Monday's game against the Los Angeles Sparks featured Kaila Charles coming off the bench and finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Beyond her statistics, it was her postgame comments about a teammate that were noteworthy.

In an official postgame press conference after the June 15 Golden State Valkyries victory over the Sparks, Charles explained why Gabby Williams is so tough to defend against.

"I think she's just very smart. I think she makes the right plays. Obviously, she's athletic and long, but you have to be smart on defense to read where they're going to pass it to, when to have high hands, when to, you know, go for the ball. And I think she's very smart," Charles said.

The way Williams performed on Monday demonstrated that. The Valkyries limited the WNBA's top scorer, Kelsey Plum, to just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting. Plum averages 26.6 points per game. Nneka Ogwumike also shot 3-for-9 and finished with nine points.

Head coach Natalie Nakase noticed right away how that defensive effort set the tone for the whole team.

At the same press conference that followed the game, Nakase discussed the group's performance.

"This is kind of the team that I envisioned with that type of defensive tenacity. Picking up 94 feet, having that energy. But maximizing their energy, there was nothing left in the tank, and that's what I saw today," Nakase said.

The LA's offensive struggles, marked by a season-low 33.3% field goal shooting and 14.3% from beyond the arc, resulted in the Valkyries allowing the fewest points they have all year.

No team can play defense that effectively without contributions from every player, and Charles demonstrated this best on Monday evening.

Kaila Charles Delivers a Complete Performance

Charles was everywhere on the court in the 22 minutes that she came off the bench. She tied her season-high with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, added eight rebounds, five assists, and finished with a plus-15 rating.

"Kai brings a different level of energy," Nakase said at the postgame press conference. "I feel like every time I watch her play, it's a new level of energy. Today she brought it on both sides of the floor, and it was really nice to see our composure."

For Charles, it was her first double-digit performance in eight games and just her third of the season overall.

Her two three-pointers included a catch-and-shoot from the corner just before halftime and another that she hit while dribbling over Kelsey Plum with an on-ball screen.

Charles wasn't the only one making a splash; Veronica Burton also delivered a sensational performance.

Her 12-point contribution allowed Burton to subtly etch her name into history. In the third quarter, she shattered the 1,000-point mark, etching her name in Valkyries history as the first player to achieve this and claiming the title of the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Comment down below who you think is the most underrated defender in the WNBA right now.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta