The State of the Storm Address
Storm players Skylar Diggins-Smith Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, Ezi Magbegor, and Jordan Horston against the Atlanta Dream at Climate Pledge Arena on July 14, 2024. (Photo by Rio Giancarlo)
After what was perhaps the most demoralizing loss of the season to the Washington Mystics on Monday, the Seattle Storm reached a breaking point in the 2024 WNBA season at the wrong time.
“In this league, if you arent ready to play, you’ll get beat every (expletive) night, said Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith. “They were ready to play and we weren’t on both sides of the basketball. They deserved to win the game if we’re going to play like that. We need to be hitting our stride right now. We’re not there and its unacceptable how we’re playing on both sides of the basketball.”
Playing their best basketball of the season amid a WNBA-record nine-game homestand, Seattle entered the Olympic break at 17-8 in a tie with the Minnesota Lynx for second place in the league. Since returning to league play, they have lost three of their first four games with only 11 left in the regular season.
“In this league, it only gets harder after the break. And that’s fine, but if we don’t come ready to play, we’re going to (expletive) lose,” she continued.
In just four games, it is clear that Seattle is not playing their best basketball. There is no singular issue to pinpoint as the reason for the team’s failure to compete at the level expected, but it shows in the statistics.
Before the break, Seattle boasted the third-best defensive rating in the WNBA at 94. In their last four games, they slid to sixth (97.9). It may not appear to be a monumental drop, but this team relies on hustle points generated in transition and staunch defensive rotations that are not taking effect.
At 17-8 entering the month-long pause of the season, Seattle owned the third-highest offensive rating at 102.5. Since their return, they have fallen swiftly to 11th in the league (93.1).
Their two ratings combined produce their net rating, which placed third at 8.5 before the break. After four games, it flew south to sixth (-4.8).
There are several problems with the team’s approach. On the defensive side of the ball, overhelping, switching too often, and not garnering quality closeouts on shooters, primarily above the break, have pained the defense. Before the break, opposing offenses shot 28.7 percent from that area on the floor, which was the best mark in the WNBA. In August, teams are shooting a blistering 38.2 percent, good for the second-highest percentage in the league.
This statistic does not prove much, but it does show where teams are hurting them from outside predominately. For instance, in the grand scheme of things, teams were shooting 31.4 percent from three against Seattle before the break. Since their return, opponents have been shooting 37.6 percent, the second-highest in the league. It also does not help that they allow most rebounds per game (40.8).
On offense, the Storm are playing like 11 players instead of the well-oiled machine seen just a month ago. For example, before the break, Seattle’s two-point field goals went unassisted just 36.9 percent of the time. For a team that depends on a heavy interior presence, finding the best option is imperative. They have not been able to do it consistently as that percentage has risen to 49, the third-highest in the league.
Again, statistics such as these only show so much. But when the pieces to the puzzle are placed together, the picture begins to reveal itself.
Chemistry Building
Despite how well they played before the Olympic break, the team as it stood was not the finished product. A month-long pause took place at the wrong time for a newly assembled team looking to buld chemistry and compete for a WNBA championship simutaneously. Two-time WNBA champion Devereaux Peters expressed as much on X today.
Like her days with the Minnesota Lynx and how the Las Vegas Aces are performing, Seattle shares the same issues of exhausted Olympians returning to league play. With the addition of forward Gabby Williams, the team now has four Olympians who reached the medal games. Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb won bronze representing Australia, Williams won silver with France, and Jewell Loyd achieved gold with Team USA. That makes four players who never truly recieved a break and are thrust back into the playoff hunt with 11 games left in the regular season.
While it is not an excuse for the team’s play and lack of effort, it goes to show just how grueling the process of adjusting back can be.
Another fair point raised by the WNBA veteran. This team has not painted it’s final picture. Will that happen before the season ends? Most likely not. Does that mean they are not good enough to compete for a title? Not necessarily, but time is of the essence. As Diggins-Smith and now Peters have said, this group is not hitting it’s stride when it should be. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, Seattle has to decide how they want their season to end and the path they want to be on as the postseason draws closer.
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