Kaila Charles finds redemption with Valkyries in career night vs. Wings

Twice this year the Dallas Wings communicated Kaila Charles she wasn t good enough to keep a roster spot Her WNBA journey looked about finished for the season until the Valkyries gave her an opportunity just after the All-Star break after a plethora of injuries left the expansion crew shorthanded Now the Valkyries can t imagine a rotation without her Following three hardship contracts the Valkyries guaranteed the -year-old shooting guard s contract for the rest of the season On Sunday she had her best championship of the season as she locked up former teammate and rookie of the year candidate Paige Bueckers while tying a career-high points in a - win over the Wings I think it was a full circle moment Charles announced after Sunday s win I started the season here and to be cut was sad but it also gave me the opportunity to get film and get picked up by the Valkyries So even though it didn t work out here like I yearned to it gave me another opportunity where I fit in a little bit more So it just shows that everything happens for a reason and I m really glad that I was able to win with my organization and do well and help them Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers loses control of the ball against Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles during the second half of a WNBA basketball match in Arlington Texas Sunday Aug AP Photo LM Otero When the Valkyries first signed Charles on Aug the former University of Maryland standout was tasked with learning a new system and teammates on a group that s in the midst of trying to make a playoff push On the morning she joined the association Charles boarded a plane to Chicago and had a inadequate hours to learn the Valkyries playbook before a p m tipoff against the Sky The Valkyries coaching staff hastily briefed Charles before the event and the shooting guard was at once in the rotation that night That night against Charles played minutes scored five points grabbed five rebounds and closed the fourth quarter in her first competition with the association Sometimes it s on the fly assistant coach Landon Tatum stated this news organization in a modern interview about how they fit players like Charles into their rotation the day of a event We know this person can do this really well So let s see if this works I wouldn t necessarily say we know ahead of time going into games this is going to for sure work but I think because we do a solid job of knowing what players do well we can kind of plug and play specific people with certain people Since then Charles has been a rotation regular She s played in every meeting and been a valuable piece off the bench for Nakase as a defensive stopper and consistent catch-and-shoot participant In her first start with the Valkyries on Sunday Charles was tasked with guarding Bueckers who came into the challenge with a streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games Charles shadowed Bueckers for every minute she was in the meeting Her advancing hands bothered the rookie star and her quick feet kept Bueckers away from the basket Charles held Bueckers scoreless in the first half and eventually limited her to just nine points on -of- shooting Credit to Kaila for coming and doing what she does Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase reported Locking people up and also on the offensive end just being confident in her shot making She makes quick decisions taking it hard to the basket Credit to Kaila because she s really only had two practices with us With the injuries the Valkyries have Charles role will only get larger in the coming weeks as the Valkyries try to secure a playoff spot Golden State is right now in eighth place with a half-game lead over the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks for the final playoff spot The Valkyries are also a half contest behind the sixth-place Indiana Fever and seventh-place Seattle Storm with matchups against both franchises in the coming weeks The battle to make the playoffs makes Charles presence and her ability to step in when her gang demands her preponderance all the more valuable Related Articles Valkyries shut down Paige Bueckers snap three-game skid with win over Wings Injuries continue to pile up for Valkyries in painful loss to Mercury Mercury coach defends rookie before rematch with Valkyries I don t think Mo is a dirty contestant How does Violet the Valkyries new talisman compare to other WNBA mascots How do injury-plagued Valkyries move forward with nine games left I think various people may limit or not understand the challenge that can come from being cut but her ability to come in and affect everything not just offensively but also defensively says a lot about who she is as a person Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton reported of Charles after Sunday s win It s a major testament to come in back to the squad that waived you this season and play minutes and impact the tournament ARLINGTON TEXAS - AUGUST Veronica Burton of the Golden State Valkyries and Kaila Charles celebrate the team's win over the Dallas Wings following the challenge at College Park Center on August in Arlington Texas NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement Photo by Ron Jenkins Getty Images