​ATLANTA — OK, I’ll ask the question: At what point does the stream start running in the other direction?I’m referring to the WNBA coaching carousel, which in the last few years has basically become a one-way thoroughfare from NBA benches to the lead seat in the W. Becky Hammon was the first and most prominent of these, but in the years since we’ve seen Nate Tibbets, Chris DeMarco, Natalie Nakase and Tyler Marsh, among others, all make the same move.But at some point, shouldn’t this street start running the other way? The NBA has used other leagues as a funnel for coaching candidates for some time, no matter how distant. The G League has been a coaching development factory for a while (with Nick Nurse and Dave Joerger two of the more notable alums), but the NBA has also pulled from college mid-majors (Brad Stevens), and even reached across the ocean. In fact, Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo and Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter both were lured stateside from the same Paris team in consecutive summers.And as the W becomes increasingly big-league in its talent, its schemes, it’s investment in players and coaches, and everything else (except, perhaps, for foresight in securing finals arenas), it begs the question of why the league’s best coaches wouldn’t have transferrable skills.Hammon’s is the most obvious name, of course; as an assistant in San Antonio she was seen by many as potentially the NBA’s first woman to be a head coach but has never gotten the call. Instead she’s won three titles in Vegas.But increasingly, there are others, and in the wake of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, we should probably talk about Nakase in particular. She would seemingly check most of the boxes for NBA interest: She worked in the league for several years as an assistant, she has experience in the G League for good measure, and the biggest mark against many rising assistants — “You’ve never been a head coach before” — can no longer be used against her.Also, I’ve buried the lede here: It’s not like she just showed up and checked the head-coaching box. Nakase has been phenomenally successful in her first two seasons on the sideline, exceeding the wildest dreams of an expansion team of leftovers and spare parts and already pushing it to two wins from the WNBA title. She was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2025 and nearly won again in 2026, finishing second to Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve after the Valkyries finished one game from the top of the standings in their second season.In the postseason, the Valkyries beat Dallas in a best-of-three and then swept defending champion Las Vegas, featuring five-time MVP A’ja Wilson, in a best-of-five.While the Valkyries have a star in Gabby Williams and two other players who made the All-Defensive team, none of Golden State’s players made either of the WBNA’s all-league teams. The Valks are tied in the finals despite shooting 26.8 percent from 3. Forget pace-and space; this team has been all