 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Jocytė checked into the game at the 6:37 mark of the third quarter and got the crowd going with one shot.
With the Valkyries pushing the ball up the floor, Jocytė got the ball isolated 1-on-1 with Fever star Caitlin Clark. The rookie scanned the floor before stepping back and draining a 3-pointer over the league’s most popular player.
Instantly, the crowd erupted.
“Making your first shot doesn’t matter if it’s at the beginning of the game, but just hitting that shot and putting yourself in that kind of bubble is a big moment,” Jocytė said.
It was the only shot she made all night, but it was the other things she did that allowed her to stay on the floor.
Jocytė was a solid compliment to the Valkyries as a pick-and-roll ball handler, dishing out two assists and swinging the ball quickly for open looks.
On defense, Jocytė wasn’t afraid to throw her 6-foot frame to crash the glass and contest shots at the rim. After Jocytė’s basket, Clark tried to go back at her with one of her patented 35-foot stepback 3-pointers. But Jocytė didn’t give the former Iowa star any space and forced an airball that the crowd let her know about.
“The way they’re guarding us, we felt like just having another ball handle out there,” Nakase said. “Just her fluidity of making decisions and taking that role and obviously her composer as well. So yeah, we just decided to deal with her and she performed great.”
Thursday night’s game could be a sign that Jocytė can be tracking toward becoming a real rotation player.
Nakase opted to go with Jocytė over established veteran forwards like Kayla Thornton, Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini in the second half as the team needed an offensive threat on the floor.
While Jocytė still has a long way to go to be a consistent factor on this team, she earned the respect of her teammates on Thursday night.
“Honestly, it’s not easy. One, being a rookie in this league. Two, coming off the bench in this league. Three, not playing a ton in the first half, and then finding a way to immediately impact the game,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “It’s a real testament to her. Her composure is something that I’ve noticed from the moment she came in along with her passing ability. And to just come in and know what we’re doing is also hard when you come late (in the season).”
Golden State Valkyries’ Justė Jocytė (4) takes a shot against Indiana Fever’s Lexie Hull (10) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) scores a basket against the Indiana Fever in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) defends against Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell (0) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) is fouled by Indiana Fever’s Raven Johnson (3) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Indiana Fever’s Makayla Timpson (21) scores a basket against Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) strips the ball away from Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes (41) and Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) fight for a rebound against Indiana Fever’s Monique Billings (25) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) and Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston (7) defend against Golden State Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes (41) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
A Golden State Valkyries fan reacts to a basket and foul by Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell (0) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) takes a shot against Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell (0) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) blocks a pass by Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The Golden State Valkyries, including Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) celebrate their 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) hugs Golden State Valkyries co-owner Joe Lacob after their 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Golden State Valkyries’ Justė Jocytė (4) takes a shot against Indiana Fever’s Lexie Hull (10) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)