WNBA announces Coach of the Year winner — and it’s no surprise
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has won the WNBA’s Coach of the Year, the WNBA announced on Wednesday. Nakase, a first-year head coach of the Valkyries, led the Valkyries to a 23-21 record and the 8th seed in the playoffs.
She earned 53 of 72 media votes for Coach of the Year, while Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko earned 15 votes. Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve each earned two votes.
I, senior WNBA writer at SB Nation, voted Nakase for Coach of the Year, as explained in this article:
No one expected the Golden State Valkyries to make the playoffs.
ESPN projected the Valkyries to be the worst team in the WNBA.
The Athletic projected they’d be the third-worst.
But those projections were way off. Instead, Golden State is on track to finish the season with the league’s 6th-best record, securing a playoff spot with a week to spare. It’s a better record than the Seattle Storm, who are headlined by veteran All-Stars like Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, and Gabby Williams. It’s a better record than the Kelsey Plum-led Los Angeles Sparks, and the Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah-Boston led Indiana Fever.
The success has come despite the fact that their only first-round 2025 draft pick, Juste Joyce, remained overseas this season.
It’s come despite the fact that their leading scorer, Kayla Thornton, suffered a season-ending injury midway through the year.
It’s come despite the fact that they mostly whiffed in free agency, securing only one big name (Tiffany Hayes).
And, though we’ll never be able to pinpoint exactly why Golden State has outplayed so many other teams this season, much of the credit has to go to their thoroughly prepared head coach, Natalie Nakase. It’s clear that Natalie Nakase has put together an incredible rookie coaching season.
As media members, it can be tough to evaluate coaching. We’re not in the locker room at halftime or in the film room at practice. And, we can’t always glean how much poor execution is due to the staff and how much is simply the players struggling to implement concepts that were effectively presented.
But oftentimes, it’s something you can feel – how players respond when a coach pulls them to the sidelines, the authenticity with which they gush about their coach to the press when given the opportunity.
On the Valkyries, Veronica Burton plays with a joy she’s never exhibited in the WNBA. She plays freely. Rookies Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün don’t often present as first-year players.
Nearly the entire Valkyries roster is overachieving. Burton won the Most Improved Player, having upped her average from 3.1 to 12 points per game. Cecilia Zandalasini has upped her average from 4.6 to 11.2 points per game. Leite and Salaün are adjusting to the WNBA beautifully.
And the Valkyries are winning. That’s the most important thing.
They’ve won more games than any expansion team in WNBA history, and everyone has taken notice.
In talking to people around the league, there’s a strong sentiment that a ton of Golden State’s success should be tied to their head coach.
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve — one of the winningest coaches in WNBA history — recently praised what the Valkyries have been able to do under Nakase in a pregame press conference.
“When you combine a level of compete with talent and buy-in, that’s the most dangerous thing you can get,” Reeve said.
And in an interview with the Chicago Tribune last week, when Angel Reese sounded off about her own team’s level of compete, she used the Valkyries as a reference point.
“Watching Golden State — no offense, but I don’t think they’re more talented than us on paper,” Reese said. “But they play hard as hell.”