“That was our family time,” Steve said. “Because I worked at night. Our family time was 5 o’clock in the morning. Getting up, that was our bonding time. I would rebound and she would shoot.”

WBZ sports director Steve Burton draws a laugh from his his daughter, Golden State gaurd Veronica Burton, after Sunday’s game against the Sun in Uncasville, Conn.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

But beyond the practicality, Burton was passing down to his daughter some wisdom his father, Ron, instilled in him.

Ron was an all-American running back at Northwestern and spent six seasons as a halfback for the Patriots. In turn, Steve went on to play quarterback at Northwestern before carving out a career covering Boston sports.

“My dad had a saying,” said Steve, ‘If you work and everybody else is working, you stay even. If you work while everyone else is sleeping, you can go by ’em.’ ”

The philosophy is a part of Veronica Burton’s core to this day.

After being left unprotected by the Connecticut Sun last season and then being taken in the expansion draft by the Golden State Valkyries, Burton returned Sunday to Uncasville, Conn., as the floor general for a team vying for a playoff spot in its inaugural season.

It was a homecoming for a player who made a new home for herself across the country.

“It’s fun to watch her,” Steve said. “She was excited about coming back here. All of a sudden, we go from one coast to the next coast, so it was a big change for us. But she loves where she’s at.”

Veronica Burton, battling against the Sun’s Jacy Sheldon (4), has made huge strides in all statistical categories in her first season playing for the expansion Valkyries. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

By almost any metric, Burton has a strong case for the honor of the WNBA’s Most Improved Player.

Her scoring (3.1 points per game to 10.7), playmaking (1.9 to now 5.3 assists per game), rebounding (1.4 to 4.3), defense (0.5 to 1.1 steals per game) have all taken huge leaps. And despite suffering their worst loss of the season Sunday against the Sun, the 11-13 Valkyries are sitting in ninth place — miles ahead of the expectations for an expansion team.

At the same time, Burton is a prime example of a player seizing an opportunity in a new environment. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase handed Burton the reins at the start of the season. In 24 games, all starts, Burton‘s minutes have jumped to 29.0 a night, up from 12.7 coming off the bench a year ago with the Sun. And she’s making the most of it.

“I think it’s a great opportunity with the expansion draft and a new franchise,” Burton said. “Just any opportunity, I’m grateful for. And I’m just staying in the gym, putting in the work.”

A year ago, Burton was out of the league, waived by the Dallas Wings before the start of the season. When the Sun signed her to a rest-of-season contract that June, she had the same mindset of gratitude.

By the end of the season, she was a regular in the rotation and on the floor for every playoff game for a team that came within one win of the WNBA Finals.

The opportunity not only gave her new life, but gave her confidence.

“After that, she knew she could really play in this league,” Steve said.

Valkyrie guard Veronica Burton was left on the ground looking for a foul call that never came during Sunday’s game against the Sun. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Even with her future uncertain, she came out of that season hunting for ways to improve. She found it in Australia, spending the offseason playing for the Bendigo Spirit in the Women’s National Basketball League.

While her defense earned her WNBA minutes, she knew she had to develop offensively in order to stick. She used Australia as her training ground. The style of play was physical. It gave her a chance to learn how to take bumps and hits and still be effective. She came back to the WNBA more hardened offensively.

“I was able to play in Australia in the offseason and I think that really helped my game and grew me as a player and a leader,” she said. “So just trying to do what I can in this league, as well.”

With a solidified role in Golden State, Burton’s mindset hasn’t changed.

“Just always trying to find a way to impact a game and win some basketball games — whatever that may look like,” she said after she notched 10 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal in the 95-64 loss to the Sun. “Obviously my role does look a little bit different this year compared to years past, but how I play and what I bring doesn’t change necessarily.

“So, just trying to be vocal, trying to be aggressive, and trying to win games.”

It was a tough day for Veronika Burton (left) and the Golden State Valkyries, as Leila Lacan and the host Sun ran away to a blowout win. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

One a roster full of surprise players having career years, Burton is a standout. Doing it for a team where everyone’s essentially getting a fresh chance begs the question how much of the success she’s enjoying is because of improvement and how much of it is opportunity.

“It’s a combination of both,” Steve said. “It’s a combination of being in the right spot at the right time with the right coach. And all of a sudden your confidence grows, you get an opportunity to play, and that’s how she embraced it.

“She embraced it as a new opportunity to try and go out there and make a name for herself.”

The Valkyries had to eat what was essentially a scheduled loss after playing Friday night, then flying across three time zone to play a 1 p.m. game. They turned the ball over a season-high 24 times as a team.

The Sun celebrated their fourth, and biggest win of the season, and as close to a wire-to-wire effort as they’ve gotten all year.

Proud parents Virginia and Steve Burton (back row) gather with their girls (l-to-r) Kayla, Golden State guard Veronica, and Kendall for a picture after Sunday’s game against the Sun. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

About a half hour after the game, a corner of Mohegan Sun Arena was still bustling with people. While her team got ready to head to Atlanta for a Tuesday matchup with the Dream, Burton hung back to spend some time with family and friends that came to see her homecoming.

“We had to get about 35 tickets,” Steve said.

Her mother Ginni and sisters Kendall and Kayla buzzed around from flicking camera to flicking camera. Steve smiled for as many as he could until he noticed arena staff checking their watches. Then he tried to shepherd people to the exits.

Veronica stayed as long as she could, hugging every person that came to support. Grateful as much for the opportunity she got in Connecticut as the one she has now.

“The Connecticut Sun was so good to her and they had such a great team a year ago,” Steve said. “So it was a blessing that they gave her an opportunity to get back in the league. And now she’s in Golden State and she loves it there.”

Julian Benbow can be reached at julian.benbow@globe.com.