Obvious silver lining to Storm’s rough patch should worry the rest of the WNBA

Despite the Seattle Storm's current landslide, which has seen them lose their fifth consecutive game heartbreakingly, there has been a lone bright spot: it was only a matter of time before we saw Dominique Malonga's rise. The 19-year-old rookie had some mishaps and underwent a cultural, mental, and physical adjustment earlier in the season, but is ascending as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. 

Back-to-back career games for Dominique Malonga

If fans didn’t know who Dominique Malonga was beforehand, that certainly changed as she made her presence known after the Storm’s matchups against the Aces and the Sparks. Malonga was dazzling in both of those games. In the frontcourt matchup that featured the best player in the league, A’ja Wilson, Malonga scored a career-high 22 points (12 points in the fourth quarter) on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds. 

Malonga followed up on her best game with another impressive performance, finishing with 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the floor and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of action (career-high). 

This weekend was, without a doubt, Malonga’s big coming-out party. Becoming the youngest player to record 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in back-to-back games and scoring in double-figures in a single quarter against the Aces for the first time in her early WNBA career, along with recording her third career double-double sent quite the message. In the matchups against the Aces and the Sparks, Malonga told the league through her game what they will have to deal with for years to come.

Dominique Malonga has unlimited potential

Malonga’s youth and the adjustment period she faced with the WNBA's style, led to a slow start, resulting in playing a minimal role in her first 23 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in only nine minutes per game. However, Malonga forced that to change, with her role expanding as she is now much more comfortable and confident. The numbers match the eye test. Over her last eight games, she is averaging 13.2 points and eight rebounds while shooting 63% from the floor in 21 minutes per game. 

Malonga’s mentality is that she puts her head down, doesn't complain, and puts in the work. She asks what Coach Quinn wants from her and what needs to be done on the court instead of pouting or showing bad body language, which you tend to see from younger players. Seeing the fruits of her hard work pay off has been one of the main storylines for the WNBA in the latter parts of the season.

Head coach Noelle Quinn said about Dominique Malonga’s recent success, “It’s the work that she’s putting in to be ready for these moments. She is growing in a lot of ways. She’s growing in games from learning about how to guard and defend and be physical to learning where she can pick her positions to score and give us energy offensively.”

As the lone teenager in the league, Malonga is just getting her feet wet, and she will only get better and more comfortable from here on out.

Dominique Malonga is one of the future faces of the WNBA

Malonga, the youngest player in the WNBA at 19 years old, has been showing the rest of the league and the fans a glimpse of what’s to come during her recent stretch. At 6’6 with a giant wingspan, her combination of size, skill, athleticism, and potential makes Malonga such an exciting prospect and candidate as one of the future faces of the WNBA.