Updated 2026 WNBA Playoffs Bracket Picture, Standings After Gabby Williams, Valkyries Clinch Berth

The Golden State Valkyries punched their ticket to the WNBA playoffs for the second straight season.

Monday's win over the Dallas Wings assured them of a top-eight finish. With a 25-9 record, they sit second in the standings behind the Minnesota Lynx.

2026 WNBA Standings

Team	Record
Lynx	29-7
Valkyries	25-9
Aces	24-12
Fever	23-12
Dream	21-13
Liberty	22-14
Mystics	20-14
Wings	20-16

When the WNBA first announced the Valkyries as an expansion franchise in 2023, team owner Joe Lacob proclaimed they'd win a title within their first five years. He might've undersold their championship timeline.

Golden State won more games (23) than ever for a WNBA expansion team and became the first to make the postseason in its inaugural year.

The Valkyries have taken the next step to become a genuine title threat, and they've done it despite not building a proverbial superteam. Instead, continuity and collective strength has powered them on the court in 2026.

Gabby Williams is the player arguably most responsible for fueling the success.

The 29-year-old wing was widely regarded as an elite defender, and she earned her first All-Star nod with the Seattle Storm in 2025. Since signing with Golden State, she has combined her defensive prowess with a bigger offensive role than she ever occupied.

Williams, a sub-30 percent career shooter from beyond the arc, is hitting 34.2 percent of her three-pointers, and her 29.3 percent usage rate is significantly higher than her career mark (19.5), per Basketball Reference.

"Because she is such a good defender, that's all people really talk about," teammate Veronica Burton told ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "She had to take on a role that didn't require her to score as much, and she did that with a lot of grace. So it's been cool to see her now that she has been asked to score more. She has done it so fluidly. … I always knew she could score so I'm not surprised."

Burton, meanwhile, is showing her 2025 breakout was no fluke. The reigning Most Improved Player is averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 assists.

Janelle Salaün, an All-Rookie honoree, is showing encouraging progress as well. The second-year forward is shooting 39.6 percent from deep and sits second on the team in points (13.0) despite being utilized off the bench.

The overarching question for the Valkyries is whether they have a formula to win in the postseason.

The playoffs are not the same as the regular season, and a series often hinges on having more talent than the other team. To a large degree, the 2025 WNBA playoffs came down to the Las Vegas Aces having a generational star (A'ja Wilson) on a historic tear.

As good as Burton and Williams are, neither has shown themselves capable of single-handedly winning a series. Should Golden State hit a firm ceiling this far, the front office may face some difficult questions.