Gabby Williams is getting comfortable at the right time for the Storm
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - When the Storm announced that 2024 Olympic silver medalist Gabby Williams signed on for the rest of the season, the excitement for her arrival in Seattle was immeasurable.
“Gabby is a dynamic player who brings tremendous versatility. She’s a two-way player that can guard multiple positions and has a strong offensive game; given her familiarity with our system, we know she can have an immediate impact. Gabby’s Olympic performance showcased her world-class talent, and we’re excited to have her join us as we push for the playoffs.””
In need of a boost on the wing, Williams was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Storm. As one of the best defenders in basketball, her ability to defend guards and post players was another wrinkle added to an approach that already boasts three forwards that stand 6’2 or taller who guard the perimeter as well as they do the rim in Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, and Jordan Horston.
With that in mind, they can all end a possession as quickly as it started with their shared intensity. A bonus Williams provides is allowing Seattle to play more one-on-one defense, which teams haven't been able to penetrate when they stay on their assignment.
Williams’ defensive presence was felt almost immediately, but it took several outings for her offense to hit its stride as she developed a rapport with her teammates, as expected.
In her first five games with the Storm this season, the 5’11 forward averaged 5.6 points, shooting 36.6 percent on twos and just ten percent from deep on three-pointers. In her last three contests, she’s upped her production to 13.3 points, shooting 66 percent on twos and 44.4 percent on 3s.
The relative ease Williams feels when she’s getting to her spots is built through repetition in the short amount of practice time she’s had with the team and the empowerment she feels from her coaches and teammates to be the best version of herself.
“I love our staff, I love my teammates here first of all. I like how we play and I feel like everyone here has a lot of confidence in me, and I think that helps me a lot and gives me opportunities to grow here, to get better as a player, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
Throughout the season, the Storm’s “Core Four” has stated that they don’t necessarily run plays all the time and prefer to ride the flow of the game by feeding the hot hand. This strategy of playing offense isn’t one that many teams can execute consistently, yet it’s been the bread and butter in a developing offense that features four All-WNBA talents.
At some point in nearly every game this season, the Storm have a player capable of rattling off a 10-point quarter, and they do so often. Whether it be the star-studded lineup or guard Sami Whitcomb off the bench For defenses, it’s a maze to defend because the possibilities are endless since they’re all seasoned ball handlers.
In the 77-70 loss to the New York Liberty last week, Williams led the team in scoring in the first and third quarters. In the win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night, she scored 13 of her 17 points in the second quarter where she didn’t miss an attempt, shooting a perfect 5-for-5. In two of her last three games, she’s scored 17 points on 60 percent shooting or better on two occasions. Her ability to create for herself and others makes the offense just that much harder to defend.
As special as her offense has been lately, Williams’ defense has been just as impressive. She had three steals and two blocks against the Sparks, but her influence on that side of the ball doesn’t always show up on the boxscore. Her ability to pressure ball handlers and divert traffic into an advantageous spot for her teammates to lunge for one of their league-leading 9.3 steals per game gets them in the open court to create offense as masterfully as they’ve done all season.
“It’s really easy to do here because we flow. We don’t really run, like, plays for a specific person, we run actions. Things you can’t necessarily scout and so it’s whoever is open, whoever has the mismatch, or whoever’s hot we try to feed. Like I said, when Sky [Skylar] started getting hot, I was looking for her. Trying to bring the ball up as much as I can. Sometimes, if Nneka got hot in the beginning. we’re trying to duck and get it in to her. To defend that for 40 minutes is really, really hard, and I think that’s what makes this team so special. It’s why I came back here because I like playing in this kind of system. There’s some games where I’m going to maybe have a couple shots, or some games where they’re going to need more from me. But no matter what, I think we’re all on the same page.”
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Cover photo by Rio Giancarlo. Check out our previous articles with photos by Rio Giancarlo, and his portfolio here.
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