Storm 2025 Preview: Championship Aspirations
Will the vibes and the playoff success improve in 2025? Is it Malonga time? How good is Gabby Willliams?
The Seattle Storm finished the 2024 season with a 25-15 record and a trip back to the playoffs, ultimately losing in the first round to the Las Vegas Aces. With an all-league quality guard in Jewell Loyd, as well as All-Star caliber vets in Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins, the Storm appeared to be set for the 2025 campaign. However, a storm was brewing underneath the surface. (I am so sorry - how could I resist?).
Tension between players and coaches, as well as between players and players led to the trade of Loyd in a three way deal that landed Seattle with the #2 overall pick. With free agent signings and a promising rookie, do the Storm have a better shot at a title in 2025? Let’s dive in and find out in our 2025 Storm Preview.
5 Players to Watch
Dominique Malonga
The rookie is THE player to watch in 2025. With a workout tape that only rivals Mac McClung’s high school mix tapes, Malonga is a potential star in the WNBA. Playing for Lyon in the top division in France, Malonga averaged 15.5 points and 10.3 rebounds while improving on both categories in EuroCup competition. While most are intrigued by Malonga’s dunks, her ability to hit perimeter shots and defend will determine how much she plays in 2025.
Skylar Diggins
This team is now clearly Skylar Diggins’ team. With Jewell Loyd traded, Diggins is not only the point guard, but the clear leader on the floor. After five straight seasons of averaging 17.7 points or more, Diggins’s scoring dropped to 15.1 points per game in 2024. Yet the real key might be her shooting from deep. In three of the last six seasons, Diggins shot 35% or better from three. Which also means she shot poorly in the other three seasons (around 29% in each of the past two years). Can the sharp shooter return for the Storm?
Nneka Ogwumike
The model of consistent production in the WNBA, Ogwumike will produce around 17-19 points and 7-9 rebounds per season regardless of roster construction. Following a career year in shooting from deep and the free throw line, Ogwumike will be the other go-to player on offense to pair with Diggins. It would not be surprising to see production go up in 2025 as the front court burden is shared more equally with new additions. Less physical banging might mean more scoring.
Gabby Williams
The best news for the Storm all off-season was that Gabby Williams was re-signing and returning to play the entire season in the United States. Williams only played two full seasons out of a possible six in the WNBA due to contracts and obligations for French teams abroad. However, Williams showed the world what she is capable of in the 2024 Olympics and should become an integral part of a team’s attack. Named to the Olympics best five, Williams averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists in leading France to a silver medal. She scored 19 points against a loaded United States team in the final.
Erica Wheeler
On the Wait For It Seattle Podcast, Erica Wheeler was a name that was brought up time and time again as a potential addition this off-season for the Storm. Wheeler bounced around the league a lot over the past five years, but she scores wherever she ends up. With the addition of Caitlin Clark to Indiana’s back court, Wheeler’s production plummeted in 2024. For the Storm to be successful, Wheeler will need to return to the nearly double digit scorer of the past and not the 3 point per game sub she was last season.
4 Key Stats
28.8
This is the team three point shooting percentage for the Seattle Storm. Not only was this percentage dead last in the league, Seattle was the only team below 30% and it was the worst in franchise history. If the Storm can get that number back up to a respectable 33-35%, the outcome possibilities change drastically.
24.2 and 74.6
These two numbers represent the Storm’s offensive rebound percentage and defensive rebound percentage. For all those interested in analyzing basketball statistics, percentages of rebounds grabbed is much more informational than total offensive or defensive rebounds. In 2024, the Storm were slightly above league average on the offensive end and below average on the defensive end. With a new look roster featuring Gabby Williams and Alysha Clark at guard (good rebounders) and Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Li Yueru, and Dominique Malonga in the front court, the Storm should lead the league in these two categories. They need to be the best rebounding team in the WNBA.
14.5
The combined stat for steals plus blocks by the Seattle Storm in 2024. Seattle led the WNBA in both categories independently and this trend must continue for the Storm to find success in 2025. With this tenacious defense, Seattle held opponents to 78 points per contest, good for fifth in the league. No matter how they shoot in 2025, the Storm must continue to hang their hat on the defensive end.
3 Burning Questions
Will the vibes improve?
Little did we know that the vibes were off last year. But boy were they off. After an internal investigation found no improper conduct, the Storm still had to find a way to change the culture of the locker room. Star Jewell Loyd demanded a trade and the rest is history. As the Storm enter the 2025 season, the vibes become nearly as important as the statistics. The more this team finds chemistry, the better the opportunity to advance in the playoffs.
Who will be the 5th starter?
Maybe this question should be rephrased to: who will be the 5th player in the lineup to close out games? Either way, the Storm clearly have a core four of Diggins, Williams, Ogwumike, and Magbegor. So who is the fifth? Early in the season, the best bet is veteran Alysha Clark. Entering her 12th season in the WNBA, Clark is a gritty defender and a good three point shooter. In other words, a perfect match for what the Storm need in that group of five. However, Malonga will be the wild card.
How involved will Malonga be?
To me this is the most interesting question of the season. I expect about 10 minutes per game to start the season from the 6’6 teenager and #2 overall pick. Malonga is young, inexperienced, and has only been with the team a couple weeks. Ogwumike and Magbegor averaged 32 and 31 minutes per game respectively in 2024. That doesn’t leave a lot of minutes for Malonga regardless of talent. Remember, Magbegor only averaged 13 minutes and 15 minutes in her first two seasons in the WNBA. As the year goes on, if the Storm are to become true contenders, Malonga will need to make an impact and move into the 17-20 minute range (with maybe even Ogwumike at the 3 and Williams playing the 2).
2 Things to Pay Attention to This Year
Gabby Williams Making the Leap
If the Storm want to compete with Minnesota, Las Vegas and New York for WNBA supremacy, they will need Gabby Williams to become Jewell Loyd-lite. In 12 games last season, Williams averaged 10 points per game while shooting 32% from 3. If Williams can become a 15 point per game scorer, the Storm will take off and become a legit contender.
The Storm’s Record Against the Best
In 2024, the Seattle Storm finished with a 25-15 record. However, against the best three teams in the league (Minnesota, Las Vegas, and New York), Seattle finished 1-9 last season. Ouch.
Following a two game sweep by Vegas in the playoffs, the Storm proved they could not compete among the league’s best. That has to change in order for Seattle to be a title contender in 2025. Fans won’t have to wait long to see as the Storm face Vegas on May 25, Minnesota on May 27th and the Aces again on June 1st.
1 Prediction
Some WNBA bloggers are predicting the Storm to win the WNBA championship in 2025. That seems lofty. However, a second round battle to five games against a top tier team would be a great step for this franchise. So here we go. Let’s put it in print.
The Storm will finish as the four seed in the regular season, beating Indiana in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, Seattle will lose in five games to the top seed, the Minnesota Lynx.