There’s a clear WNBA Sixth Player of the Year frontrunner

Janelle Salaün makes a big-time shot, or a big-time play, seemingly every game. The French sharpshooter has established herself as one of the league’s elite bucket-getters, and she’s also well on her way to securing the WNBA’s Sixth Player of the Year award.

The 24-year-old comes off the bench for the Golden State Valkyries and averages 13.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She’s the team’s second-leading scorer, and she’s shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc, by far the best mark among Valkyries rotation players.

On Tuesday, in a 92-81 Valkyries win over the Toronto Tempo, she exploded for a game-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting — all in just 21 minutes of action. Salaün’s high release point makes her difficult to guard, and her ability to shoot from beyond the arc has been critical for a Valkyries squad that has sometimes struggled to score.

The Valkyries are 21-9 this season — tied for the league’s second-best record with the Las Vegas Aces — and Salaün has come off the bench for every single game.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has averaged 9.5 points in 27 bench contests, while shooting 48.1% from the field and 45.3% from three. Fellow Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes has also been impactful; she’s averaging 7.9 points and has helped swing games with big-time plays, as has backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen, who is averaging 7.2 points per game on a scorching-hot 54.5% shooting.

And former perennial All-Star guard Jewell Loyd is averaging 7.4 points in 26.6 minutes per game off the bench for the Aces, who have also done their fair share of winning.

But, in truth, no one rivals Salaün’s bench production and impact. If there’s one award that will be easy to decide upon this season, it’ll be the WNBA’s Sixth Player of the Year. Janelle Salaün has it in the bag.