Valkyries' Nakase calls Veronica Burton WNBA's ‘best point guard right now.' These Finals show why

Natalie Nakase encouraged Veronica Burton to loiter in the corner. About 2½ minutes remained in Monday evening’s game, the Golden State Valkyries led by 12 points and Burton had committed a turnover on her team’s previous offensive possession, fumbling the ball away.

It was only her second (and final) turnover of the past two games, covering more than 75 minutes on the court. She looked utterly exhausted.

Burton didn’t seem to understand Nakase’s point at first, until the coach tugged on Burton’s shorts and gently nudged her toward the corner in front of the Valkyries’ bench. By that point, the message was clear: Catch your breath. Let Tiffany Hayes handle the ball this time.

Or put another way: Burton had done her job. She completely emptied her tank, to borrow one of Nakase’s favorite phrases.

The Valkyries will return to Atlanta one win from earning the WNBA championship, and the story of how they flipped the Finals – from down 2-1 to up 3-2 and on the brink of a title – begins with their point guard. Burton left her fingerprints all over Golden State’s 64-55 victory in Game 5 at Chase Center.

She played more than 37 minutes, including the entire second half, and collected 13 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and one steal. Burton also exerted abundant energy on defense, chasing turbo-charged Dream point guard Jordin Canada all over the court, no easy chore.

This came two days after Burton played 38-plus minutes Saturday in Atlanta, where she had 13 points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Oh, and zero turnovers. That effort ushered Golden State to a vital, series-tying win, abruptly shifting the momentum of the series.

To see Burton doing her thing again Monday pushed her coach into overdrive.

“I think, hands down, she’s the best point guard right now in the league,” Nakase said. “I mean, that amount of minutes and just having two turnovers? It may not look fancy and pretty, but this is her way. It’s that grittiness, that leadership, that toughness. It’s diving on the floor, getting knocked down, getting back up.

“That’s another way you can show being the best point guard. She had four blocks and what is she, 5-11? 5-9, sorry. And then eight rebounds. To me, that’s her resilience. She just took another step today.”

Forgive Nakase’s hyperbole – Caitlin Clark and Olivia Miles are the WNBA’s top point guards, with Paige Bueckers (more of a combo guard) also in the conversation – but her point says something essential. She doesn’t pull up for 30-footers like Clark, or weave through the lane like Miles, or stop on a dime for mid-range jumpers like Bueckers.

Instead, Burton is deliberate, crafty and rugged, and also exceptional defensively. That makes her a perfect fit for the culture Nakase has built with the Valkyries. It’s worth noting here that Burton ranked second in the league this season in “win shares,” behind only five-time MVP A’ja Wilson.

It also doesn’t hurt to fight through fatigue the way Burton has in the playoffs. She logged more than 36 minutes just three times in 44 regular-season games; she has eclipsed that barrier five times in Golden State’s 11 postseason games.

Much of this traces back to Burton’s value, clearly, but backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen has also been overmatched at times by Atlanta’s size and athleticism. Chen played less than two minutes in Game 4 and less than three Monday.

This division of labor makes sense given the stakes, though it obviously carries the risk of Burton wearing down in Game 6 and a potential Game 7. She naturally dismissed the suggestion.

“I mean, it’s all we got right now,” Burton said. “This is it. So I’ll play however many minutes … it’s the WNBA Finals, leave it all out there. So whatever is asked of me, that’s what I’m willing to do.”

The trajectory of Burton’s postseason has been up and down. She sparkled in the first round against Dallas, especially in the decisive Game 3 (16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists). Then she struggled offensively in the semifinals against Las Vegas, and also occasionally in these Finals – particularly in Game 3, during Golden State’s lopsided loss.

Burton looked tentative at times earlier in the series, preoccupied with setting up her teammates more than looking for her own shot. This is a longtime habit, tracing back to the time she took only three shots in an AAU game in her early teenage years, and her dad all but ordered her to stop being so passive and shoot more often.

She did – and scored 40 in her next game.

This time, on a much bigger stage, the pattern repeated itself in some ways (except for the 40 points). As the Valkyries regrouped after absorbing that Game 3 thrashing, Nakase implored Burton to look to shoot more often.

That’s not her nature, but she launched 17 shots from the field in Game 4, more than she did in any regular-season game. Burton made only four but she also made an impact, and the Valkyries won.

Then, on Monday, she posted similar numbers – shooting 5-for-15 from the field but also being more assertive, launching herself into the fray time after time. That matters, too.

“I think we’re at our best when V is aggressive,” teammate Kiah Stokes said. “I tell her: Trust the floater, get to the paint. I’ve got confidence she’s going to make it or get fouled. … We need her to stay aggressive, and I think that just gets the rest of our team going.”

They’re going back to Atlanta now, needing one more win to complete a magical season. It might not always be fancy or pretty, as her coach put it, but this much is clear: Burton will lead the Valkyries.

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This article originally published at Valkyries’ Nakase calls Veronica Burton WNBA’s ‘best point guard right now.’ These Finals show why.