Janelle Salaun has truly stood out this year with her strong performance coming off the bench for the Golden State Valkyries. I think it’s hard to argue against her being the clear choice for Sixth Player of the Year. She currently ranks as the second-leading scorer on her team, which is the second-best in the WNBA, and she’s also the second-best three-point shooter on the roster. Salaun averages about 12.9 points per game while hitting nearly 39.7% of her three-point attempts.
Her stats paint a compelling picture: she holds the second-highest plus-minus among bench players who’ve appeared in at least 20 games. With her on the court, the Valkyries have outpaced opponents by an average of 4.7 points per game. Interestingly, Kaila Charles, a teammate, tops this list with a +4.9 net rating. Salaun is, by a significant margin, the leading scorer among players coming off the bench; the next closest, Cameron Brink from the Los Angeles Sparks, scores 3.6 points less on average.
When looking at advanced stats, Salaun continues to impress, boasting the second-highest Value-Over-Replacement Player (VPM) among WNBA bench players (+1.81). For those unfamiliar, VPM is a statistic from Databallr that estimates a player’s overall impact per 100 possessions, factoring in both offense and defense. Only Tiffany Hayes, her fellow Valkyries player, has a better VPM.
At just 25 years old, she could easily be starting for the Valkyries, yet her contributions off the bench have proven invaluable in boosting their offensive output.
Other Contenders for Sixth Player of the Year
While I’m all in for Salaun, I did consider a few other players for the Sixth Player of the Year title, including:
- Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever
- Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks
- Tiffany Hayes, Golden State Valkyries
Just to clarify my approach here: I focus solely on players’ counting stats when they’re coming off the bench.
Let’s discuss those candidates a bit. Sophie Cunningham has been decent, averaging 8.3 points while shooting 46.6% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc over 36 bench games. Despite her impressive three-point shooting, her VPM sits at -1.35, and she hasn’t had the same kind of impact on the Fever as Salaun has had on her team.
Cameron Brink puts up around 9.3 points, shooting 47.2% overall and 32.1% from three-point range within her 29 games (averaging 18.9 minutes). She also claims the top spot for rebounding and blocks among bench players with averages of 4.9 and 1.7, respectively. However, like Cunningham, Brink’s VPM is negative (-0.54), and playing for one of the league’s weaker teams adds to her challenges.
Then there’s Tiffany Hayes, who averages 8.9 points on 46% shooting along with 2.4 assists in 36 games, averaging about 16.8 minutes on the court. She has the highest VPM among bench players at +1.94. Certainly, she presents a strong argument; yet, it’s difficult to overlook Salaun, who takes on a more significant load on the same team.
In her second season with the WNBA, Salaun has made a name for herself as an essential part of a solid team, and it would be fitting for her to receive the Sixth Player of the Year recognition.
