Seattle has emerged as one of the best teams in the WNBA. With a 12-7 record and big wins over Phoenix, Las Vegas, Minnesota, New York, and Atlanta, the Storm are currently sitting in fifth place in the regular season standings. They have the same record as Atlanta and are not far behind New York and Phoenix.
The Storm have proven that they can be a contender this season, and already have one critical advantage over the other top teams in the league. Seattle is not dealing with any injuries.
The Storm’s best players have been healthy all season long
Seattle is the only team in the top five that hasn’t had to deal with injuries this season. Minnesota will be without Karlie Samuelson for the rest of the season. Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas dealt with injuries in Phoenix. New York is currently without Jonquel Jones, and Natasha Cloud also missed the Liberty’s latest game against the Aces. Atlanta had to start the season without Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard missed one game, and Brittney Griner two.
Meanwhile, the Storm’s best players have consistently been available. Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Erica Wheeler, and Dominique Malonga have played all 19 games so far. Alysha Clark and Zia Cooke have missed one game. The Storm’s top eight players in minutes per game have barely missed any time yet.
That health also sets the Storm apart from the teams trying to climb in the regular-season standings. The Fever have been playing without Caitlin Clark for quite some time, losing a bunch of games without their star guard. Las Vegas’ struggles haven’t been largely due to health this season, but A’ja Wilson went down with a wrist injury against New York. If she misses some time, the Aces are not much of a threat to Seattle in the standings.
Health could make a real difference when games matter the most
If the Storm’s top players can continue to stay healthy, it could give the Storm a major advantage down the line. In the playoffs, having all your best players available might make the difference between a win and a loss.
Not having to rest players or manage injuries to close out the regular season could also allow the Storm to climb in the standings and secure home-court advantage for the first round. Only the top four teams get that privilege. Hosting more games than your opponent is always a major advantage in a playoff series, especially if you have to face lower-seeded teams like Indiana or Golden State that lead the league in attendance.