I love Ezi, and have since I first laid eyes on her. I must also admit that I get extremely frustrated watching her. I want so badly for her to own the game, and to play with the fire that I only recall seeing once this past season - immediately following her All Star snub. My only hesitation in building around is her apparent unwillingness/inability to consistently and forcefully assert herself on both ends of the floor. The physical tools are there; I'm not sure about the mentality. Maybe cleaning house will free her up in that regard? I hope so. Regarding Jewell - as Don MacLean so often says: "Let's move on." Do it as quickly as possible, for the best available draft pick package.
Great points Eric. I agree that's probably the one thing that could hold Ezi back from Superstardom. Does she have that Killer Instinct? The drive to be the best and the want to take on all challengers. The size, physical traits, athleticism, and skill are all there. She can pretty much do everything on the court. She needs to get a little stronger still and the rest is all the mental game.
Really enjoyed this take and I agree. I hope we’re also able to bring back Nneka and Gabby, I feel like they really started to gel along with SDS and Ezi. It was also fun to watch Jordy and Gabby out there together whenever they had the chance.
Good piece, Jeff. I understand the optics of the Storm not wanting to replace Noelle Quinn because she's the last remaining Black woman head coach and has been vindicated from abuse allegations, but I'm wondering how long do you think before the Storm might decide they can do better with a different coach? I didn't like the circumstances when she took over the team, who were championship incumbents at the time (Dan Hughes won championships in his first and third seasons and lasted just a handful of games into his fourth), but she's gotten better every year as a coach and the players seem to like her overall. I do think they've underperformed every year she's been HC, though. The Storm only made it to the second round of playoffs once under Quinn and that was with a starting five with four hall of famers.
I find it at least a little concerning that there's been no real young player development under Quinn. Dulcy, Ivana Dojkic, Jade, and Nika all seem like lost opportunities. I'm not 100% convinced Nika is a WNBA caliber player but I really think she should've gotten an opportunity to sink or swim this year. Now she's hurt, the others I mentioned are gone, and pretty much everyone on the bench is a UFA right now.
Thanks, Chris. You bring up some good points. The Coach Quinn situation is a very interesting one and is worthy of debate. Regarding her taking over for Coach Dan Hughes, I really believe the organization was concerned that Quinn would be poached by another WNBA team. At the time, I believe both Los Angeles and Atlanta needed new coaches or the speculation was that they would after the 2021 season. I believe the organization promoted her 1-2 years earlier than they initially planned because she showed signs of being a great head coaching candidate. I'm sure Coach Hughes' health problems were also a concern and they didn't want to be in a situation where Noelle is taken away by another team and then Coach Hughes retires either during or at the end of the 2021 season and Seattle is left scrambling for a new coach and coaching staff.
I think Noelle is a good but maybe not great coach. She does make some mistakes and there have certainly been growing pains. But she is still so young and has performed pretty well overall. I believe she's won 20+ games in 3 of the 4 seasons.
I also have very mixed feelings when looking at Quinn's struggles in the playoffs. Was it Coach Quinn's fault Breanna Stewart's body failed her when she tore her Achilles right before the playoffs in 2021? I've stated multiple times before, that I strongly believe that Quinn and the Storm win the 2022 WNBA Championship if it wasn't for the fact that Chelsea Gray literally played the most absurd high-level playoff basketball we have ever seen. We know how incredible and dominant A'ja Wilson is. And Chelsea Gray outplayed her in the playoffs. That says something. Even Coach Becky Hammon recently said that Seattle was the other best team in the WNBA that year next to Vegas who went on to win the Championship. I strongly believe that if Chelsea Gray just plays normal Chelsea Gray All-Star level, the Storm win that series. But instead, she played like she was peak Michael Jordan.
I will say, they should have won Game 1 of the Aces playoff series this season. Scoring 2 points in the 4th quarter is unacceptable and the Coach has to figure a way to fix that in-game. They were out-coached in that series.
For your last point about player development. I can't say I agree with that. That's ignoring the work she's done with Ezi Magbegor, Gabby Williams, and Jordan Horston. Gabby has played by far the best WNBA basketball of her career in Seattle. Ezi has developed into an All-Star under Quinn. Jordan Horston still has the potential to at least be a legit starter and took some positive steps forward with her efficiency this season. Even with Dulcy, Dulcy was an extremely raw product. And she worked her way up to being a starter, even if it was a lower-quality one in 2023. She still had some good moments and had a couple of double-doubles. I don't think it's accurate to say there hasn't been any youth development under Quinn.
