Storm select Nika Mühl, MacKenzie Holmes at 2024 WNBA Draft
The Seattle Storm drafted Nika Muhl and MacKenzie Holmes in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
By Christan Braswell
Brooklyn, NY - With the addition of dynamic superstars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, the Seattle Storm capped off the best offseason to date at the 2024 WNBA Draft with their selections of Nika Muhl and MacKenzie Holmes.
Drafted with the 14th overall pick from the University of Connecticut, guard Nika Muhl is a career 36 percent shooter from deep. She averaged 6.9 points, four rebounds and 6.5 assists in her final season, shooting 54 percent on twos and 40.2 percent on threes. As lethal as she is from deep, her ability to drive and find a cutting teammate when defenses collapse and making herself available off of the three-point line are valuable skills for a rookie in this league.
Nika Mühl during her time at Uconn. (Photo by Jessica Hill)
Muhl left Storrs as the all-time leader in assists in her four years, passing greats like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Moriah Jefferson. Her defense is well-renowned amongst basketball purists as a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. At 5-foot-11, Muhl has the size and speed to keep up with quicker players and bigger ones at the point of attack. She thrust herself onto the national stage during the Final Four, making herself a household name when she held No.1 overall pick Caitlin Clark to two first-quarter points and a season-low 21 overall in UConn’s defeat to Iowa on April 5.
“It’s huge shoes to fill,” said Muhl on being drafted by the Storm as a UConn guard following Sue Bird’s retirement. “I feel like my whole career at UConn has been such a humbling experience. I’ve had amazing people around me and without them, I would never be standing here. I’m just excited to bring who I am to Seattle. I’m excited to bring my hard work ethic, my competition, and the good teammate I am and everything else I trust my hard work.”
For the role Seattle has for Muhl with veteran guards Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Sami Whitcomb at her disposal for developmental purposes, her transition to the WNBA will be well cared for. It also doesn’t hurt to be a UConn guard who wore No.10 and got drafted to the team where Sue Bird made the number legendary. The Storm retired the No. 10 last season.
With the No. 26 overall pick, Seattle selected forward MacKenzie Holmes out of Indiana as just the sixth Hoosier in history to be drafted. One of the best players to grace the hardwood in Bloomington, Holmes surpassed Tyra Buss this past season as the all-time women’s basketball leader in points (2,364). She is also first in field goals (1,043), field goal percentage (63.9 percent), and second in blocks (258). Holmes is Indiana’s first consensus All-American, first three-time All-American, and first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year recipient. In her final collegiate season, she averaged 19.8 points on an NCAA-best 65.0 percent shooting from the field.
Mackenzie Holmes during her time with Indiana (Photo by Bobby Goddin)
Holmes announced last week that she will undergo knee surgery in May, sidelining her for the 2024 WNBA season. She expects to be fully healthy by the start of training camp in 2025.
“I think for us, we see it as a developmental piece,” said Storm GM Talisa Rhea on drafting Mackenzie Holmes. “Someone you know who we can bring in next year, who’s going to have an offseason to go through the rehab process, but also to have some development time and come into camp next year ready to go. I think she’s a really fundamentally sound player who’s versatile and plays how we like to play. And so we’re excited that she was there at 26. She’s someone we can look to in the future.”
There wasn’t any heavy lifting left for Seattle this offseason after acquiring the talents of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike in free agency. It wouldn’t have happened without perennial All-Star Jewell Loyd committing to the franchise in October last year when she signed a two-year supermax deal. She put her faith in the organization to rechart their course in pursuit of a championship, and leadership delivered as promised, making the Storm a championship contender overnight.
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Cover photo by Austin Bigoney.