When the Golden State Valkyries first called Kaila Charles, she admits she had hesitations.
She had been on hardship deals before. Some teams had even promised her playing time just to never get on the floor.
So when the Valkyries asked her to fly from Virginia to Chicago just over a year ago, she didn’t really think she’d get playing time. She thought she’d be a body on the bench for seven days until they moved on.
Turns out, she was wrong. Now, she’s in her second year with the Valkyries, on a guaranteed two-year deal and an essential piece to their playoff run.
“I ended up taking a risk,” she said. “And I’m glad I did.”
Charles has seen her role increase this season and responded with scoring, including a season-high 15-point showing in last week’s win against Chicago when they were without Kiah Stokes and Janelle Salaun.
She has been a part of most of their closing lineups as a defender and rebounder and has been an important player when the Valkyries have gone to their hyper small ball lineup with Salaun and Kayla Thornton essentially playing center.
In those spots, Charles is responsible at times for guarding everywhere from the perimeter to the paint.
“You can feel like she’s comfortable,” Salaun said. “The way she plays her game is really like on display every game, and she’s doing a great job. She’s a very good fit for us.”
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Charles was drafted 23rd overall in 2020 out of Maryland, where she averaged 14.7 points over her four seasons with the Terrapins. She bounced around between the team that drafted her, Connecticut, and Atlanta and Seattle before playing 17 games in Dallas last season ahead of being cut.
Charles joined the Valkyries last August on a hardship deal while they had several injuries, including to Kayla Thornton, who was out for the season. She met them in Chicago before a game after the Valkyries had won two tough games on the road.
She played 17 minutes in that game and added 5 points with five rebounds and two assists, but more importantly, was a lockdown defender for a team missing many of their top guards.
“She got to us and probably thought she wasn’t going to play,” said Valkyries assistant coach Landon Tatum. “And she came in and did exactly what we needed.”
Eventually, the Valkyries signed Charles to a rest-of-season hardship deal while Monique Billings, Temi Fagbenle and Cecilia Zandalasini had various bumps and bruises for the rest of the way.
Charles averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes over 18 games, including eight starts, for a team that needed her to do everything.
This season, the Valkyries are much deeper. They have several wings and small forwards, and Charles has primarily come off the bench as a part of Golden State’s super second unit.
“I think her selflessness is one of her biggest strengths,” fellow guard Veronica Burton said. “Like she does not need any recognition. She doesn’t need a play ran for her, and her impact is still going to be felt on both sides, and she’s always willing to do little things. So to see her growth has been really cool, and I just think you know she’s someone that is gonna keep pushing no matter what.”
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Charles is playing a career-high 20.1 minutes and scoring 6.2 points, while collecting 4.5 rebounds and taking a career-high 5.7 shot attempts per game.
There has quietly been more responsibility on her even as her role has changed from a shot-in-the-arm energy starter in a desperate situation to a steady, reliable bench presence.
“She has continued to grow and blossom with this group,” Tatum said.