Jewell was so inefficient this past season with her 3-point shooting that we should be able to improve with a better long-distance shooter, but, if we can't re-sign Nneka, our priority almost has to be a Big. How about signing Tina Charles again as a short-term solution? Of course that's not building for the future, though. Trading Jewell to Chicago probably makes the most sense.
I agree that the Storm will need to bring in another big if they don't re-sign Nneka Ogwumike. Honestly, they probably need to bring in another big even if they do sign Nneka as I don't think it's too likely Mercedes Russell will be back with the team next year. If Connecticut's core breaks up, the Storm could try to attract either Brionna Jones or Alyssa Thomas.
Jewell to Chicago for their #3? If LAS reunites Kiki & Brink, that could land us Olivia Miles and I’ve been 👀on her since her freshman year. SDS has also been back @ ND already mentoring so this could be great. Also, if we traded Jewell to LAS for their #2, that could impact our ‘26 draft pick.
Good point Cija, while it would be tempting to try and get the #2 overall pick away from Los Angeles, that could inadvertently make the Sparks a playoff team in 2025 when they might not be otherwise. While it's no guarantee, as we stand today, there is a pretty legitimate chance the Storm could get the #1 overall pick in 2026 via LA's draft pick. Even if it's not, a Top 3 pick next year would be really nice.
Chicago's #3 overall pick seems like the most obvious trade in that it would send Jewell Loyd home to Chicago and give the Storm a Top 3 pick where as you mentioned they could potentially draft Olivia Miles or Kiki Iriafen. I do wonder if the 3rd overall pick is enough for Seattle or if they could possibly get more like the 3rd overall pick and the rights to Dana Evans or Michaela Onyenwere.
Great and interesting article. Ezi is so talented and I agree her full potential has not been met. I wonder about her confidence. She needs to be more physical and aggressive to get to the next level. Last year, she looked disengaged and passive at times. Does she have it in her mentally to be the number one option? I would think coaching could impact this.
I love what you said about efficiency being critical to winning. I’ve been preaching that about the Storm choosing (IMO, incorrectly) to build around Jewell. She is so inefficient and streaky. And now, there is all this drama and toxicity. I thought they should have done the bold but unpopular move of trading her after Stewie left. Now with her worst shooting season and baggage, the Storm are going to get pennies on the dollar for her. This whole thing reflects really poorly on the front office.
Thanks for the kind words mld! I agree with the sentiment that the only thing possibly holding Ezi back from being a star player like Napheesa Collier is the aggressive drive/mental aspect of it. When you look at her size, athleticism, skills, and talent Ezi is a top tier prospect/player. How many 6'4" Centers can bring the ball up the court, easily drive by slower defenders to the rim, and knock down the three-pointer? Not to mention, how efficient of a scorer she is, 5 season in the WNBA shooting above 50% every single season. Can she turn into a true #1 that wants the ball when the game is on the line. To Jewell's credit, Loyd is up there as the most clutch player in Seattle Storm history right with Sue Bird. Jewell was always better than Stewie in those moments (game-winners).
Interesting. Ezi is a good player but I’m not sold on building the team around her. I hope I’m wrong and she continues to develop into that type of player.
Jewell was horrible in the playoffs. I thought it was because of the injury but she said she was 100%. Maybe she checked out early. I hope her trade value is high but the Storm’s trade acumen doesn’t impress me.
If they can’t sign Nneka and Gabby then a rebuild is forced on them. I wouldn’t chase other free agents.
I’m a big Ezi fan (I actually named my dog after her because of it!), but I do think her ceiling may be the second best player on a championship/contending team. That’s still amazing and worthy of building around, but I think it’ll take some intention in how we build. Specifically playing her alongside an elite playmaker/floor general type. Ezi has shown flashes on the break of making great plays for others, but it feels like in the half court there’s a tendency to over dribble or force passes and I think she’d benefit from having a playmaker to set her up more long term. SDS certainly had some games this past season where she took that role, but I think she was at her best when she was attacking and we would have benefitted from a more traditional point guard to facilitate the offense. Having a bigger center next to Ezi to free her up to play help defense will of course help us maximize her shot blocking and fastbreak abilities more too.
