Valkyries rookie Juste Jocyte reflects on ‘pressure’ of anticipated debut after Sun blowout

SAN FRANCISCO– Emblematic of the year-long delay in Juste Jocyte’s joining the Golden State Valkyries in the Bay Area, it took almost the entire game for the Lithuanian rookie to get on the floor and make her debut in the team’s 97-70 rout of the Connecticut Sun.

And once she did, Jocyte got a loud standing ovation from the Ballhalla crowd before the highly anticipated fifth overall pick proceeded to get her first WNBA bucket off a catch-and-shoot jumper on the baseline, to the delight of the Valkyrie fans. And not long later, Jocyte connected on a three-pointer from the wing, followed by a one-handed dime to Asheten Prechtel out of the pick-and-roll– a small taste of what’s been whispered about her potential.

Jocyte finished with five points, two assists, and two rebounds on 2-of-2 shooting in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. After her debut, Jocyte talked about weathering all of the anticipation leading up to her WNBA debut.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Jocyte said. “But also to get in at the end, it was like the whole game, you got to stay ready because you just never know. And I think I was ready. I mean, I don’t really feel pressure that much, because it’s those kinds of games I played a bunch of in my life. But it was really fun to do it in this atmosphere.”

For veteran forward Gabby Williams, who got to see Jocyte come up through the Euroleagues firsthand during their bouts overseas, she believes this is just the beginning for the 20-year-old.

“My Shayla,” Williams smiled. “Known her since I don’t know how long. Watching her go up, bragging about her telling everybody how good she’s going to be when she gets here.”

The lead-up to Juste Jocyte’s debut

Ahead of Jocyte’s highly anticipated debut was a very careful and deliberate game plan to get her ready for her moment. A moment the team knew would be limited due to the medical staff imposing a strict minutes restriction– a symptom of only having one practice under her belt following a deep playoff run in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.

Nakase shared that the coaching staff specifically worked with Jocyte to prepare her for her limited five-minute run, giving her reps specifically designed to simulate subbing in towards the end of the game and to build up her ability to stay ready. But even with those reps, Jocyte admitted that it was still hard to suppress feeling antsy.

“You just kind of can’t wait, like a little kid, you know? You just cannot wait,” Jocyte said. “But I understand the point of view of the coach. It’s hard to put a new player who’s only practiced once… [The coaches were telling me] just stay ready, stay warm. And they were asking if I’m cold or [if ] I need more warm up, but I think I did enough biking and I was ready.”

Part of that staying-ready routine was doing what she always does before a game, taking a pre-game nap. But according to Nakase, the players’ excitement around Jocyte’s debut was also important in instilling confidence in the rookie.

And you could see that just by watching how she interacted with her teammates.

During her media scrum, Kayla Thornton snuck up behind her and gave her a cheeky ear flick. A few moments later, Veronica Burton passed by Jocyte, staring her down with a big smile on her face.

“This is just like a glimpse of what she’s capable of,” Williams expressed. “And I’m just excited that she’s here.”

Building on Jocyte’s debut

With the Valkyries fully healthy and very deep, it’s hard to anticipate how Nakase will use Jocyte moving forward– and if she’ll begin to supplant some of the veterans on this team. But Nakase herself admitted she doesn’t have a good handle yet on the rotation with 12 players available, giving Jocyte a good chance to climb the rotation. Especially if the flashes she presented against the Sun are more than just flashes.

And it’s more than just the players who believe Jocyte can reach her potential. On the way back to the locker room, Jocyte high-fived owner Joe Lacob and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin. Lacob and Nyanin could be seen talking with each other for a while as Jocyte walked down the hallway, presumably impressed with the rookie’s short but intriguing debut.

As for Jocyte, she’s taking everything one step at a time, which starts with getting another practice under her belt.

“Just build the confidence of playing,” Jocyte said. “It’s really hard to be a new player in a team that already has structure and has been playing. I missed the training camp and everything, so it’s just really hard to kind of to fit into the rhythm. Those are gonna be the next steps for me.”

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