BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - AUGUST 27: Janelle Salaun #13 of the Golden State Valkyries celebrates her three point shot in the fourth quarter against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on August 27, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the New York Liberty 79-60. 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 Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images Janelle Salaun has had an outstanding year off the bench for the Golden State Valkyries and is my no-brainer selection for Sixth Player of the Year. She’s the second-leading scorer on the WNBA’s second-best team, and the second-best three-point shooter on the roster, too; Salaun is averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting 39.7% from three-point range. She has the second-highest plus-minus among bench players with at least 20 games; the Valkyries have outscored opponents by 4.7 points per game with Salaun on the floor. (Fellow Valkyries teammate Kaila Charles leads all bench players with a +4.9 net rating). She’s also by far the leading scorer among bench players; Los Angeles Sparks center Cameron Brink is second, but she averages 3.6 points fewer per game. Advanced analytics further capture Salaun’s impact; she has the second-highest VPM among WNBA bench players (+1.81). (VPM is a Databallr statistic that combines offense and defense to estimate a player’s impact per 100 possessions; only Valkyries teammate Tiffany Hayes has a higher VPM.) The 25-year-old very well could be a starter on the Valkyries, but instead she’s provided a critical offensive boost off the bench. Other players I considered for Sixth Player of the Year I considered several other players for Sixth Player of the Year, a list that includes: Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks Tiffany Hayes, Golden State Valkyries (One note on my methodology here: I’m only looking at a player’s counting stats in games when they come off the bench). Let’s take a closer look at those candidates. Sophie Cunningham averages 8.3 points on 46.6% shooting, 43.4% from three in 22.5 minutes across 36 bench games. While she’s been among the league’s best three-point shooters, she has a negative VPM (-1.35), and she’s been far less critical to the Fever than Salaun has been to the Valkyries. Cameron Brink averages 9.3 points on 47.2% shooting, while shooting 32.1% from three (in 18.9 minutes per game in 29 games). She also averages 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, both the most among bench players. But like Cunningham, Brink has a negative VPM (-0.54). It doesn’t help her case that she’s on one of the league’s worst teams and has a negative plus-minus (-1.3). Tiffany Hayes averages 8.9 points (on 46% shooting) and 2.4 assists, in 16.8 minutes per game across 36 games. She has the highest VPM among bench players (+1.94). Hayes actually has a pretty compelling case, but it’s hard to justify picking her over Salaun when Salaun shoulders more significant responsibilities on the same squad. In just her second year in the WNBA, Salaun has established herself as a critical piece of a very good team — and should be recognized with a Sixth Player of the Year award.