NEW YORK – One of the biggest mysteries of the Golden State Valkyries season has been where Justė Jocytė fits. Over the last two games of their five-game road trip, they got a better look at the rookie.
Jocytė was Golden State’s first-round pick in 2025, selected fifth overall out of Lithuania. She stayed overseas last season to prepare for and play in EuroBasket.
After joining Golden State late this season, she had inconsistent playing time, at one time playing 16 minutes against Indiana before barely playing seven minutes per game.
For the 20-year-old rookie, it’s been a learning experience. First head coach Natalie Nakase expressed a desire for her to learn the point guard position, then wanted her to improve as a rebounder and defender. Lately, she’s been asking for Jocytė to up her communication.
“There is a lot of focus on that,” she told The IX Sports before the Valkyries’ win in New York last week. “Especially playing the point guard position, I have to communicate a lot and share a lot of information. I think I’ve grown a lot there.”
Jocytė played 14 minutes against Connecticut, playing the full fourth quarter as the leader of the “stay ready” group, where she had 2 points and three assists. She got in much earlier in Portland while the Valkyries were shorthanded, entering the game in the first frame and playing 21 minutes.
She shot 1-for-6 with 2 points and two rebounds with an assist, but Nakase was complimentary of the rookie’s performance after the game.
“Maybe she didn’t make any shots, but it didn’t matter,” Nakase said. “She took the right ones, which I was really proud of. She made the right decisions by trying to get her teammates involved and she was directing. I’m really proud of her.”
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Jocytė herself is still finding a comfort level with her new position. More of a shooting guard and wing for her entire career, she had rarely been asked to carry the ball or carry an offense.
Between those responsibilities and the defensive focus of the Valkyries, she is playing a different style of game than she ever has. She said in practice, they have asked her to practice staying in front of the ball defensively, being stronger guarding bigger players and developing good habits.
“I don’t think I was terrible at it,” she said. “But I have to be conscious at it. Defense is more effort you have to put in, and offense comes kind of naturally.”
But the communication has been the main part they’ve encouraged Jocytė to keep working at.
“Even if I try to scream, my voice is not that loud,” she said. “There have been a lot of days where I lose my voice now. It takes a lot of practice.”
As a point guard, Jocytė is behind Veronica Burton and Kaitlyn Chen, and even Chen’s minutes went down a bit in August as the Valkyries relied more on Burton.
Jocytė does a few things differently than the other two; she’s a better natural passer, has more size and has incredible court vision in transition.
Nakase thinks the other skills are coming along, too.
“JJ did a great job organizing (in Connecticut),” Nakase said. “She kept them composed when she wanted to run a set. She pushed it when she wanted to push it…. She was out there calling all the plays. You could tell every play we called, she knew how to navigate everyone. So just really proud of putting people in her spots. And then I think she’s taking a level with her defense. Like she is doing a better job keeping the ball in front of her, being physical. I think she’s taking a big step that way.”
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Jocytė expressed some frustration about playing time earlier this season, but has gotten noticeably more comfortable over the summer. She has been seen smiling more often on the bench, celebrating baskets and arm-and-arm with teammates like Chen and Nadia Fingall during pregame fit checks.
At just 20 years old, it makes sense there is a learning curve. The Valkyries, in second place in the WNBA, also didn’t need Jocytė to be a star right away. They could afford to let her develop and practice with the “stay ready” group.
It might not be until the 2027 season they see the true fruits of that labor. Until then, Jocytė is trying to do everything she can to contribute to this team, where she thinks she still has a role to play.
“It isn’t my original position,” Jocytė said about playing point guard. “But I do have some of the attributes that point guards do, and I’m training to have the others. That goes hand in hand with being a point guard, and it is what it is, it doesn’t bother me that I’ve had to change.”
