WNBA: Valkyries-Mercury can provide big-picture lessons for the league

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Commissioner’s Cup action chugs along, with one Eastern Conference and one Western Conference contest on Thursday’s schedule.

The New York Liberty meet the Washington Mystics at 7:30 p.m. ET before the Golden State Valkyries take on the Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast through Prime Video.

The two matchups also introduce implications that exceed the immediate, on-court action.

The Liberty’s lessons for the Mystics’ rookies

Jonquel Jones and Natasha Cloud surround Kiki Iriafen during the Liberty’s May 30 win over the Mystics.

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

Maybe the general sclerosis that infects Washington D.C. can slow down the Liberty?

Otherwise, it’s hard to see the defending champs failing to leave the nation’s capital with another win, padding their Commissioner’s Cup point differential as they match the Minnesota Lynx with an 8-0 record.

Yes, the Mystics are a long way from last season’s 0-12 start, consistently giving opponents all they can handle as they have battled to a 3-5 record. But, they suffered their worst beating of the season against the Liberty, losing by 22 points when they visited Brooklyn last week.

Unsurprisingly, New York induced the roughest performances yet for Washington’s otherwise stellar rookies Kiki Iriafen, recently named May’s Rookie of the Month, and Sonia Citron. As they do with many talented scorers, the tandem of Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart caused trouble for Iriafen, who shot 4-for-14 from the field, her poorest shooting game of the season. Citron wasn’t much better, as being bothered by the likes of Natasha Cloud and Leonie Fiebich saw her shoot 4-for-13 and score 10 points, tied for her lowest output of the season.

For the a Mystics franchise that has adopted a future-focused vision, seeing how their rookies rise to the challenge presented by the champs will serve as an informative benchmark, providing long-term lessons that outweigh the importance of the game’s outcome.

Mercury vs. Valkyries is the future of the WNBA

Phoenix Mercury v Minnesota Lynx — Sami Whitcomb, Monique Akoa Makani, Kathryn Westbeld, Satou Sabally and Kitija Laska prepare to be introduced before a recent game.

Women’s basketball fans often crave familiarity. There is an understandable desire to see college favorites become WNBA contributors. And when such players, drafted with a dream of a star trajectory, fail to make final rosters, outrage ensues.

The other side of this scenario, however, provides a story that should be just as emotionally captivating to fans. Lesser-known players, whether they spent their college years at lower-profile programs before biding their time in other pro leagues or are international players whose achievements are not appreciated by American fans, are thriving in the WNBA.

The rosters of the Golden State Valkyries and Phoenix Mercury are filled with such players.

Quite possibly, both teams are pioneering a new model of roster building. While we do not know the stipulations of the next CBA, the league has been trending towards, to put it uncharitably, a “stars-and-scrubs” reality, where teams load up on a couple of well-compensated star players and then are forced to round out their rosters with players on the cheapest possible contracts. Presumably, undrafted players without prior WNBA experience will continue to receive the lowest salaries under the new CBA, resulting in teams, like the current Valkyries and Mercury, turning to older American rookies and/or international players to not simply fill roster spots, but to fill critical, on-court roles.

As Eric Nemchock recently explained, the Mercury prioritized previously unproven players that the franchise determined would fit around their three stars in Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally. Kathyrn Westbeld, Kitija Laska, Monique Akoa Makani and Lexi Held have emerged as some of the most important, yet most unexpected, regular rotation pieces for a winning team in recent WNBA memory. How their discrete skills amplify, and are amplified by, Phoenix’s stars has turned the Mercury from a top-heavy team to one that has reliable depth. (Contrast that to the Las Vegas Aces, who, in recent seasons, have struggled to build out a reliable rotation that supports their stars.)

If “fit” is word for Phoenix, it’s “adaptability” in Golden State. Along with young, international talents like Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün, the Valkyries feature players who have had peripatetic professional paths, meaning they’ve played on a lot of teams in a lot of places. Several of the team’s vets with significant W experience—Temi Fagbenle, Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini—have not consistently played in the league, instead choosing to spend time overseas. Their journeys have endowed them with a high degree of adaptability. Having had to fill various roles for various teams gives them a value that head coach Natalie Nakase has utilized, particularly with her innovative zone defensive schemes. (Contrast that to the Connecticut Sun, who, reeling after an offseason of departures, chose to bring back Tina Charles, an aged star with a much more defined skillset.)

While Golden State is still waiting for their stars, they’re building a culture that is ready to support such player when they arrive. (Maybe as soon as this offseason?)

Until then, the upstart Valkyries will try to earn the franchise’s first Commissioner’s Cup win when they visit the Mercury, who are 1-1 in Cup play and still without the services of two of their stars in Copper and Thomas.