Golden State Valkyries select Lithuanian guard Justė Jocytė fifth overall in WNBA draft

SAN FRANCISCO — The Justė Jocytė era has begun in San Francisco. 

With the franchise’s first-ever draft choice, the Golden State Valkyries selected Lithuanian point guard Justė Jocytė fifth overall. 

Jocytė is not a household name for American fans, but was one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. 

The 19-year-old played in France’s top women’s league and showed flashes of becoming a shot-creating point guard at the next level. Jocytė averaged 12.7 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 35% from beyond the arc for Lyon ASVEL of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. 

Jocytė fills an immediate need for the Valkyries as a point guard who can create shots for others as well as herself. Jocytė is the 12th international player on the Valkyries’ roster. 

Who else did Golden State select?

The Valkyries selected Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers with their second round pick and UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen with their third. 

On most mock drafts, Sellers was a first round selection on most mock drafts but fell to the Valkyries in the second round. She averaged 14.4 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 40.8% from the three-point line this past season.

Chen was a floor general for UConn and shot 35.4% from 3 this past season.