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Kate Martin is not scheduled to play in the Golden State Valkyries' second and final game of the preseason on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury. Martin came off the bench in the 83-82 loss to the LA Sparks last Tuesday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
But why is Martin not playing tonight versus the Mercury at the Footprint Center in Phoenix? According to Winsidr's Matt Cohen, the Valkyries have ruled her out with a hand injury. It's unclear when Martin suffered the injury, though there's no word if it's a long-term one.
Martin was joined on the injury report by Stephanie Talbot, Cecilia Zandalasini and Laeticia Amihere. Talbot and Zandaslasini are listed as out with right quad and right foot injuries, respectively, while Amihere is tagged as questionable due to right hip injury.
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Kate Martin comes off the bench in Valkyries first preseason game
The Golden State Valkyries hosted the LA Sparks on May 6 at the Chase Center in their first-ever preseason game as a WNBA franchise. Plenty of Valkyries fans were present and cheered the city's first women's basketball team, with Kate Martin coming off the bench.
Some fans online were upset with coach Natalie Nakase's decision not to put Martin in the starting five. Martin was scoreless in the first half, but scored eight points in the second as the Valkyries were outlasted by the Sparks, 83-82.
The Iowa product was acquired by Golden State in the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft. She spent the first season of her career with the Las Vegas Aces, but the star-studded franchise couldn't put a protection on the popular guard.
Kate Martin predicted to have a tough sophomore year in WNBA
While some of her fans anticipated Kate Martin to be a starter for the Golden State Valkyries, the first preseason showed that might not be the case. Martin will likely come off the bench under coach Natalie Nakase, though she might have a bigger role compared to his time with the Las Vegas Aces.
ESPN predicted in their 2025 Fantasy Outlook that Martin should get plenty of playing time in Golden State. However, she'll be behind Tiffany Hayes and Julie Vanloo in the backcourt rotation and would have to compete with Juste Jocyte and Verenovic Burton for minutes.
Martin was predicted to average 4.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this upcoming season.
