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What does success look like for the Seattle Storm in the 2023 WNBA season?

By Lukas Petridis

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 06: Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm shoots against the Las Vegas Aces during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on September 06, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 06: Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm shoots against the Las Vegas Aces during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on September 06, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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What does success look like for the Seattle Storm this season, as they wrestle with the unknown after the massive departures of Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart?

Following the retirement of Sue Bird and the departure of Breanna Stewart, the Seattle Storm are moving into their 2023 campaign with a lot of unknowns. There are a lot of minutes to fill and the production of Bird and Stewie will need to be replaced by committee.

As the wilderness is navigated, how the Storm find clarity during this next step will be a good indicator for success this year. At the current point in time, is this team rebuilding? The departure of their stars would suggest so, but signings such as Sami Whitcomb and Kia Nurse would suggest otherwise. So if they aren’t rebuilding, are they contending? This roster doesn’t hold up with the likes of the Las Vegas Aces or the New York Liberty. Are they retooling for a splash in 2024 free agency?

If the Seattle Storm are able to answer these philosophical questions early into proceedings then they will be able to form an identity for the second half of the 2023 season. Answering questions and making sense of the unknown should give the organization solid footing moving forward, something you don’t have when you lose two of the greatest basketball players of all time since your last game.

What are the Seattle Storm trying to accomplish this year?

As for individual success that would benefit the franchise as a whole, it looks different for everyone on the roster. Let’s start with Jewell Loyd.

Loyd is a fantastic basketball player. She fit extremely well alongside Bird and Stewie, with her laid-back attitude being a part of what gave this franchise so much success in recent history. The 2023 season will demand more assertiveness from Loyd — she is now clearly the star of this team and 2-of-10 and 6-of-20 shooting nights won’t cut it anymore, especially in back-to-back playoff games.

The Storm need to know what they’re getting out of Jewell every night, they need to know that she will create five or six opportunities for the team each quarter. These don’t need to be five or six made baskets, they can be five or six missed wide-open layups for Loyd or her teammates, it’s the consistent creation of an opportunity that’s important.

Seattle brought in Kia Nurse and Sami Whitcomb, two win-now moves. I’m not breaking any news here, but this team doesn’t match up to the likes of the Liberty or the Aces, so Nurse and Whitcomb’s guidance will be a good indicator of success. It will not only be successful for the individuals, but the younger players on this roster, the relationships they foster both directly and indirectly and for the organization more generally. Finding an identity and forging a path will be pivotal for the Storm in 2023.

The younger side of this roster should be given the freedom to explore their game in the season to come. If Noelle Quinn can empower the youth to develop, this would have to be a success not only for the 2023 Seattle Storm, but 2024 and beyond.

Take Jade Melbourne for instance. The 21-year-old rookie tore it up in Australia in the season past. Her immediate response to signing with the Storm was an 18-point, 13-assist, 8-rebound performance against a red-hot Melbourne Boomers team en route to an All-WNBL Second Team selection. With the talent in the WNBA being stronger and the game being faster by a few knots, Melbourne will need to be given an extra length of rope and an understanding that it will take time to make this adjustment.

In this sense, success will look like allowing young players to make mistakes and by season’s end these mistakes to be ironed out of their games.

Finally, Ezi Magbegor.

It’s time for Ezi to establish herself as a starting center in the WNBA. She has shown that she is capable of this, but she has also shown a willingness to sacrifice for the team after the Storm signed Tina Charles late last season. This selflessness is a great thing, but this season Ezi needs to take what she deserves and build toward becoming one of the premier centers in the WNBA.

There will need to be a few steps sideward and a realignment before Seattle can find success, but if they’re able to make sense of all of their unknowns then they should be able to navigate the Storm. It’s hard to give this team a record to strive for this season. If they succeed with their internal goals, then this could amount to a 14-26 or a 28-12 record. Seattle will have one of the more interesting stories to follow in the WNBA in the upcoming season.

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