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23 hours ago
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Veronica Burton might go down as one of the greatest expansion draft picks in WNBA history.
Left unprotected by the Connecticut Sun in 2024, Burton joined the Golden State Valkyries and won Most Improved Player honors as the Valkyries stunned the WNBA by reaching the playoffs.
Burton has leveled up in 2026. She is receiving buzz as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but is it time to recognize how her all-around contribution should have her in contention to win WNBA MVP?
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It might not be such a crazy assertion to make. Burton is averaging a career-best 12.3 points and is shooting a career-best 36.3 percent from three-point range. She is seventh in the WNBA in defensive rating, as the Valkyries allow just 101.8 points per 100 possessions when she is on the floor.
Veronica Burton might be the name not getting enough attention in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. The numbers suggest she may have a legitimate case as the best defender on the WNBA’s best defensive team:
✨96.7 defensive rating⁰✨1.9 steals + blocks per game —… pic.twitter.com/o2UH2uL09L
Burton is a key cog in the WNBA's top-ranked scoring defense. But according to Databallr's proprietary VPM statistic, Burton has been the second-most valuable player in the league this year, behind only MVP favorite A'ja Wilson.
VPM measures value per possession. It attempts to quantify, per 100 possessions, a player's net impact on scoring margin. And Burton's plus-4.95 aggregate ranking is higher than Kelsey Mitchell (fifth), Olivia Miles (sixth), Paige Bueckers (seventh) and Caitlin Clark (eighth).
Burton and the Valkyries return to action Friday night against the Portland Fire. Golden State (29-11) is two games behind the Minnesota Lynx for the top seed in the WNBA playoffs.
Leading Golden State to the No.1 seed would be a big feather in her cap, but either way, Burton has earned her place in the conversation centered on the most impactful -- and valuable -- players in the WNBA.
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