Grace.
It’s Veronica Burton’s middle name.
And it’s what she is relying on as she navigates this season with the Dallas Wings.
Now in only her second year in the league, the 22-year-old Burton has gone from appearing in 36 games as a rookie (including six starts) to starting the first 11 games this season and embracing a new role: the lead point guard for a WNBA team.
An All-American at Northwestern, Burton calls it a “blessing” to be in such a high-profile but demanding position so early in her professional career.
“I am just thankful for the trust my teammates and coaches have in me to put me in that position because it’s a big feat,” Burton says. “It’s a lot of responsibility with taking care of the ball, remaining poised. It’s definitely a challenge every day, and I think just being able to accept that challenge and know that it’s not going to be the easiest job at times is important.”
The journey began when she was drafted No. 7 by the Wings in 2022. Last season, Burton averaged 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 15.2 minutes a game. She also started all three of the Wings’ playoff games, averaging 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals. She was in a guard rotation alongside Arike Ogunbowale, Allisha Gray and Marina Mabrey, and when Gray and Mabrey were traded in the offseason, more playing time became available.
This season she is playing 24.3 minutes per game, while averaging 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. She is tied with Arike Ogunbowale for the team lead in assists per game, at 4.3, and is averaging 1.3 steals per game.
With Crystal Dangerfield available for the first time this season, Burton came off the bench on Tuesday in an 85-73 win over the Atlanta Dream. She hardly skipped a beat, dishing out a pair of assists in the first four minutes. She finished with 3 points, 3 assists and a steal in 14 minutes of action.
Coach Latricia Trammell said the move was made in part because of “knowing that V is going to come in and bring that defensive energy off the bench,” a crucial vote of confidence considering the first-year coach wants the Wings to hang their hat on defense. That is something Burton knows a thing or two about. While at Northwestern, she was named the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, and she was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She led the country in steals in 2021 and ’22.
That’s why her impact can’t be measured solely by her point total. During one four-game stretch this season, she went scoreless three times and scored a mere 3 points in the other. After shooting 32.9 percent as a rookie, she has been a 27.5 shooter this season. But she also produced 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks over those four games. That’s one of the adjustments a player who in her last two college seasons averaged 16.2 and then 17.8 points a game has had to make.
That growth process is an area in which Burton acknowledges she’s still working to live up to her middle name. She’s doing that by choosing to treat herself with kindness and patience—with grace— as she grows into an expanded role.
“Giving myself some grace—that’s been a big challenge and I am still not great at it,” Burton says. “I’m really hard on myself and a lot of people can see that or have told me that. So when I evaluate a game or feel how I’m playing, I’m always more often than not looking at what I didn’t do or things I could have done better, which is good from a learning perspective and getting better perspective. But I need to recognize the growth areas and the things I did do well.”
Burton says she is working on allowing herself room to make and accept mistakes. “Because everyone is going to do that,” she says. “And so allow it and accept it, appreciate that part of the journey and the challenge that comes with it but also continue to learn from it and acknowledge it, too.”
Trammell sees the work Burton is putting in. “She’s just got to continue to get out of her head and continue to put up shots like she’s doing,” Trammell says. “And it will come. The shooting is one thing that I always like to tell players, the shooting’s all positive. Defense is the grind part. We get a little more upset on the defensive end.”
Since her rookie season, Burton has looked for ways to grow her game. She spent the summer playing for Athletes Unlimited with other WNBA players. She’s also working on understanding Trammell’s offense and defense and adjusting to the pace of the WNBA. Improved ball handling has also been a priority.
“It all starts with the ball pressure and just whether I get picked up full court, I need to be comfortable handing the ball, setting up the offense in that faster-pace situation,” she says, well aware that the Wings want to play fast. “Understanding when to push, when to pull back is a big thing for me that I am trying to get better at.”
Burton, who calls herself “a big relationship type girl,” is also thankful for the support she has received in the locker room.
“When you have people like Arike and Tash [Natasha Howard] and Satou [Sabally] just lifting you up, and you have a coach that pulls you over and tells you, ‘We want you here, we want you to be doing this,’ that really helps a lot,” Burton says.
Sabally says she has seen “nothing but growth” in Burton over the past year. “She’s carrying a load on her shoulders, and I do think that we are able to give her advice or she gives us advice,” Sabally adds. “We see each other as equals. She’s handling it all really well.”
Burton also finds support from her close-knit family, many of whom are athletes, and her faith to keep her relaxed and at peace as she chases lofty goals. Among them: making the WNBA All-Defensive Team and improving her efficiency on the other end of the floor.
“I need to be knocking down the shots that I am getting and doing that on a consistent basis,” she says. “That’s a growth area and a goal of mine for sure.”
Grace is on her side.
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