Nobody enjoys losing, and the Seattle Storm have made that quite the habit during the 2026 WNBA season. However, there is a bigger picture at play for the franchise: building an exciting young team that can make a serious championship tilt in the future. With the likes of Awa Fam, Dominique Malonga, and Flau'jae Johnson on the roster, the Storm are certainly making strides in the right direction.
As it stands, Seattle holds the second-worst record in the league (5-15) -- with only the Connecticut Sun failing to win more games (4-15). Obviously, as a paying customer, nobody wants to see a poor brand of basketball with the potential for improvement in the future; they want to see immediate success. Nevertheless, the Storm are slightly different from the usual project.
Seattle boasts six players under the age of 23 -- two of whom are still only 20 years old. Inexperience may breed inconsistency, but the Storm's young core is already showing huge strides of improvement. If they can continue on the same trajectory, the franchise's future is incredibly bright.
Domonique Malonga is the perfect foundation to build upon
It is not often that a front office will have two bites of the apple when it comes to lottery picks; however, the Seattle Storm were granted such an opportunity, and they absolutely nailed their selections.
In 2025, Seattle picked Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick in the WNBA draft. The following year, the team selected Awa Fam with the third overall pick. Additionally, the Storm accepted a controversial deal that saw the Golden State Valkyries trade Flau'jae Johnson in exchange for the 16th overall pick in the 2026 draft.
After this trade, Seattle's head coach Sonia Raman's main aim was to convince her young stars to buy into the system she was selling. This season was always going to be a period of transition for the franchise, but Raman would have wanted to see individual performances improve over time. This has certainly been the case for Malonga.
During Malonga's rookie year in 2025, she was eased into action and allowed to acclimatise to her new surroundings. Seattle's patience with the French international is paying serious dividends this season. Through 12 games, Malonga has averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 50.9% from the floor.
Over her last five appearances, Malonga has recorded four double-doubles -- including a career-high 37-point, 12-rebound performance coming during the Storm's exhausting 112-110 overtime defeat to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.
The 20-year-old's improvement has become a crucial building block for a small stint of success for Seattle, as they are currently in the midst of a two-game winning streak after claiming the scalps of both the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty -- two teams expected to be making a championship tilt come the end of the campaign.
Losing isn't fun, but the same can't be said about this youthful Seattle Storm roster. The team is showing glimpses of its true potential, and it looks devastating. If you are a fan of the four-time WNBA champions, remain patient because this squad is going to take you on one hell of a ride.
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