Young players emerge as key contributors for Fever, Valkyries, Liberty
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Aug 18, 2026, 5:00 PM
Last updated Aug 18, 2026
Indiana Fever's Makayla Timpson has increased her role, averaging 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in recent games. Golden State Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen shows improvement, shooting 54.7 percent from the field. New York Liberty's Pauline Astier is stepping up as injuries affect star players. All three are crucial as their teams vie for playoff positions this season.
- •Timpson previously noted for her role alongside Aliyah Boston
- •Chen backing up league's Most Improved Player, Veronica Burton
- •Astier is filling in due to injuries to key Liberty guards
- •All three players are first- or second-year pros
- •Fever, Valkyries, and Liberty are all playoff contenders
- 5:00 PMYahoo Sports — How these three young WNBA players are elevating the championship-hopeful Fever, Valkyries and Liberty
"Giving credit to some of the younger, less appreciated players on the WNBA’s better teams.
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