Valkyries see how Kate ‘Money' Martin can impact a game as a shotmaker

San Francisco Chronicle​

12 hours ago

Kate Martin earned the nickname 'Money' last season for her timely shots in limited minutes as a rookie with the Las Vegas Aces. But Wednesday night in San Francisco, she cashed in as a Golden State Valkyrie: a career-best 21-point performance that included a 14-point fourth-quarter explosion that nearly stole the game from the New York Liberty.
New York won 81-78.
In her first season with the Valkyries (7-7) under head coach Natalie Nakase, a former Aces assistant, Martin has had a few 'money' moments, including hitting a halftime buzzer-beater against Las Vegas and tallying 14 points against the Minnesota Lynx.
'I was ice cold in the first half, so shout out to (my teammates) for continuing to pass me the ball,' Martin said of her fourth-quarter flurry. 'It just feels good to knock down shots.'
Martin shot just 26.3% with 4.5 points per game in the Valkyries' first five games, serving as a healthy scratch in Game 5 — Golden State's loss in New York on May 29. And while Nakase has alternated her lineups often, it appeared Martin wasn't in the regular rotation.
Then Martin performed well against the Lynx on June 1 and played significant bench minutes in wins over Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm. Against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on June 19, Martin played the role of a shutdown guard.
After she went 0-for-8 from the field in Sunday's win over the Sun, Martin responded on Wednesday by showing the impact she can have off the bench as a scorer — potential that will force defenses to think twice.
'She's a great shooter, and she's got a lot of confidence when the ball comes to her, and she's going to make tough plays, and you saw that tonight,' Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said of Martin. 'She made some shots where we over-helped and just left her open, and that wasn't the plan. But sometimes in the heat of the battle, we lose our focus on how we want to execute. But Kate made those shots, and she's always stayed ready. I really like her mentality. She really was a thorn in our side, and at the end, obviously, they went to her and got a shot off and didn't make it. … Finally.'
Martin hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, scoring the final 12 Valkyries points. She cut the deficit to three with a 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark. The next possession, she netted another trey from the left wing to tie the score.
With 1:59 left, Martin gave the Valkyries a 75-74 lead with another left-corner 3. Then she hit an impossible-angle shot — from the left again — to cut the Liberty lead to 79-78 with 12.2 seconds on the clock.
Golden State got no closer as Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu made two free throws to extend New York's lead. But Martin's breakout came at a time when the Valkyries needed to see it.
Golden State was without five players on Wednesday: Carla Leite (back) and Temi Fagbenle (rest), plus EuroBasket participants Julie Vanloo (Belgium), Janelle Salaün (France) and Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy).
Golden State's offense once again went stagnant late in the fourth quarter. In the loss to New York on May 29, the Valkyries scored five points in the last 3:11. In the loss to Phoenix on June 5, a late 18-1 run by the Mercury stole victory away.
The Valkyries need more than one hot shooter to deliver in late-game scenarios, so Martin emerging as a reliable option is significant.
Martin is shooting 31.9% from 3, ranking behind Zandalasini (47.1%), Salaün (40%), Tiffany Hayes (34.6%) and Chloe Bibby (42.9%), who has played in just three games. Martin has played 16.7 minutes per game off the bench, just ahead of the 16.6 from Leite among regular rotation players.
Martin is still primarily a 3-and-D player, but she's venturing inside more often; she takes 60.3% of her shots from 3-point range compared to 70.5% last season, and 28.2% of her shots come from within 3 to 10 feet of the rim.
'All of her hard work in the offseason coming into this season is now coming to life,' Nakase said of Martin. 'She had a trainer who not only improved her basketball skills, but also her physical skills. So she was in the weight room. She was doing agility. She was always asking, 'What should I work on? ' And so, again, just credit to her for sacrificing her whole offseason. And now you guys are seeing the results of everything.'
Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh, an assistant in Las Vegas last season, cited Martin's experience with the Aces and the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league this offseason as helping prepare her for her new role at Golden State.
'We can just see she's getting more and more comfortable and playing against elite competition, and not being afraid of the moment,' Marsh said Thursday, a day before the Valkyries' matchup against his Sky.
Martin isn't about to become Golden State's top scoring option. Still, with her 3-point ability and improving ability to get to the rim, she might be one of the Valkyries' most important pieces during their improbable playoff contention.
'We want her to stay aggressive,' Nakase said. 'It's a credit to Kate believing in herself and her teammates believing in her.'