The Golden State Valkyries were on a nine-game winning streak before the surprise loss to the Washington Mystics just before the All-Star break. Head coach Natalie Nakase shouldered the blame, saying, “I wasn’t at my best today because I don’t think I did the proper rest and recovery.” However, after a “welcome” six-day break thanks to the All-Star Weekend, Nakase laid out the team’s priorities for the coming weeks and addressed a weakness.

“Yeah, we have to do better defensively. We are not where we are just in terms of the game plan mistakes that we’re making. There are some that are continuing to carry over. And so we have to clean those up,” Natalie Nakase told ClutchPoints reporter Kenzo Fukuda during the Valkyries’ most recent practice day media availability.

“We’re solid on defense, but we want to be a lot better. And then offensively, just continuing to play through our strengths.”

“The more we are working together, whether it’s practice, even our shootaround and watching film, we’re starting to really develop where certain players like the ball. And so now it’s just about making sure we call on time sets that are really going to work throughout the game.”

While the Valkyries are allowing the fewest points per game in the league at just 76.4, the coach believes there is more than one kink in their defensive armor, and Natalie Nakase believes their loss against the 14-12 Mystics was indicative of teams exploiting those weaknesses.

While they were lagging 80-77, the Mystics went on a 22–5 run late in the game to beat them 90-82. During that final onslaught, the Valkyries’ defense struggled to withstand the Mystics’ relentless offense powered by Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin.

While the Valkyries defended against the initial shots, the Washington offense didn’t give them time to recover and stacked up points using rebounds. Iriafen scored 12 rebounds while Austin notched 15.

With a 19-8 record, Valkyries are second in the league, just behind the high-flying Minnesota Lynx. While there is no obvious cause for panic, that’s not how coach Natalie Nakase sees it and wants to close those gaps before other teams capitalize on them.

So what does Natalie Nakase need to fix?

They are fifth-worst in the league in rebounds per game, at just 32.2. However, failing to rebound against the Mystics was indicative of a bigger issue, which is the absence of elite bigs who can help ease the pressure on the defense. In May of this year, the Valkyries had to suddenly let go of thier 6-foot-4 center Iliana Rupert due to her pregnancy.

That has left the team with Kiah Stokes as their only true center. While Stokes is putting up a solid 5.0 rebounds pr game, of which 4.1 are defensive, she can’t play the entirety of every game, leaving the defense even more vulnerable when she’s not on the court.

Teams have utilized “big” lineups to crush them on the glass and generate high second-chance points in the paint this season. In fact, two teams have already used this weakness to beat the Golden State Valkyries more than once.

While the Valkyries have eventually found an answer to most of the league’s offensive units, they are a combined 0-5 against No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 Las Vegas Aces this season. They have struggled to stop all-rounders like 6-foot-4 Aces star A’ja Wilson in all three of their clashes so far.

Natalie Nakase will look to address all these issues if they want to have a realistic shot at winning the title. After all, the Aces are defending champions, and the Minnesota Lynx sit at the top of the standings with the fewest losses at 22-6. Nakase will get her first chance to address the issues against the Phoenix Mercury on July 29.