Three reasons why Valkyries have evolved into a top 3-point shooting team

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

CHICAGO — The Golden State Valkyries' offense has flipped a switch, and it starts behind the arc.
After an abysmal start to the season from beyond the arc, the Valkyries have posted back-to-back season highs in 3-point shooting. Those came against struggling Washington and Chicago, but Washington entered with the league's best 3-point defense, and Golden State had struggled against everyone prior.
In their last 15 games, the Valkyries have shot 36.1% from 3-point range, fourth in the WNBA. Before that: just 29.7%, ranking 12th. What's notable is the volume hasn't changed; 30.1 attempts per game, same as their season average.
'I see them practice all the time. So to me, it's normal that they're shooting this high percentage,' head coach Natalie Nakase said. 'Credit to our players, they're trusting us to change things on the fly. That 'let it fly' mentality is working.'
Three things stand out during this Valkyries' offensive change: Cecilia Zandalasini is in the lineup full-time, Iliana Rupert has joined the team, and Veronica Burton's shooting has drastically improved.
Zandalasini played just five of the team's first 18 games, battling a foot injury and competing at EuroBasket. But she still shot 42.1% from 3, second-best on the team. She's played 11 of the last 15 games, shooting 45.8% from deep while averaging 26.4 minutes and a team-high 12.5 points.
'Ceci is so hot at the moment, and it's hard for teams to counter that,' Tiffany Hayes said. 'We find the open people really well, and Ceci's gotten some quality shots.'
Rupert joined after the All-Star break and has played 11 games, also shooting 45.8% on 4.4 3-point attempts in 20.3 minutes off the bench. As a 6-foot-4 post, she commands attention inside, but teams have been punished for leaving her open.
According to analytics software Synergy, Rupert has been left unguarded for 40.8% of her catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, which make up 94.1% of her shots.
'It's their ability to make each other shoot quality shots,' Nakase said. 'That ball is just moving, and you can see it, and you can see them creating constant quality shots for their teammates. That's what I see more than just a 'let it fly' mentality. We are confident in continuing to hit the hot hand. (Rupert) was 4-for-4 (at Chicago on Friday), so we continually found her.'
Burton's transformation was the most surprising. While Zandalasini was a known 3-point commodity and Rupert had built a rep overseas as a strong shooter, Burton had never been an offensive presence in her past three WNBA seasons.
In the first 18 games of the season, Burton shot 29.9% from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts per game. She was scoring 10.3 points per contest and played the most minutes on the team aside from All-Star Kayla Thornton.
Since a July 7 loss in Atlanta, she's shot 48.4% from deep on 4.3 attempts, scoring 12.3 points in 29.4 minutes. That run peaked with a 30-point, six 3-pointer night in the Wednesday win at Washington.
'I think opportunity is a big thing, and it's a big factor in this league, and I've been grateful to have an opportunity to play and compete,' Burton said. 'I've had a coaching staff and teammates that instill a lot of confidence in me, and that goes a long way in terms of success on court, and so just a lot of work and repetition, but also just opportunity and trust as well.'
Nakase pointed to improved spacing resulting in higher-quality attempts.
After Washington went with a zone against the Valkyries on Aug. 13, Nakase attributed it not to a lack of respect for their 3-point shot but to their improvement in the paint. Janelle Salaün is one example. Before the All-Star break, she took 1.2 shots per game from 0-5 feet; now it's 2.3.
'If players are closing out on her tight because they know that she can shoot, she's just making the right reads,' Nakase said. 'We're maintaining our space at the best level as of now. If you see our games before, especially in the beginning, we were just standing in the paint too much. So now, being able to play in space, if Ja sees the rim and space on the closeout, if she knows she can get to the rim, we want layups first.'
Perhaps most impressive is that they've played 11 of these games without Thornton and seven without Monique Billings.
Now comes the real test. Golden State faces two games against Phoenix, two against Minnesota, and one more against New York, all top-six defenses in 3-point percentage allowed.
It's time to find out if this shooting surge is for real.