With the WNBA draft on tap for Monday, anticipation is brewing for the start of the Golden State Valkyries’ season.
But what are the expectations for the expansion team – the league’s first in 17 years – that will pick fifth overall and assembled most its roster through the expansion draft in December and free agency?
In a conference call with reporters last week, ESPN play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco, who has called WNBA games for the network since 2013, said building a culture should be a top priority for the league’s newest franchise.
“You want to build an experience in the arena. You want to build an atmosphere,” Ruocco said. “I think it’s unrealistic to look at an expansion team picking fifth in the draft and say this team is going to be a contender this year. They are not going to be a contender this year.”
Ruocco believes a season in which the team can show that it can compete would be a positive step, especially considering next year’s free-agent class will include 21 of 24 All-Stars from last season.
“The backdrop of this entire season is that almost every single veteran is going to be a free agent at the end of this year,” Ruocco said. “So even though the Valkyries are coming in without the breadth of assets that they hope to have in the near future, if the experience and everything about it is first- rate … I think then they can have a lot of momentum going into the summer, and a summer where they potentially are looking at the first pick in next year’s draft as well.”
Washington has the third, fourth and sixth picks in the first round, which will affect what Golden State does with the fifth selection.
“We’re really excited to be at three, four and six. I think it actually creates an opportunity for us to build strength in a couple of different ways,” Washington general manager Jamila Wideman, a former Stanford star, said during the ESPN conference call. “With just one pick, maybe you can do one thing at a time. But I think we have a chance to build depth. I think we have a chance to build on strength positionally at the same time.”
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Even with the Valkyries picking fifth, ESPN draft analyst Andraya Carter said it’s possible and perhaps even likely that the team can find a rookie who will contribute right away.
“I expect the Valkyries to be very intentional with this pick as someone that fans will be excited about, that will fit the culture and the system, especially coming off of the college season that we just had,” she said. “To carry that excitement from the college fan base into the Valkyries’ fan base, I think will be really important.”
