Q&A Mailbag Answers Part 2

Even more questions answered below!

Here is Part 2 of my Seattle Storm and WNBA Q&A Mailbag. Read all the answers to your questions below.

Q: Do you think the Storm's poor shooting will continue, stay the same, or improve based on the historical performance of the players?

A: I think the team’s shooting will improve overall as the season goes on. We’ve seen that a little bit in recent games against Minnesota (46%) and Phoenix (47%) over this past week. With that said, they shot under 30% against Indiana last Thursday. Sami has picked up her scoring recently. And the team’s offense is flowing much better with Ivana Dojkić in the starting lineup over Yvonne Turner. I also expect Jordan Horston’s shooting percentage to increase as she continues to get more experience and gain confidence.

One thing that will likely keep the team’s Field Goal % lower than normal is that Jewell Loyd is a high-volume shooter and is currently shooting under 40%. With Loyd as the team’s leading scorer, they will have games where the team isn’t very efficient.

Q: What does the 2024 draft class look like? Where do you see the Storm picking?

A: I expect the Storm to miss the playoffs this season. If that ends up being true, that means their 2024 selection will be between 1st and 4th. I wrote all about the team’s Lottery Odds in a recent game recap. Check out that link for more detailed information and a rooting interest guide if you want the Storm to land the #1 or #2 overall pick. If Seattle is going to miss the playoffs, the next two years would be excellent years to do so. The 2024 Draft class is absolutely stacked. With that said, the tricky part is most of the top prospects may opt to use their extra 5th year of eligibility granted to all players who were in college during the COVID-19 season of 2020.

Some of the biggest names to keep an eye on. Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Paige Bueckers (UConn), Cameron Brink (Stanford), Angel Reese (LSU), Aaliyah Edwards (UConn), Rickea Jackson (Tennessee), Hailey Van Lith (LSU), among others.

Q: If the season were to end today what pick would Seattle have in the WNBA draft?

A: Because the WNBA uses the lottery system we don’t know exactly what Seattle’s selection would be. We know it would be anywhere between 1 and 4. As of this writing, the four lottery teams are Minnesota, Indiana, Seattle, and Phoenix. The league uses a two-year aggregate record to determine the order. Indiana would have the best odds to get the #1 pick. Then Phoenix (2nd best odds), Minnesota (3rd), and Seattle (4th). Because the Storm had the 4th best record in the WNBA in 2022, it’ll be very difficult for them to finish with the best odds. They most likely will end up with either the 3rd or 4th overall pick if they miss the playoffs.

Q: How much input does Quinn have in the construction of the roster? If she had complete control and an empty roster, what kind of team would she construct (i.e., its identity)?

A: I believe Coach Quinn works right alongside Talisa Rhea (General Manager) to put the team together. I would say she has a very strong voice in who’s on the team. Obviously, the organization needed to make a massive pivot once Stewie opted to leave and sign with New York. I also strongly believe that Courtney Vandersloot was going to sign with Seattle until Stewart signed with the Liberty which likely influenced her decision to end up in New York. Quinn has talked about wanting athletes, post-players that can stretch the floor with outside shooting, and players that play with pace and like to score in transition.

Q: What is going on with Quinn’s rotations this year?

A: The Storm have had 10 new players play this season that weren’t on the team in 2022. That is a massive amount of turnover. They also have four rookies on the team that they are trying to bring up to speed to the WNBA level. Because most of these players haven’t played with one another it takes a lot of time to build rapport with one another and find out who works best together.

Q: Dojkic is having a pretty good breakout season--do you see her sticking with the Storm long-term? What does this mean for Jade Melbourne's prospects?

A: Ivana Dojkić is averaging 9.2 PPG and 3.9 APG. More impressive are her assist numbers have been great over the past two games with 10 and 9 assists in the two games against Minnesota. It appears to me that she’s more comfortable running the offense as she adjusts to her new role as the team’s starting point guard. If that trend continues I think Dojkić could average over 5.0 APG by the end of the season. That would put her in the Top 10 in the WNBA.

Regarding her future with the team. Dojkić would be a Restricted Free Agent in 2024 meaning that the Storm could match any contract she received from another team. I think there is a good chance Seattle’s front office would look to sign her to maybe a two-year deal in the off-season.

Now regarding Jade Melbourne, the team should take their time with her development. She is only 20 years old and has already impressed in the WNBL. Jade is five years younger than Dojkić. Melbourne is under a traditional rookie-scale contract. She is under contract through 2025 with a team option to keep her through 2026. In 2027, she would be a Restricted Free Agent. She is under club control for several years.

