Veronica Burton has been one of the most improved players in the WNBA throughout the 2025 season. Supercharged by opportunity and belief from coaches in Golden State, she’s grown from a low-efficiency, low-production bench player to an All-Star talent. She averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 assists as the leader for a Valkyries squad that made the playoffs in their first season as a franchise.
While her pull-up shooting and adamant perimeter defense are impressive, Burton’s development has primarily been fueled by her playmaking. She’s one of the best passers in not just the W, but basketball, period. The 5’9” guard is one of the last true pass-first PGs in the sport, and she’s flourished in a dying archetype by mastering the simple stuff.
In a game with so many spectacular athletes capable of making insane highlight plays, the fundamentals often go overlooked by fans and analysts alike. Burton has achieved stardom from mastering the things that don’t stand out to the untrained eye, or that the average person would consider unexciting. Her impeccable passing isn’t the flashy kind. She makes her impact by delivering entry, pocket, and kickout passes so pinpoint it’s like she’s a robot programmed to do so. Every type of bounce, chest, and lob pass is in her arsenal. Her natural feel as a punch-and-spray maestro is the driving force of Golden State’s three-point-heavy offense. By excelling at the “boring” skill of passing, she’s separated herself from all the players who neglect the fundamentals in favor of the “fun” stuff (scoring, crazy dribble moves, etc).
Burton is similar to NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton in many ways. Both are wicked smart (insert Morgan O’Mally accent here) offensive engines who lead their teams not as high-volume scorers, but elite table setters. Don’t get it twisted, though; both can also get hot in a hurry, especially from beyond the arc. Not only are the two guards continuing to prove the worth of playmaking-minded floor generals, they’re also symbols of the importance of the fundamentals. Just like life in general, there’s so much beauty and value in the simple stuff in hoops. That’s what makes watching players like Veronica Burton such a joy, and why it’s impossible to not be romantic about basketball.
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