SAN FRANCISCO — Through the Golden State Valkyries’ first five games of the season, second-year guard Kate Martin struggled to find her role with the expansion team.

She was thrust into the starting lineup on opening night because of injuries and shooting struggles kept her out of coach Natalie Nakase’s regular rotation for the last four games.

Martin, the team’s most popular player after her college years alongside Caitlin Clark at Iowa, played sparingly on the Valkyries’ three-game road trip and was a healthy scratch in a loss to the New York Liberty on Thursday.

But on Sunday, Martin showed why she could be an impact player.

Martin scored a career-high 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting in Golden State’s 86-75 loss to the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Lynx. All 14 points came in a

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