Somehow, the Seattle Storm are still standing, and the team isn't giving the Los Angeles Sparks any ground (if they can help it). The Storm are currently ranked 8th overall with an 18-18 record in the WNBA standings, which has them in playoff contention just over the Sparks, who are ranked 9th with a 17-18 record — and they are showing no sign of slowing down.
That Seattle is here at all is no small miracle. The team has weathered a lot of challenges this season, including the departure of Li Yueru and a trade that brought Brittney Sykes to Seattle from the Mystics (and sent Alysha Clark to Washington). Veterans Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike have steadily led the team through it all, Gabby Williams has been a reliable presence, and rookie Dominique Malonga has started to prove just why she was drafted as the No. 2 overall selection in the first place this year.
And sure: the Storm has work to do. The season hasn't been perfect and the team has bottomed out plenty of games (18 of them, to be exact). They don't hold a record that is aspirational, but it is one that is good enough — and the playoffs are often unpredictable, a reality that might give the Storm advantages in more way than one.
Several Storm stars have set records this season
The Storm have also produced solid results this season in terms of records set. Diggins is currently 8th in the league in assists, Gabby Williams has racked up 75 steals (the most in a single season for any Storm player), and Malonga became the first WNBA player to score more than 100 points before turning 20, a feat made possible by the fact that she was also the youngest player drafted — but that is still no less impressive.
A lot has tested the Storm this season: injuries, locker room rumors, and the shadow of past allegations of misconduct and player mistreatment by the coaching staff. If the Storm get the opportunity to do damage in the playoffs they will undoubtedly be ready to take advantage of it; the question now appears to be a matter of who the team will face instead of whether or not they will be there at all.
Of course, it has be noted that the Storm are hovering between the No. 7 ranked Valkyries and the No. 9 ranked Sparks, two teams who also have a lot of playoff potential.