Commentary: Why it’s time to reset the Seattle Storm’s ceiling for 2025

SEATTLE – I thought the Seattle Storm would be good.

I didn’t believe they’d be better.

Because, on paper, how did they improve? The Storm finished 25-15 in 2024, then traded their leading scorer (Jewell Loyd) to the team that swept them out of the playoffs. They entered the season with an aging core and disappearing depth – after bench pieces Jordan Horston, Katie Lou Samuelson and Nika Mühl sustained a trio of torn ACLs. They finished last in the WNBA in 3-point shooting, and did relatively little to address the issue.

All of which, I wrote on May 16, suggested the Storm had a similar ceiling to a season ago.

But nearly two months later?

I’m beginning to believe.

And, in this case, seeing is believing. A year ago, the Storm went 4-12 against the four teams that finished ahead of them in the standings. They were 0-3 against eventual WNBA champion New York, 1-3 against runner-up Minnesota and 1-5 against the Las Vegas Aces, including consecutive losses in a first-round sweep.

They beat the teams they were supposed to beat … and lost to the elite.

While consistency is a concern, the Storm’s first 19 games this season have been sprinkled with statement wins. Seattle (12-7) is 4-2 against the top three teams in the WNBA – Minnesota (17-2), Phoenix (13-6) and New York (12-6) – showcasing an ability to beat the elite. They’re 1-1 against first-place Minnesota, dealing the Lynx their first loss on June 11. They’re 2-0 against the defending champion Liberty, using a 22-6 third quarter to earn a 79-70 win in New York on Sunday. They’re also 2-1 against Las Vegas (9-9) and Loyd, flipping the script on a recent rival.

The Storm are not a finished product, but at their best, they can beat anybody, something we couldn’t say a season ago.

It’s time to reset their ceiling.

We saw why Sunday.

“It’s getting points in the paint. It’s Nneka (Ogwumike) shutting down one of the best players in the world, Breanna Stewart. It’s those things that have gotten us here,” forward Gabby Williams said of their winning formula after Sunday’s game. “It’s (rookie center Dominique Malonga) coming in and getting great minutes. It’s us getting those rebounds after playing hard defense. Those are the things that have gotten us here, and we were just focused on that.

“I think that allowed us to not care about the environment, not care who’s in front of us. Because that is one crazy roster, when you look at New York. But when we focus on ourselves and what we can do, it doesn’t matter.”

Williams is central to what the Storm do well. The 28-year-old is a dominant disrupter, leading the WNBA with 2.6 steals per game. Seattle sits second in the league in points off turnovers (18.1 per game) – converting takeaways into transition offense.

“Sometimes she needs to be reminded who she is and what she is for us and who she can be,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said of Williams on Sunday. “She sets the tone in a lot of ways. We have a stat; we chart deflections. We had 30-plus deflections today, and she’s a lot of times the top culprit in that. She’s very important to what we do defensively.”

And yet, defense alone doesn’t define Williams, a first-time All-Star in 2025. The French forward contributes 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game as well, while shooting 35.2% on 3-pointers. She does a little (or a lot) of everything.

Which, in turn, ignites her team.

“What gets me going is feeling like I’m everywhere,” she said. “It’s not necessarily making shots. It’s feeling like I have a hand in all the defensive stops and the creation on offense. So whenever I’m able to switch, get active, get my hands into things, that’s when I feel the most confident and everything else feels a bit easier.”

At their best, the Storm have made it look easy on offense. They sit second in assists per game (21.7), which has yielded increased efficiency on 3-pointers. After connecting on 28.8% of their 3s in 2024 – one of just four teams in the last decade to dip below 30% – they’ve risen from last to first (35.7%) this season. Offseason addition Erica Wheeler has been a revelation, tallying 11.6 points per game while burying 40.5% of her attempts beyond the arc.

But the biggest reason the Storm have reset their ceiling?

Skylar Diggins and Ogwumike show no signs of stopping.

Diggins leads the Storm in points (18.2) and assists (5.9), while converting 40.5% of her 3-pointers (which would be a career high for a full season). Ogwumike remains one of the WNBA’s most consistent commodities – producing 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on 53.8% shooting. Both will join Williams as All-Stars.

Can a core that includes Diggins (34 years old), Ogwumike (35), Wheeler (34) and Alysha Clark (38) withstand the WNBA’s longest season? Can the Storm continue their remarkable 3-point improvement? Can rookie center Malonga provide a boost off the bench?

Those questions need more than 19 games to effectively answer.

But their best can beat the best, which is why I believe the Storm are capable of contending.