For the first time since 2008, WNBA opening weekend featured a completely new expansion team.
After months of assembly, the Golden State Valkyries finally saw action on Friday, and gave the league a look at how their poached players are piecing together. The roster features none of Golden State’s own draft picks—a shocking development for a team that isn’t just rebuilding, but building for the first time. A 17-point loss to the Sparks isn’t an ideal franchise debut, but it gave us a few things worth looking at for the league’s newest team.
Tip’s team
Tiffany Hayes, 13 years into her professional basketball career, does not own a time machine. Die-hard Valkyries fans—are there any yet?—should not sit by their televisions hoping to see 2018 All-WNBA First Team Tip drop 20 points a night en route to some end-of-year MVP votes. However…
If the first game of 44 suggests anything, she’ll certainly look more like 2018 Tip than 2024 Tip. Hayes had a usage rate of 32 percent in the Valkyries opener, nearly twice…
