It only took Janelle Salaün 1 game to force Valkyries to solve tricky lineup dilemma

The Valkyries have made it clear that they don’t value traditional draft picks—younger gamers contemporary out of faculty—as many as most different groups within the WNBA. When it comes to younger gamers, they like contributors who’ve spent years taking part in professionally abroad earlier than they even grow to be draft eligible, like Janelle Salaün, Juste Jocyte, and Iliana Rupert.

This season, particularly, the Valkyries are additionally very excessive on their veterans, rolling out a beginning lineup of Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Gabby Williams, Kayla Thornton, and Kiah Stokes to open the season. 25-year-old Burton is the youngest participant in that lineup, and Williams is the only different participant in her 20s.

Given the Valkyries’ championship aspirations, it is smart to lean closely into confirmed veteran expertise. And but, within the season opener towards the Seattle Storm, it was one in every of their younger gamers who led the cost offensively. Janelle Salaün led the workforce in scoring and area objective makes an attempt.

Salaün is probably the most promising younger participant on the roster—not less than till Juste Jocyte will get an opportunity to present what she will do within the W—and giving her the most important function doable, one of the best likelihood to develop right into a star, could be within the Valkyries’ finest curiosity. After all, when you have got a younger participant who generally is a key contributor in your presence but additionally a constructing block for the long run, you must be certain that that future is as vivid as doable.

But who might Natalie Nakase justify transferring out of the beginning lineup in favor of the teen? Gabby Williams is the Valkyries’ prized offseason additionKayla Thornton was the workforce’s first All-Star final season, and Tiffany Hayes was the primary huge free agent to signal with the workforce. After the game, Nakase mentioned that she had a selfless workforce and that gamers did not care an excessive amount of about beginning, so seeing Salaün in an even bigger function is not less than a chance.

Janelle Salaün performed a robust game

Janelle Salün got here off the bench for the Valkyries, however she performed the third-most minutes and began the second half, as Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini only performed restricted minutes due to some accidents.

She left little question about how efficient she could be in a beginning function. Salaün completed the game with 20 factors on 7-16 capturing from the sector and 5-11 capturing from three, 2 rebounds, 1 help, and 1 block. She made extra pictures than anybody else on the workforce, together with Williams, Thornton, and Burton, and was liable for a 3rd of the Valkyries’ 3-pointers.

This season is Salaün’s likelihood to emerge as a real three-level scorer within the WNBA—though most of her makes an attempt on this game got here from lengthy vary—who can create her personal shot and make a distinction on protection together with her size. If the Valkyries enable her to maximize her alternatives this season, they might quickly have a younger star.