Now that the Valkyries are stepping up their playoff push, coach Natalie Nakase decided she needed more from her point guard. She asked Veronica Burton to start, in her words, “MF-ing people.”
Burton didn’t flinch at the request — she understood the desire for more energy and accountability in practice. But Burton reminded Nakase that she’s more about encouragement and positivity, and she wanted to do it her way. Nakase was fine with that. That’s what she likes about Burton.
New role, same Veronica.
That role is starting point guard for the Valkyries, who just set the record for most wins by an expansion team. Burton is a core part of that, only a year removed from being waived by the Wings, who drafted her seventh out of Northwestern.
“To go from [being waived] last year to now you’re on a new expansion team with new teammates that I told her she has to command and demand within training camp,” Nakase said. “That isn’t easy.”
Nakase is sure this kind of leap is deserving of the Most Improved Player Award, and even opposing coaches are beginning to say Burton is in the mix.
But the rise didn’t come out of nowhere. Burton always has been recognized for her defense. At NU, she led the nation in steals and held Big Ten rival Caitlin Clark to her only single-digit scoring game.
Joe McKeown, her college coach, says she has all the classic traits of a great defender: always one step ahead, sharpened by two competitive older sisters, driven by preparation. He calls her mindset rare, the kind that made an impression on veterans even before the box scores did.
In Connecticut, former Sun forward Alyssa Thomas remembers Burton never taking a play off, always pressuring the ball no matter how tired she was.
“That gets a lot of respect,” Thomas told the Sun-Times.
Her other memory of last season: telling Burton to shoot.
In her first three seasons, Burton averaged only two shots a game. She couldn’t find consistent looks. Her defense got her on the floor, but her offense didn’t keep her there.
This year, it’s a completely different story. She’s breaking down defenses with her quickness, getting to the rim for her own shots as well as creating for others. She’s averaging 11.2 points and 5.1 assists.
A core part of the Valkyries’ attack is putting defenses in rotation, then lighting it up from outside, where they lead the league with 30 three-point shots per game. Burton has fit right in, though many weren’t sure she would.
When she entered the league, her range was a question mark. She scored plenty in college, but her three-point percentage never stood out. Coaches wondered if her game could stretch to a league in which outside shooting is a must.
McKeown never doubted it. He had shagged enough balls in practice to know the numbers were misleading — weighed down by rushed late-clock attempts. Earlier this season, he told the Sun-Times she could be a 40% shooter in the pros despite a career average of 33%.
Now she’s proving him right. Burton is shooting 38.9% from three, top 10 in the league among players with at least four attempts per game. In her first 30-point game last week, she went 6-for-9 from deep against the Mystics.
As Burton’s role increases, she has adjusted her preparation. She’s playing 28 minutes a game, more than double her average from last season. The extra load means more time spent on recovery and fewer of the extra workouts she used to sneak in.
Not that she’s at risk of going soft.
Before the Valkyries’ blowout of the Sky on Friday night, their leading scorer, Tiffany Hayes, was asked about Burton’s influence.
“She showed me what hard work looks like,” Hayes said. “Seeing it every day from her as a young player, that kinda motivates me.”
Hayes laughed, realizing that in her 13th season, she had seen what hard work looks like. But something about Burton is different.
Consistency, not just defense, is her calling card now. Not only has it put her in the Most Improved Player conversation, it has helped the Valkyries climb toward history. If they reach the postseason, they’ll be the first expansion team to do it — with Burton at the helm.
“She’s leveling up on everybody, just doing it times 10,” Hayes said.
No MF-ing required.