Jewell Loyd

Jewell Loyd has spent a decade in the WNBA but is showing no signs of slowing down. Her past two seasons have been the best of her career, and although her scoring took a bit of a dip in 2024, she still put together an impressive nightly stat line: 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She was the W’s sixth-leading scorer and top 15 in both assists and steals per game as well. Loyd shot only 27 percent from 3-point land this season, which is far below her career average and her worst season since 2015 from beyond the arc, but she still managed to score nearly 20 points a night.

What makes her so unique is that she is the last of a dying breed in terms of her loyalty to a single franchise. For 10 years she has remained on the Seattle Storm, who selected her with the first overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Loyd has endured five coaching changes and suited up alongside a slew of teammates, but her commitment to the Storm has never wavered. Jewell Loyd will forever be etched in Seattle history because of her devotion to the franchise, no matter who she played with, who she played for, who owned the team or who had their name on the arena.

One thing to watch for in 2025 will be Loyd’s percentages to rise back up and her scoring to be back above the 20 points per game mark. The Seattle Storm added a handful of pieces this offseason that certainly took some getting used to, so things were a bit hectic to begin the season. But with another season of cohesiveness, the game will slow down and become easier for Loyd and the rest of the Storm. She also took fewer shots this year than she did in years past, which is not necessarily a recipe for success for such an elite score. While Seattle did earn their way into the playoffs, I am sure they had their sights set on something more than a first-round exit. Expect Loyd to carry them further than that next season.