Valkyries 97, Sun 70: Natalie Nakase won Coach of the Year for a reason

Probably keep this short and sweet to keep from repeating ourselves over and over. The Sun actually got off to a really good offensive start Monday at Golden State which was mildly surprising, but even though Connecticut was in the game early, there was no indication it was going to last.

One thing that was striking was how much more organized Golden State was on both ends of the floor. Defensively, the Valkyries were completely locked in, speeding the Sun up and forcing them into shots they didn’t want when they weren’t turning it over.


At the other end, the Sun tried desperately to chase the Valkyries off the three-point line, only to give up several layups and then get buried from the three-point line anyway. Golden State has an identity, led by Natalie Nakase, who picked up a well-deserved Coach of the Year last season, and now should have the Valkyries as a sleeper for a WNBA title this season, and even if she doesn’t get it in 2026 or 2027, I’m not betting against it coming eventually, are you?


Meanwhile, the Sun have nothing close to an identity. Rachid Meziane said all the right things after the game about his team’s shortcomings, but we haven’t seen anything that indicates it’s going to be fixed anytime soon. And so we careen (career?) toward the abyss and a move to Houston hoping something will change soon, but with the amount of missed layups and defensive assignments we’ve seen in the last two outings, it’s not looking great 


What else did we learn from a tough to watch 97-70 loss to Golden State that might not have been that close Monday?:



 

  1. They’re going to need Aneesah Morrow - What happened a week ago was still never really addressed and she padded her stats on her latest double-double late, but when she’s dialed in, Morrow brings an energy no one else on the Sun can match at the moment. She still has her flaws: she’s undersized which creates defensive liabilities and she’s still not terribly consistent on the other end, but she at least brings life, which was lacking Wednesday. 

  2. Have to make layups - Like Morrow, Aaliyah Edwards does bring some energy, but she also took a couple of ill-advised shots (see: air balls) and could not convert from short range on a pair of others. The overall stats are hideous: Diamond Miller is shooting 29.0% from the field (and 29.7% from two-point range), Saniya Rivers 26.7%, and even Kennedy Burke 32.8%. There’s no way to be competitive with numbers like that from key players, no matter what Meziane does.

  3. Golden State is so fun to watch -  You could tell on the first possession that Veronica Burton was going to make life miserable for both Charlisse Leger-Walker and Hailey Van Lith, and she did. A team that shoots as many three-pointers as they do opens themselves up for some inconsistency, but they won’t be an easy out for anyone this season, especially with the form Gabby Williams is in.


Player of the game:  Aneesah Morrow - There really wasn’t another candidate here, Morrow led the Sun in points (11) and rebounds (10), even if most of them came in the second half.


Inside the numbers : 12 -  Number of minutes it took Olivia Nelson-Ododa to foul out in her return. But she did have 7 points, 5 assists (team high), and 2 blocks in that time, so she is a valuable player, especially with the frontcourt so offensively inept.


Under the radar: There were 51 fouls in all for the contest, and the Sun did take advantage of getting to the free throw line to stay in the game for a while, but it wasn’t sustainable, especially the way they’ve fouled on defense to begin this season.


Golden State is very deliberate in how they play, the slowest tempo in the league, and Connecticut actually got them to play a little faster, but mostly because they turned it over 18 times and kept fouling, so that didn’t work.


Quotable:  “We have to create more offensive opportunity from our defense, and tonight we were not present defensively. We must find more mental and physical resources to just increase our chance to compete. Tonight, it wasn't even about winning the game, it was about competing with a team like the Valkyries who play very well and we didn't." - Rachid Meziane


Next up: Wednesday at Portland, 10 p.m.



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