Ahead of Seattle Storm’s season-opener on Tuesday, here’s three keys to success this season
SEATTLE – After two exhibitions – a ho-hum debut followed by an outstanding performance – there’s still many questions surrounding the Storm before they embark on their 25th WNBA season.
They looked incredible while clobbering a seemingly disinterested Phoenix Mercury team 85-59 during last week’s final tuneup, which alleviated many concerns following an 84-79 setback in the preseason opener.
Still, there’s a lot that we don’t know about the Storm, who host the Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a regular-season opener at Climate Pledge Arena.
Can a team that finished near the bottom of the league at 11-29 last season really turn things around after one offseason and catapult to the top of the standings?
With perennial WNBA All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith joining Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor, is Seattle a super team on par with two-time defending champion Las Vegas, New York and Connecticut?
Is Noelle Quinn, who enters her fourth season and received a multiyear contract extension, the right coach to lead the Storm?
Over the next several months, we’ll discover the answers to those questions and more as the Storm navigate a 40-game schedule that includes a three-week break for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Here are three keys to the Storm’s season:
Unleash Loyd and Diggins-Smith
A recent ESPN story ranking the WNBA’s top 25 players put Loyd at ninth – and fourth among guards – which seems preposterously low considering she’s coming off the most prolific scoring season in league history while tallying a record-setting 939 points.
The last time, we saw Diggins-Smith in the WNBA, she averaged 19.7 points – the second highest in her career – and 5.5 assists and finished sixth in the MVP voting.
At times during the Storm’s exhibitions, the 33-year-old Diggins-Smith, who sat out last season following the birth of her second child, looked like she did in 2022 when she was arguably the best point guard in the league.
Pairing Loyd with her former Notre Dame teammate Diggins-Smith, potentially gives the Storm the most formidable backcourt duo in the WNBA and that’s a good place to start when you’re climbing back into championship contention.
By the way, Diggins-Smith was 13th in that ESPN ranking, along with Ogwumike (10th) and Magbegor (22nd).
Find ways for Ogwumike and Magbegor to coexist
There’s little doubt Diggins-Smith will make Loyd’s life easier because their complementary styles, and their shared history of playing together in college and on USA national teams.
But you can’t say the same about Ogwumike and Magbegor.
It yet to be seen how the remaining two pieces in Seattle’s All-Star quartet will mesh on the court because of their similarities.
The 33-year-old Ogwumike is a midrange sniper and pick-n-roll maestro who averaged 19.1 points and shot 53.2% inside the arc last season. The 6-2 forward is also one of the best low-post defenders in the league who notched All-Defensive team honors last season for the sixth time.
Magbegor, 24, received All-Star recognition for the first time last season while playing power forward on an 11-win team that desperately needed her to score. Those variables have changed, which will force her to adapt, starting with a move to the post.
At 181 pounds, the 6-4 Magbegor is one of the lightest centers in the WNBA and she will surrender at least 30 pounds when matched against top-tier opponents Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner.
Don’t be surprised if the Storm lean heavily on seventh-year veteran Mercedes Russell (6-6 and 195 pounds) if Magbegor falters defensively. And if the Storm are trailing late in games, look for them to move Ogwumike in the post in four-guard lineups.
Establish a star among the role players
If history is a precursor, then the Storm’s “Fantastic Four” won’t provide enough firepower to carry them to a fifth championship, which makes it imperative the team uncovers game-changing role players like Natasha Howard and Alysha Clark, who were instrumental in the 2018 and 2020 titles.
In a perfect world where WNBA salaries are proportionate to the league’s constraining $1,463,200 salary cap that forces difficult roster decisions, the Storm would roll out a potentially dominant second unit.
No matter who makes the final roster, it’s imperative Quinn empowers and pushes one or two reserves to assume a leadership position, notably Sami Whitcomb.
The Storm should immediately start Whitcomb’s campaign for the Sixth Woman of the Year award, which would send a message to everyone, particularly Whitcomb, just how valuable the eighth-year sharpshooter is to a team that desperately needs her perimeter scoring.
Ideally, second-year forward Jordan Horston could also benefit if she played primarily off the bench, which would take pressure off her to find a productive role among four All-Star starters.
Russell might prove to be invaluable for reasons previously noted while first-year guard Nika Muhl might contend for a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie team if given sufficient minutes and responsibilities.