SAN FRANCISCO — Kayla Thornton had been asked to shoulder a different kind of responsibility lately.
For the past few weeks, the Valkyries’ first-ever All-Star has been anchoring Golden State’s defense in critical moments, guarding opposing bigs and sacrificing offensive opportunities for the sake of scheme.
On Wednesday night against Atlanta, Thornton reminded everyone what she looks like when her offensive game matches her defensive tenacity.
The 33-year-old forward poured in 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, knocking down five 3-pointers at a 50% clip and finishing with a team-best plus-minus rating of +15 as the Valkyries cruised past the Dream 77-66.
The performance was a welcome sight for a Valkyries offense that has struggled to find consistent scoring in recent games. Golden State’s smaller lineups have given coach Natalie Nakase more threats to score, but at the cost of funneling more defensive responsibility onto Thornton as she plays center in most lineups.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: Kayla Thornton #5 of the Golden State Valkyries looks on against the Atlanta Dream in the second quarter at Chase Center on June 24, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
The win over Atlanta suggested Thornton may be finding her footing in a role that hasn’t come easily as she operates as Golden State’s small-ball center while still functioning as a legitimate offensive threat.
The balancing act has been a work in progress since a knee injury cut short the second half of last season for Thornton, and the early returns in the new role have been uneven.
But against the Dream, she showed she can guard the front court, create space on the perimeter and still put points on the board in the same night. With the Dream back at Chase Center on Friday, Nakase has a chance to find out if Thornton has finally cracked the code on doing both.
“Number one, KT is maintaining space. It takes a lot of discipline to maintain space, but more importantly, her teammates are finding her and trusting her at the right time,” Nakase said. “Kasib (Powell) did a great job drawing a couple of sets for her to get some shots, so a combination of her teammates trusting her, and her maintaining space and confidence.”
In the five games prior to Wednesday, Thornton had struggled to find a consistent rhythm. In that stretch, she averaged 4.2 points on 24.24% shooting from the field and 13% from the 3-point line.
While she stayed solid defending frontcourt stars like A’ja Wilson, Natasha Howard and Jessica Shepard, it was clear the energy she was exerting on defense bled into her offensive struggles.
Atlanta seemed to sense that, too.
The Dream opened the game willing to help off Thornton to protect the rim. On the Valkyries’ first offensive possession, forward Naz Hillmon helped off Thornton completely in the corner to assist on a drive from Cecilia Zandalasini. Hilmon gave a contest from a distance, but Thornton swished a corner 3-pointer to open her night.
The basket seemed to give Thornton confidence to keep shooting. A few possessions later, she came off a dribble handoff, stopped on a dime and hit a fadeaway over Allisha Gray.
By halftime, Thornton had 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) scores a 3-point basket against Dallas Wings’ Alysha Clark (32) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
She cooled down slightly in the second half, partially because the Valkyries built a 26-point lead late in the third quarter. But Atlanta made its run late and the Valkyries needed someone to hit a big shot to slam the door on the Dream’s comeback bid.
Thornton stepped up.
Atlanta cut the Valkyries’ lead to 10 with just under two minutes remaining. But Thornton made sure the Valkyries weren’t going to lose their third straight game.
On a broken possession with the shot clock running down, Thornton caught the ball in the right corner with space to shoot. Over the outstretched arm of Dream star Angel Reese, Thornton swished a 3-pointer to extend Golden State’s lead to 13.
“She couldn’t miss,” Valkyries star Gabby Williams said of Thornton. “That’s just rising to the occasion. I don’t know more to say than that.”
What made Thornton’s offensive night even more remarkable was what she was asked to do on the other end. With Golden State going small, Thornton was tasked with checking Reese, one of the most physically imposing players in the league.
She held Reese to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting, forcing her into multiple contested looks and limiting her to just two free throws converted in nine attempts at the line. Reese finished with 12 rebounds, but Thornton made her work for every touch near the basket, consistently positioning herself to contest without fouling and keeping Atlanta’s interior offense disorganized throughout the first three quarters.
It was the kind of two-way performance the Valkyries had envisioned since sliding Thornton into the small-ball frontcourt role. Thornton provided offensive punch without sacrificing defensive accountability.
Thornton, characteristically, deflected the praise.
“I think I just went out there and just played free,” she said. “Not overthinking anything, trusting my teammates, playing for my teammates. And so when you do that, great things happen.”
Her teammates have noticed. Williams said the Valkyries never think twice about piling responsibilities onto Thornton because of how she carries them.
“We ask a lot of her, but you would never feel that,” Williams said. “She never lets you feel like you’re asking her to do too much. It’s just her, it’s just her motor, it’s just the energy that she plays with. She can be any kind of player, any kind of day. You need her to be the four, the three; if you need her to guard this person, guard that person. She’ll do it, and you never hesitate to ask because it’s just her.”
The Golden State Valkyries bench react after a play against the Atlanta Dream in the second quarter of a WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)