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In the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Golden State Valkyries selected Justė Jocytė with the No. 5 overall pick, Shyanne Sellers at No. 17 and Kaitlyn Chen with pick No. 30.
The expansion franchise now has eight WNBA rookies on their roster, the most of all 13 teams, and it remains to be seen how many of them will make the final cut. For now though, let’s take a look at the three players picked on draft night:
Justė Jocytė is a unicorn
Justė Jocytė isn’t your typical WNBA prospect.
She was born in the United States to Lithuanian parents, so according to the CBA, she could be considered a domestic prospect, which would have made the 19-year-old eligible for draft in two years. But she has played basketball overseas her whole life—and she has excelled at it.
To the point, despite her commitment to play for Lithuania during the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 tournament, the Valkyries still decided to use the No. 5 pick on her. That’s long-term thinking right there, and she is worthy of a top selection. Despite her age, she’s been holding her own against adult, physically-tougher players, facing fierce opposition as the top scoring option on the national team. This year, she scored 17 points per game for Lithuania on 43 percent shooting. She can rebound, pass and steal the ball. She also can stretch the floor, and with her height, she’ll be hard to guard for smaller players.
Sellers, Chen have a strong chance of making the roster
Jocytė’s commitment to the national team opens up the door for the other two rookies that Golden State added in the draft, Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen, to earn a spot on the regular season roster.
Sellers enjoyed a life-changing weekend, as she not only was drafted No. 17 overall, but also proposed to her girlfriend, former Maryland teammate Faith Masonius. Sellers is referred to as a steal at the 17th spot. Similar to Jocytė, Sellers is 6-foot-2 and prefers to play at the 2. She could come off the bench and be an instant-impact player on offense, but the thing that stands out about her the most is her defense. The Valkyries are getting a tough, team-first player, which is all you can ask for from a second-round pick.
Chen is similar in that respect, as she sacrificed her numbers and her top-dog status at Princeton in order to win the title with UConn in 2025. Chen not only transferred from the Ivy League, of which she was named top player in 2023, to win, but also to have a better chance of playing in the WNBA. She achieved both goals and now the 5-foot-9 guard will try to avoid getting cut from the preseason roster. She can play both backcourt positions, adjust and adapt. The American-Taiwanese also is originally from California, so joining the Valkyries will bring her back to familiar territory.
The Valkyries have an abundance of talented players, but Chen already proved to be highly coachable, and her willingness to do the little things on the court will definitely be appreciated by head coach Natalie Nakase and her staff.
