What's behind Kate Martin's dwindling minutes for Valkyries, and could she see an uptick?

San Francisco Chronicle​

16-07-2025

SEATTLE — Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase concedes she is still learning the best approach to her rotation. With a deep bench, she feels like her team has plenty of options for any scenario.
Sometimes that means a player seeing extremely limited minutes, or someone like Kayla Thornton ending up with 38 minutes, as she did in Monday's loss to Phoenix.
It's a tricky balance of planning and letting the players with the hot hand take control, especially as fatigue has begun to impact some of the Valkyries' starters.
'Something I'm continuing learning for myself is matchups,' Nakase said before the Valkyries' game at Seattle on Wednesday. 'It's also energy and who might be rolling. I have players right now down the line who can play heavy minutes.'
Kate Martin has had a few scoring spurts in recent weeks despite limited minutes. The second-year guard entered Wednesday averaging 16.7 minutes per game but 13.9 over the past five.
There have been times when Martin goes off, such when she knocked down two third-quarter 3-pointers in Atlanta, then barely plays again. She was shooting 42.3% over the past five games entering Wednesday, but had played just 12 total fourth-quarter minutes in that stretch, none in the losses to Minnesota and Phoenix.
One of the best late-game lineups for the Valkyries over the past five games entering Wednesday, though, had been with Martin, Veronica Burton, Thornton, Cecilia Zandalasini and Monique Billings. The team's third most-used second-half unit was a plus-5 while shooting 50%, the best of any grouping in that stretch averaging at least seven minutes after halftime.
'Kate practices at game speed, so (coming off the bench and shooting) is never something difficult for her,' Nakase said. 'She always has energy. She mentally trains herself to go game speed and, like, for really tough shots, and so that's just credit to her hard work.'
After playing 20-plus minutes in four of five games to end June — four of those being wins — Martin had played 19 minutes just once so far in July entering Wednesday. Her 4 minute, 40 second stint Monday was her shortest of the season.
Part of that has been the return of Zandalasini and Janelle Salaün from EuroBasket, but entering Wednesday Martin had shot 42.9% in the second half and 40% from 3-point range in that stretch while Salaün had shot 33.3% and 14.3% from that distance.
The back-and-forth has been an adjustment for Martin, who also started and was tasked with defending a much bigger Natasha Howard in Indiana. But Martin still is averaging more than five minutes more than she did in her rookie season with Las Vegas, where Nakase was an assistant coach.
'You have to be ready for your opportunity,' Martin said in Seattle. 'You don't always know if you're going to get a lot of minutes, or if you don't get many at all, so you have to control what you can control when you're out there. You have to know the game plan and stick to it, and when maybe you're not getting as much minutes that night, just being the best teammate that you can possibly be.'
Billings entered Wednesday having played 16.5 minutes per game since Temi Fagbenle returned from EuroBasket, which is lower than her 18.9-minute season average, but she shot 51.7% in that stretch with 4.6 rebounds per game. The 29-year-old has had varying roles over her WNBA career, but when the Valkyries are at full strength, she mostly has been Fagbenle's backup at center.
'You just have to be present,' Billings said. 'You don't know when your number is going to be called. You have to contribute any way you can when you do get that chance.'
Nakase has tightened her bench late in games, relying often on her starters to close out contests. A lot of what the Valkyries do is matchup related, and that's why they've had success against Indiana's Caitlin Clark and some other top scorers. As opponents adapt their game plan, though, there are still more looks the Valkyries can show late.
'I have to control my own game,' Martin said. 'I never try to force anything, but I have to make the right reads and get my shots off. It's been working out, but whenever you're coming off the bench, it's just getting out there and knowing your game plan, knowing your scout, and controlling what you can control, and letting the game flow to you.'