It’s no secret the Valkyries are one of the most undersized teams in the WNBA. They’ve been able to survive that partially with a career-defensive season from center Kiah Stokes, but also by intentionally focusing on rebounding from their smaller players.
The Valkyries are 10th in the WNBA in rebounding and 12th in rebounding from guards specifically.
But they are first in offensive rebounding from guards with 3.4 per game, ahead of 3.1 for Minnesota. Golden State also has the slowest offense in the league with a pace of 91.42, so having players willing to crash the boards and extend possessions has been key.
“A lot of teams probably have a size advantage, give or take, on us,” Veronica Burton said. “But rebounding is about heart and it’s about being intentional about it. We ask our bigs to hold off their bigs, and then, as guards, we got to get in and clean it up, and then offensively, we’re always crashing, we’re being wise about it, and intentional about it, but I think we really take advantage of, people’s not laziness, but they don’t always pay attention, it takes an extra level of energy and focus, and it’s something that we talk about, and then we put into practice.”
Kaila Charles could be described as a forward or a guard depending on the lineup, but at 6-foot-1, she is rarely outsizing many forwards she is up against.
She leads Golden State with 1.6 offensive rebounds per game, which are the most of her career and are the most among any players listed as a guard in the WNBA.
“Everybody’s voice is important, so I have started to use my voice, especially being one of the defensive leaders in the team, and I appreciate that, because that has one built like my confidence,” Charles told Valkyries Beat. “But also I am getting into those lanes and in the paint, so it is important for me to use my voice and have experience in the league and in general, and so I do appreciate that I’ve been able to grow in that aspect in my time here.”
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Burton is averaging 1.1 offensive boards per game and 3.4 overall, a full rebound down from the 4.4 she got a season ago.
“When you have to put more focus into something, that’s energy,” Burton said. “It goes such a long way, and I think it does make a big impact, and so it’s almost easy to not try and rebound, almost lazy too, to not try and rebound, and so I think seeing myself and seeing the opportunities.”
Most of her numbers are slightly down from a season ago, including playing a minute less per game. Since the start of the season, she has wanted to contribute on the glass a little more.
“I think it’s still a testament to our bigs, like I think their ability to keep opposing bigs off the boards, and then for us to come in and clean it up, that’s something that we definitely talk about,” Burton told Valkyries Beat. “I’ve always been a guard that likes to rebound, but I feel like to start this season off, I wasn’t really doing that, and I think it takes like an intentionality and a focus on doing that, and a little bit of extra energy, and so even seeing through film, like we talk about missed crashing opportunities and missed rebounds and missed box outs. I think all of us as guards and bigs, like we’re working together now to collect those boards.”
Head coach Natalie Nakase has been using the phrase “emptying the tank” since the Valkyries’ 76-72 win at Seattle on June 12. For her, much of that is putting in a big effort at rebounding, regardless of size.
“I think the first five or six games, they were like, ‘coach, we’re not that tired,’ and I’m like, ‘well, maybe you should be playing harder,’” Nakase said. “But at the time I was also evaluating a lot of things, especially when we’re winning too, so you don’t really see so much of the glare of the effort and the wins, but then if you know you’re starting to lose a couple games, then that’s obviously when things become glaring.”
The Valkyries have a ways to go to be a strong rebounding team, but grabbing as many boards as they have on the offensive end has made a big difference.
In Nakase’s “empty the tank” philosophy, that should only grow from here.
“We’re still on the smaller side, and so we’re not gonna come down with everything,” Burton said. “But we’re not gonna be able to outjump teams, and so it’s just extra energy, but more so extra focus.”
