Think about returning house from a protracted journey simply to see that each one your furnishings is gone.
That’s mainly what occurred to Julie Vanloo, who returned from EuroBasket Ladies 2025 and, as an alternative of displaying off her gold medal to her teammates, was knowledgeable that she was getting minimize. She rapidly moved on and signed with the Los Angeles Sparks, however the resolution made some scratch their heads. Vanloo, a stable and skilled level guard, is a participant that any staff can use, proper?
Effectively, sure and no. The Valkyries have already got their share of skilled gamers, and whereas the choice to chop the Belgian, who other than nice basketball expertise has the persona to match, is tough to defend, it’s not indefensible.
The most important motive behind the transfer is the rise of Veronica Burton, who has emerged because the staff’s major playmaker as a result of her play type, on each offense and protection, becoming the imaginative and prescient of head coach Natalie Nakase. Protecting a participant like Vanloo on the bench for near half-hour per recreation could be unfair to her, and with the way in which Burton is enjoying, she wants all of the reps she will get to really attain her potential.
One more reason Golden State parted methods with Vanloo was the way in which Kaitlyn Chen, the No. 30 general choose of the 2025 WNBA Draft, was capable of instantly immerse herself into the roster. After being minimize previous to the season, Chen was signed to fill-in for Vanloo and has been doing an superior job. She’s additionally youthful than Vanloo (23 to 32) and barely taller (5-foot-9 to 5-foot-8). Chen can be on cheaper contract and has a marketable narrative, as she’s an area lady from San Marino, CA who received a nationwide championship with UConn. Then there’s Chen’s protection. which properly suits the identification of this Valkyries staff.
Contemplate her two steals from the 80-61 win over the Fever. The primary got here on Caitlin Clark. Chen was enjoying assist protection and left Kelsey Mitchell, her major task, when she noticed that the ball was inside attain. The second steal got here because of instinctively understanding the place to place herself. Once more, she left her defensive task on the wing after seeing that Mitchell was driving in direction of the basket. She crowded the paint with two different gamers and compelled a turnover. Her court docket consciousness and intelligence had been on full show throughout each performs, and when you’ve gotten a participant like that, she wants the minutes to additional develop these intuitive expertise.
Generally, it’s not about who’s the higher participant, however who higher suits the staff idea. And that’s precisely what occurred in Golden State. For the time being, Vanloo may nonetheless be the higher participant, however that doesn’t imply that Chen isn’t the higher piece for the Valkyries.
