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Valkyries center-forward Janelle Salaün shoots over the Las Vegas Aces' Chelsea Gray on May 31 at Chase Center. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
Janelle Salaün bolted out of the corner to receive a dribble hand-off, with Washington's 6-foot-5 center hounding her and the shot clock winding down. Salaün crossed the ball to her left. She dribbled once and rose into a fallaway mid-range jumper over Shakira Austin's outstretched right arm. The ball floated high into the air and sank into the net.
Possessions like this one on July 18 help explain Salaün's value to the Golden State Valkyries' offense. When plays break down, the reserve forward is her team's bailout option - somebody teammates know will be unafraid to let one fly.
Salaün's shot diet consists of a heavy dose of long twos and off-balance threes, often with a hand in her face. It might not thrill the analytics nerds, but Salaün's ability to make the difficult shots look simple is her best skill.
"She's just clutch," forward Gabby Williams said. "Love watching her confidence grow throughout this season, and she's becoming one of our go-to players, I think, when we're in those kind of shooting lulls."
Salaün's sidestep 3-pointer - where she pump-fakes on a closing defender, takes a dribble to either side and rises for a shot - has become a lethal weapon. She went to it late in that first quarter against the Mystics, drilling a three from the left corner, and attempts it multiple times each game, the next more daring than the last.
"She has an ability, a shot-making ability, that many people - not only in this league, just in this world - don't have," assistant coach Kasib Powell said. "Tough shots for 90% of the league are shots that she normally makes."
Powell is right. According to WNBA tracking data, Salaün makes 3-pointers at 7% above her expected average - the ninth best mark in the league - signaling her ability to consistently drill tough shots. Among the 20 most accurate shooters from beyond the arc, Salaün's expected 3-point percentage is the third lowest.
"It's unguardable. It's unguardable," Williams said about Salaün's sidestep. "You can't contest it without fouling. (It's) something really unique and special about her, her shot-making ability. I think it's something that doesn't go talked about enough because it opens up so much space for us as well when you have someone like that on the floor."
Salaün has used her unique ability to morph into the best bench scorer in the WNBA. The French forward is the only full-time reserve who averages at least 12 points per game. She heads up the league's best bench and is the clear favorite for sixth player of the year coming out of the All-Star break.
Her lineup versatility has also stood out this season. The 6-foot-2 forward regularly switches between frontcourt positions, guarding small forwards, power forwards or centers depending on the matchup. In a second consecutive matchup against the Mystics on July 20, Salaün entered as the small-ball five. She immediately converted a layup off a slip to the rim.
The evolution of Salaün is apparent when considering her change in role from just a year ago. As a rookie with Golden State, Salaün played 27 minutes per contest - third on the team behind Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton - and came off the bench in just three of her 36 appearances.
In 2026, Salaün has watched her minutes decrease to 22.4 per game. She hasn't started a single contest in 27 appearances, but still averages more playing time than two of Golden State's starters in Cecilia Zandalasini and Kiah Stokes.
Despite the dip, Salaün's offensive impact is objectively greater than it was last season.
Her points per game mark is up from 11.3 to 12.8. Her true shooting percentage, a measure of a player's total scoring efficiency that combines 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals and free throws, has risen from 52.3% to 58%. And her 3-point percentage has increased from 36.6% to 39.4%.
Here's the list of WNBA players shooting 38% or better on threes while attempting at least six of them per game (15 game minimum): Kelsey Mitchell, Kayla McBride, Marina Mabrey and Salaün. That's quite the company to be in. Mitchell is one of the WNBA's best scorers, trailing just four-time MVP A'ja Wilson in scoring average this season. Mabrey and McBride follow not far behind, and all three players were All-Stars last season or this season.
Salaün, who participated in the 3-point contest at WNBA All-Star weekend, has worked extensively on her jump shot with assistant coach Landon Tatum. He helped her develop the sidestep against a closing defender, which Salaün said she always had in her toolbox but has further improved since joining the Valkyries.
"It's part of me," Salaün said. "It's part of my game. It's natural. … I think, like I said, it can get better."
With their depth, the Valkyries have the luxury of bringing Salaün off the bench. But at just 24, her underlying numbers suggest she's an offensive star in the making, and they might have to increase her role if this steady development continues.
"She's just a scorer. She scores," Powell said. "She wants to be in a big moment. She loves to be in a big moment. So for us, (it's) just really almost like a cheat code to have her on the team, be able to bring her off the bench."
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Janelle Salaün's shot-making is a ‘cheat code' for the Valkyries off the bench.
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