SAN FRANCISCO — For most of Cecilia Zandalasini’s WNBA career, she’s been a role player.
In her three seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, the Italian forward was relegated to catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, curling jumpers and occasional straight-line drives to the basket.
But now with the Valkyries, Zandalasini’s role has expanded. She has gone from a complementary role player to a top scoring option for the expansion team.
Zandalasini, 29, is in the midst of a career year with highs in points per game (10.0) and effective field goal percentage (57.1%). In the Valkyries’ last three wins, Zandalasini is averaging 16.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the 3-point line.
With All-Star Kayla Thornton out for the rest of the year, Zandalasini’s responsibilities only get more important as the Valkyries make a push for the playoffs in their inaugural season.
“Cecilia is one of the most steady players I think I’ve ever played with,” Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton said. “Just her ability to come out and be so unfazed, whether she’s hit the last three 3s or missed the first three, she’s just ready to take the next one. When she gets us going, it just again spaces the floor. You have to respect her.”
After missing all of training camp and preseason as well as the Valkyries’ first four games with injuries, there was some uncertainty about what Zandalasini would bring to an expansion roster.
She played her first two WNBA seasons in 2017 and 2018, but then spent five years playing abroad. She returned to the league in 2023, but averaged just over 12 minutes a game playing behind stars Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride.
Zandalasini made her Valkyries debut against the New York Liberty on May 29 and instantly carved a role out for herself. She scored nine points in just under 15 minutes of play, and with the game on the line, took Golden State’s final shot. Three games later, she scored a season-high 18 points in a blowout win against the Las Vegas Aces on national television.
“When she was available in the expansion draft, I jumped for joy. You don’t understand how excited I was to get Cecilia” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “If you watch Ceciia’s shot, it’s one of the most beautiful shots. She has a beautiful release. She never hesitates. She has confidence that’s unreal.
“I even told her, you and Steph (Curry) should have a shootout. I asked her, ‘You think you could beat him?’ She’s like, ‘Nah.’ But I think it’d be a pretty good contest.”
She continued to be a key piece to the Valkyries’ rotation even after taking a month-long break to compete in the EuroBasket Tournament.
But after Thornton was ruled out for the rest of the season, the first-time All-Star left a void in Golden State’s rotation. While Nakase and the players said they couldn’t replace Thornton’s scoring and defense, Golden State desperately needed to make up for the production she gave through the first half of the season.
Since Thornton’s injury, it’s been clear Zandalasini has elevated her game to keep the Valkyries’ playoff hopes alive.
In one of the biggest games of the season, Zandalasini hit a game-winner to lift Golden State over the Atlanta Dream. Just over a week later, she scored 14 first-half points in a blowout win against the Los Angeles Sparks in a crucial game with tiebreaker implications on the line.
Over the course of this season, Zandalasini has been making strides in broadening her offensive repertoire. The mostly standstill shooter has been effective in isolation situations and has gotten to the rim more than she has in the past.
Over the last few games, Zandalasini has used an effective between-the-legs size-up to get open pull-up jumpers.
“I actually like to play with the ball in my hands,” Zandalasini told the Bay Area News Group on Monday. “We have other ball handlers other than me on the squad, but I just try to stay ready and read the defense. I think I’m just growing in different ways.”
Zandalasini scored a game-high 17 points in Monday’s win over the Connecticut Sun, which left the Valkyries comfortably in the seventh playoff seed at 15-15. The Seattle Storm have lost the last five games, dropping to the eighth seed, while the fifth-seeded Indiana Fever have been ravaged by injuries to star players Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson.
While Zandalasini believes she isn’t a replacement for Thornton, there’s no doubt that her scoring will be key for the Valkyries down the stretch of the season.
“It’s just going to be about coming out every night and playing like it’s our last game,” Zandalasini said. “We have a playoff mentality and we know every game is going to be important. We’re going to try to win them all.”
