The Golden State Valkyries won the 2026 WNBA championship after beating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday night.

And Golden State accomplished this feat with a team and playing style that, in many ways, are the polar opposite of the Indiana Fever.

This doesn't bode well for a Fever franchise and roster that finished the 2026 season with a whimper after losing in the first round to the Las Vegas Aces.

Yet, in recognizing the ways Indiana and Golden State were different this season, perhaps that can present a path to changes the Fever can implement to their roster heading into the 2027 campaign.

Valkyries' Defensive Emphasis Contrasts Fever's Offensive Focus

The most obvious evidence of this is what Golden State and Indiana both excel at. For the Valkyries, that would be defense, as they led the league in opponent points per game (75.1), opponent field-goal percentage (41.4%), and opponent three-point percentage (32.6%) during the regular season.

Indiana excelled on offense, as their 117 offensive rating and 96 points scored per game were top in the WNBA. But their defense was mediocre at best, with their 90.4 points per game allowed being the fifth-worst in the league.

Defense wins championships, as the age-old cliché goes. The Valkyries proved this to be true. And the Fever would be wise to keep that in mind when deciding how (and who) they want to play next season.

Fever's Star-Heavy Roster Loses Out to Valkyries' Depth

Many felt like the Valkyries' ceiling was capped because they didn't have a true superstar on their roster. And while Gabby Williams ascended to superstardom during the postseason, the fact is that Golden State became the first WNBA champion without a player selected to an All-WNBA team that season.

The Fever, on the other hand, had two players selected to the All-WNBA First Team: Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. Plus, they have Aliyah Boston, who is arguably one of the three best centers in the game.

This is not to say that the Fever should get rid of their superstars, as the Valkyries are the exception in this regard. But it does suggest that Indiana needs to build more depth around these stars, as that depth is where the Valkyries' roster thrived.

Ultimately, the Fever and the Valkyries' rosters look a lot different. And Golden State's success this season shows Indiana might want to think long and hard about how they want to approach roster construction this winter.