SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Valkyries went into their inaugural season, many fans were excited to see which player would become the franchise’s first-ever draft pick. The Valkyries selected Justė Jocytė and, at the time, fans were confused — they’d never heard of the 20-year-old guard from Lithuania.
On top of that, it became clear that she wouldn’t play for the franchise in its inaugural year, focusing instead on playing for her national team at EuroBasket. Through two games with Golden State this season, however, Jocytė has shown a glimpse of what the Valkyries saw in her when they selected her with their first-ever draft pick.
“I think I was just patient,” Jocytė said of her mindset after her first two games. “It’s really hard to get in the group that already has a lot of rhythm. … So, just to stay patient. I know with these kinds of games, I can get in whenever time. I don’t really know my role yet, because I’m still trying to adjust. But, as I said, I just had to stay ready.”
Jocytė came to Golden State this year after a successful season with Girona in the Spanish League. She averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 assists per game for one of the best clubs in Europe. She was heralded coming into the WNBA for her ball handling and ability to make plays in the pick-and-roll. Even though she is listed at 6’, Jocytė has consistently played as a point guard or off-ball guard throughout her pro basketball career, which started when she was just 13.
In her first two games with the Valkyries, Jocytė has scored 8 points and dished out four assists. While she hasn’t played a ton of minutes, her scoring and playmaking abilities have flashed. In her first game against the Connecticut Sun on Monday, she scored her first points five seconds after entering the game on a pull-up jumper. She followed that up by hitting a 3-pointer on an extra pass. Jocytė finished her debut with a beautiful one-handed assist to teammate Ashten Prechtel off a ball screen while dribbling with her strong left hand.
“Credit to my coaching staff for getting her ready,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said of Jocytė’s debut on Monday night. “She scored, I think, in five seconds. I was like, does she know the play? And the coaches were like, she knows it, she knows it.”
On Thursday night against the Fever, Jocytė made an even bigger impact. After not playing the entire first half, she came in early in the third quarter. She wasn’t sure if she was going to get in against Indiana, but she once again quickly found her way into the score book, hitting a step-back three over Caitlin Clark.
She ended up playing 15 straight minutes between the third and fourth quarters. While she only scored 3 points, she made some big plays with her passing. She hit guard Veronica Burton on a sideline out-of-bounds play to put Golden State up two early in the fourth. Later, she found center Kiah Stokes on another beautiful pass out of the pick-and-roll to put the Valkyries up four. Burton has been impressed with Jocytė’s ability to pass but even more impressed by the 20-year-old’s composure.
“Her composure is something that I’ve noticed from the moment she came in,” Burton said of Jocytė after Thursday’s win. “Her passing ability, and to just come in and know what we’re doing is also hard when you come late. We’re already going, and there’s no drop off when she comes in the game, and her ability to stay ready is a huge testament to her, and just her IQ as well.”
In two games, Jocytė showed why she was Golden State’s first-ever draft pick. Her ability to pass is undeniable, and while she had two turnovers on Thursday, you could see she was trying to make the right play. She has shown dominance in the pick-and-roll, a calm demeanor every time she gets a screen and the ability to see the right play every time she gets an opportunity.
She has also shown the ability to shoot the ball at a high level. Jocytė fits right in with the Valkyries’ offensive system as a bigger guard who can space the floor and make the right play off the catch. She is 3-for-6 from the field so far, but every shot has been a jump shot, and her stroke has looked very smooth.
“I mean, she’s one of our generational talents back there in Europe,” Valkyries guard Cecilia Zandalasini said. “She’s, been playing since she was probably 13-14 years [old] at a pro level. So she might be a rookie here, but for sure she had a lot of experience … She just got out of a great season with Girona, so I’m expecting good things from her. Yeah, very excited to have her in the W, knowing her, knowing another European talent.”
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Jocytė has been able to find success right away on offense in Golden State, but the Valkyries are still learning how she fits defensively. Nakase said before her first game that she isn’t sure what kind of players Jocytė will be defending. In her two games, she has guarded wing players like Gianna Kneepkens and Sophie Cunningham, as well as a point guard, Raven Johnson.
She has shown flashes, including a block on Cunningham that led to a big basket for the Valkyries on Thursday night. However, there are also moments when she has been beaten off the bounce as well as being a tick off in her help-side rotation. Jocytė is still a rookie learning a very intense Valkyries defensive system, so it will take time for her to find her footing on that side of the ball.
Jocytė has shown the flashes people expected of a first-round pick through her first two career games. Her passing ability and control of pick-and-roll are already toward the top of the Valkyries roster. Her ceiling is clearly high, and she will only grow more as she develops in Nakase’s system. If these first two games are any indication, Jocytė has the skill to be a franchise player. For her, these first two games have been special, and the opportunity is what she has been working for.
“When you know games are tight, it’s just more exciting to play a lot of tight possessions,” Jocytė said after Thursday’s win. “A lot of emotions going through, and when you know the arena gets electric, it’s really nice. And for me to play at the end with this type of crowd, it was really special.”
Marisa Ingemi of Valkyries Beat contributed reporting to this story.
