Five questions for rebuilt Storm to answer this season | Analysis

SEATTLE – Remember that truncated and transformational WNBA offseason?

Well, it’s almost over and the real games are about to start.

The Storm lost their top five scorers, including four All-Stars from last year’s squad and restocked the roster with a handful of promising rookies and an assortment of replacements who were role players for their previous WNBA teams.

After two weeks of training camp, two exhibitions – a narrow loss to the Golden State Valkyries and a double-digit win against the expansion Portland Fire – the Storm are set to begin a new era under coach Sonia Raman.

The Storm tip off the 30th WNBA season – and Year 27 for the franchise – at 7 p.m. Friday with a rematch versus the Valkyries at Climate Pledge Arena.

To start things off here are five storylines to watch this summer.

Can the Storm replicate Golden State’s success? Led by first-year coach Natalie Nakase and saddled with castoffs collected in the expansion draft, the Golden State Valkyries were expected to finish near the bottom of the standings in their first-ever WNBA season.

They began the year last in the WNBA power rankings and most projections had them winning 10-15 games.

The Valkyries built an elite defense that led the league in points allowed (76.3 per game) and field goal percentage (40.5%) and was third in defensive rating (99.8).

Golden State (23-21), which beat three of the top four teams in the standings including New York (twice), Las Vegas and Atlanta, became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season.

This year, the Storm are 11th in the WNBA power rankings. ESPN has the Storm 14th in its preseason rankings, projects they’ll win 16 games and gives them a 3.7% chance of making the playoffs.

Can the Big Three develop into superstars? To be fair, this question isn’t likely going to be answered with absolute clarity over the next few months.

At some point this season the Storm will need some type of indication on whether 2023 All-Star forward Ezi Magbegor, 2025 No. 2 overall draft pick Dominique Malonga and 2026 No. 3 overall draft pick Awa Fam can coexist in a crowded frontcourt.

For now, the question is irrelevant because Magbegor (foot) is out for the first several weeks and Fam hasn’t made her Storm debut while playing in Spain for Valencia Basket.

Seemingly, Magbegor is the surest bet. She’s been a defensive stalwart, but it remains to be seen if she can develop into a dominant offensive threat.

In a survey of WNBA general managers, Malonga was voted the most likely to have a breakout season following a solid debut in 2025.

And the majority of league GMs predicted Fam will have the biggest impact in five years among the 2026 rookies.

Is Flau’jae Johnson good enough to carry the Storm? It’s asking a lot, but the dynamic rookie guard who starred the past four seasons at LSU may have to carry the Storm offensively – at least at the start of the season.

Johnson led the Storm with a 16.0 scoring average in the preseason, including a dazzling 20-point performance on 5-of-12 shooting in 19 minutes in her last outing that was highlighted by three three-pointers.

Granted it’s a small sample size, but Johnson has shown an ability to score on the perimeter while shooting 44.0% behind the arc. She’s quick and athletic enough to get to the rim for layups and has displayed a reliable midrange jumper.

The added bonus is Johnson, whose new nickname is Category 4, plays with a flair and energy that’s infectious to teammates and appealing to fans.

Will Jordan Horston fully return to form? This is kind of a prove-it year for Horston, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft who sat out last season due to an ACL injury and will be a reserved free agent in 2027.

The versatile 6-foot-2 wing showed flashes of potential during her first two seasons, but was unable to secure a spot in the starting lineup because of Gabby Williams. When the Storm hit the ‘reset’ button in the offseason they did so in part with Horston in mind.

She missed both exhibitions and will likely start the season on a minutes restriction, but Horston will have ample opportunity to carve out a meaningful role on a young team.

Who’s going to have a breakout season? If the preseason is any indication, then four-year veteran guard Zia Cooke is poised for a big year. She averaged 15.5 points and 18.5 minutes in two exhibitions as a backup while shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.4% on three-pointers.

Lexie Brown, who made two starts, and Jade Melbourne each had notable outings in the preseason, which suggests the veteran guards will make meaningful contributions this season.

And don’t discount free agent pickups Natisha Hiedeman and Stefanie Dolson, the Storm’s most experienced players with more than 230 games in the WNBA.