Nakase Praises Chen and the "Stay Ready" Group After Tough Loss

Four games in seven days, and Coach Nakase had some honest thoughts after this one.

We made the call to shorten rotations tonight and protect our guys' legs — even as Vegas got hot from the field. Coach didn't hold back either, asking herself out loud whether our aggressive defensive looks played a part in the fatigue we saw late.

But there was a lot to build on. Chetchy and Gabby got us off to a strong start, hitting their spots and running the game plan the way we drew it up. Caitlyn kept getting downhill all night, no matter who was in front of her. And our Stay Ready group answered the call — Nadia with a selfless play and a big-time rebound, Yssa showing real growth in her composure and physicality, and a teammate who fought through every halftime adjustment we threw at her.

Offensively, we liked what we saw. The shots were generated the right way — they just didn't go down tonight, and that affected our transition defense on the other end.

Tough night, but no excuses here. We learn from it and get ready for the next one.

00:00 — Opening: Evaluating the Game as a Whole
00:45 — Managing Minutes & Chetchy/Gabby/Tip's Growth
01:50 — Jaw's Fight and Halftime Adjustments
02:30 — Kaitlyn, Nadia & the Stay Ready Group
03:20 — Ystay's Progress at Point Guard
03:50 — Defensive Struggles & 68% Shooting
04:30 — Second Quarter Scoring Drought & Transition Defense

Golden State Valkyries | WNBA | Postgame Presser | Coach Nakase | vs Las Vegas Aces | 2026