The Seattle Storm extended their losing streak to five games with a loss to the Minnesota Lynx. They sit at the very bottom of the standings with a 6-22 record, but there’s more to those many losses than it may seem.
The Storm never let the Lynx’s lead balloon to more than eleven, and they only lost by three points even though Olivia Miles and Kayla McBride were going off offensively, scoring 32 and 33 points, respectively. That’s quite the accomplishment for a young team—and that’s what's important to consider when looking at the Storm’s record.
11 of the Storm’s 22 losses were decided by six or fewer points. They lost four consecutive games by five or fewer points, including two to playoff teams in Indiana and Minnesota.
Seattle may be losing, but the team is actually holding its own against the top teams in the league better than it may seem.
Seattle is right where it’s supposed to be
Losing sucks. No player wants to endure loss after loss for a full season. Flau’jae Johnson was visibly upset when she missed the 3-pointer that could have sent the game against the Lynx to overtime. But, at the same time, this team is exactly where it should be right now.
Just last season, the Storm were a playoff team led by veteran All-Stars. However, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, and Erica Wheeler all left in free agency this offseason, jumpstarting a rebuild around Dominique Malonga. Malonga is just 20 years old. So is Awa Fam, the third overall pick in this year’s draft. Johnson is just two years older and also a rookie.
Building around that trio will take time, but it will pay off with a championship contender eventually—especially if they get to add another good pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft. Next year’s draft will feature JuJu Watkins (unless she uses her final year of college eligibility), Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, Mikaylah Williams, and MiLaysia Fulwiley among many other interesting prospects.
Seattle might still be a way away from truly contending with teams like Minnesota and Indiana in more than one game, but the fact that this young team can hang with them and push them to their limits is an incredibly encouraging sign for what’s to come. Losing won’t be the norm in Seattle for much longer—not with two of the most versatile young bigs in the game, a guard like Johnson, and another good pick coming in.
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