SEATTLE — There was a moment midway through the third quarter when Gabby Williams, in her Valkyries debut, reminded Seattle what it’s missing.

Leaking toward the sideline in transition, Williams rose over rookie Flau’jae Johnson for a 3-ball that silenced the crowd that once erupted for those same shots. 

By that point in Golden State’s 91-80 season-opening win, a bigger development was unfolding for the Valkyries. Backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen broke out and changed the game long before Williams, the former Storm All-Star, hit her lone 3-pointer. 

After Williams exchanged smiles and embraces with former Storm teammates Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor, and settled into the strangely familiar rhythms of a game night at Climate Pledge Arena, Chen stole the spotlight. Her 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range) in 16 minutes of guiding the offense, mostly in the second half, steadied the Valkyries in their first outing fresh off a wild preseason capped with an emotional 24-hour countdown to tipoff. 

For a player who entered training camp on the edge of the roster conversation, Friday looked like the clearest indication yet that Chen may have taken a substantial step forward. The confidence and comfortability — which were on display when Chen led the team in minutes in Golden State’s lone preseason game — stood out immediately: she showed no hesitation attacking downhill against Malonga (a 6-foot-6 center), finishing up and over her at the rim. Later, Chen buried a quick-release jumper off a perimeter kickout. 

The second-year guard initiated offense decisively, settled chaotic possessions, and consistently made quick reads against the Storm’s pressure. The effort suggested Chen may already be carving out a significantly bigger role than projected — last season, she appeared in 24 games and averaged just 10.3 minutes. 

“I just felt more comfortable as the game went on, and I feel like it’s nothing different than what we’ve been working on in practice. When we’re able to execute, we look good,” Chen said. 

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase applauded her ability to score from three levels and to take on a more significant role as a scorer for the first time in her young career. 

The Valkyries clearly wanted to run through their new star in Williams early, opening up in a true five-out offense, but their execution wasn’t clean. The team trudged through a clunky first quarter searching for perimeter opportunities, yet struggled to create any kind of paint pressure. Williams did not make a field goal in the first half, and her comeback was understated. 

Nakase’s group looked far more settled once the second unit arrived.

Janelle Salaun, Kaila Charles, and Laeticia Amihere brought a different energy off the bench, finally penetrating downhill and speeding up the pace, which will be an emphasis when they work in small-ball rotations. Golden State finished with 48 bench points, the most in the franchise’s brief history.

Nakase’s long-term vision remains rooted in defensive versatility, and Williams sits at the center of that identity. After having a career year and leading the WNBA in steals with 2.3 per game last year, she now anchors a defensive-minded roster built around switchability, speed, and collective pressure.

“For me, it’s just exciting to play with other willing defenders,” Williams said, “it takes a lot off my plate and allows me to take more risks.” 

Down to Kiah Stokes and Amihere as centers, without overwhelming size, the Valkyries appear committed to fully leaning into small-ball concepts. For now, at least until tested otherwise, they believe their versatility can compensate.

“They know that’s not our best defensive effort,” Nakase said postgame. “But I also believe we’re not even there yet as a team, because some of the players have only come to three or four practices. So I told them, ‘I’m going to give you guys space to evolve in the next couple of days, let’s really lock in our game plan.’”

Despite an 11-point win, there was still a clear emotional hangover from last-minute transactions. The Valkyries made a flurry of moves to finalize their roster Thursday as they waived Kate Martin, filed for a replacement contract for center Iliana Rupert, who is pregnant, and scrambled to bring back Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who took Rupert’s roster spot. 

The Valkyries are likely still evaluating frontcourt solutions (they could execute an early-season trade), waiting on the arrival of Juste Jocyte from overseas, and trying to alleviate short-term size concerns. Friday offered an early glimpse into how they may compensate: switch everything and trust their shooting, which worked as they hit 40.5% of attempts from beyond the arc.

“The way we move the ball is the same,” Williams said. “Obviously, losing Iliana isn’t going to help us, but at the same time, we’re built to have the next-man-up mentality.”