After last season, the team needed to find replacements for the starting and backup point guard positions. I suspect Ivana remains the starter this year but that doesn’t mean Jade couldn’t earn that spot in another year or two. Even if she only stays as a backup there is still a role for her on the team.

The only thing that could potentially throw a wrench into the plans of having both Ivana and Jade on the team for the next several years would be if the team ended up winning the lottery this year or next and drafted Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers.

Q: What are your thoughts regarding the large differential between the Storm and their opponents for points in the paint? Do you see Holmes's increased playing time having an impact on that?

A: I think a big part of the Storm’s struggles defending the paint is that outside of Ezi, the team’s best players are all guards or small forwards. We can take a look at many of the other WNBA teams. Las Vegas has A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker. New York has Stewie and Jonquel Jones. Dallas has Natasha Howard, Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, and Tearica McCowan. Indiana now has Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith.

For a good portion of the season up to this point, the team was really only using two legit post players in Ezi and Mercedes. They’ve played Jordan Horston at the PF position entirely out of her natural position which is more Shooting Guard.

Regarding Joyner’s increased playing time. I think that can help because she’s another bigger body that can ideally help limit paint points and with rebounding. With that said Holmes was more known for her offensive skills than her defensive skills. I wouldn’t expect her to completely change things for Seattle.

Q: Can we core Jewell again?

A: Unfortunately, no. Because of the new CBA players are only allowed to be cored for two seasons. Jewell signed a two-year deal in 2022 and will be an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2024. She will be free to sign with any WNBA team and she will have many suitors.

Q: What 2024 FAs are you looking at as potential Storm players?

A: Trying to re-sign Jewell would likely be the team’s top priority. When looking at bringing in new players, I went through the list of UFA for 2024 and there are just under 20 players I would consider going after with many of those not being very realistic.

For instance, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Nneka Ogwumike, and Elena Delle Donne are all Unrestricted Free Agents in 2024 but I highly doubt any of them will leave their current teams. Staying with the Mystics, Natasha Cloud, Ariel Atkins, and Tianna Hawkins are all players I’d consider but I feel that Washington core is likely to stick together.

I didn’t see any UFA from Atlanta, Dallas, Indiana, or Las Vegas that would be attractive free agents for Seattle.

If Seattle were to lose Jewell Loyd, especially if it was to Chicago they could try to sign Kahleah Copper as her replacement. With the news that James Wade, the Sky’s GM and Head Coach is leaving the team effective immediately to take a job with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Sky’s roster moving forward. If there is uncertainty with the franchise will Copper want to stay with that team? Would Jewell want to go there? That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.

Sticking with the Sky, Australian Alanna Smith is having her best season in the WNBA. She would be a solid role player to add.

Another player the Storm could sign if Loyd does leave the team would be Kayla McBride from Minnesota. She isn’t nearly as talented as Jewell but McBride is still an above-average SG. Of course, if Loyd isn’t on the team in 2024, Seattle could just play Jordan Horston at her natural position instead of continuing to play her at Power Forward.

The Connecticut Sun have a few different players I’d consider. Seattle needs to address the post position either in the WNBA Draft or through Free Agency. Brionna Jones would be a player to consider if they believe she can recover from her torn Achilles’.

Seattle may have found their starting point guard of the future in Ivana Dojkić but Skylar Diggins-Smith would certainly be an upgrade at the position. Diggins-Smith is currently not playing in the WNBA this season after giving birth. She’s had issues with the Phoenix Mercury and is unlikely to return to that organization in 2024.

The player I’m most curious about is Jonquel Jones. Jones has struggled this season in New York and has been completely overshadowed by the Liberty’s addition of Breanna Stewart. It is unclear if Jones’ struggles this season are due to a foot injury she suffered in the 2022 playoffs or if she just isn’t fitting in with New York’s system and having to play alongside a very similar player in Stewart.

Jones is averaging just 10.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG this year. It’s a far cry from her 19.4 PPG and 11.2 RPG during her 2021 MVP season. If JJ doesn’t return to form later this year I have my doubts that the Liberty would want to sign her to another max or near-max contract. If Jones believes her production is down not because of her health but because of the fit with the team, she may look to move elsewhere as well.

It might be a risk for the Storm to sign Jonquel Jones to a max contract but it might be worth that risk if they could retain Loyd and add Jones to build a core along with Magbegor, Horston, and (most likely) a 2024 lottery pick.

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