It's certainly possible. At the same time, a proven legitimate scorer, multi-time All-Star should still hold value. And while they may not be able to immediately sign a contract extension with the new team. I'm sure they can have discussions and come to a handshake type of deal. I guess we will see though, maybe they'll trade her for a third-round pick like they did with Jade.
I don't understand how any acquiring team doesn't look at Loyd as 1) a player in decline and 2) a player who was given everything she said she wanted and was still willing to try to bring down her former team and Coach Quinn with frivolous investigations.
I wouldn't want anything to do with giving up assets for her.
I figure the best outcome is that she gets paid for sitting out the year.
Definitely Ezi is amazing. She should be part of the next Storm.
I love Ezi, and have since I first laid eyes on her. I must also admit that I get extremely frustrated watching her. I want so badly for her to own the game, and to play with the fire that I only recall seeing once this past season - immediately following her All Star snub. My only hesitation in building around is her apparent unwillingness/inability to consistently and forcefully assert herself on both ends of the floor. The physical tools are there; I'm not sure about the mentality. Maybe cleaning house will free her up in that regard? I hope so. Regarding Jewell - as Don MacLean so often says: "Let's move on." Do it as quickly as possible, for the best available draft pick package.
Great points Eric. I agree that's probably the one thing that could hold Ezi back from Superstardom. Does she have that Killer Instinct? The drive to be the best and the want to take on all challengers. The size, physical traits, athleticism, and skill are all there. She can pretty much do everything on the court. She needs to get a little stronger still and the rest is all the mental game.
Really enjoyed this take and I agree. I hope we’re also able to bring back Nneka and Gabby, I feel like they really started to gel along with SDS and Ezi. It was also fun to watch Jordy and Gabby out there together whenever they had the chance.
Good piece, Jeff. I understand the optics of the Storm not wanting to replace Noelle Quinn because she's the last remaining Black woman head coach and has been vindicated from abuse allegations, but I'm wondering how long do you think before the Storm might decide they can do better with a different coach? I didn't like the circumstances when she took over the team, who were championship incumbents at the time (Dan Hughes won championships in his first and third seasons and lasted just a handful of games into his fourth), but she's gotten better every year as a coach and the players seem to like her overall. I do think they've underperformed every year she's been HC, though. The Storm only made it to the second round of playoffs once under Quinn and that was with a starting five with four hall of famers.
I find it at least a little concerning that there's been no real young player development under Quinn. Dulcy, Ivana Dojkic, Jade, and Nika all seem like lost opportunities. I'm not 100% convinced Nika is a WNBA caliber player but I really think she should've gotten an opportunity to sink or swim this year. Now she's hurt, the others I mentioned are gone, and pretty much everyone on the bench is a UFA right now.
Thanks, Chris. You bring up some good points. The Coach Quinn situation is a very interesting one and is worthy of debate. Regarding her taking over for Coach Dan Hughes, I really believe the organization was concerned that Quinn would be poached by another WNBA team. At the time, I believe both Los Angeles and Atlanta needed new coaches or the speculation was that they would after the 2021 season. I believe the organization promoted her 1-2 years earlier than they initially planned because she showed signs of being a great head coaching candidate. I'm sure Coach Hughes' health problems were also a concern and they didn't want to be in a situation where Noelle is taken away by another team and then Coach Hughes retires either during or at the end of the 2021 season and Seattle is left scrambling for a new coach and coaching staff.
I think Noelle is a good but maybe not great coach. She does make some mistakes and there have certainly been growing pains. But she is still so young and has performed pretty well overall. I believe she's won 20+ games in 3 of the 4 seasons.
I also have very mixed feelings when looking at Quinn's struggles in the playoffs. Was it Coach Quinn's fault Breanna Stewart's body failed her when she tore her Achilles right before the playoffs in 2021? I've stated multiple times before, that I strongly believe that Quinn and the Storm win the 2022 WNBA Championship if it wasn't for the fact that Chelsea Gray literally played the most absurd high-level playoff basketball we have ever seen. We know how incredible and dominant A'ja Wilson is. And Chelsea Gray outplayed her in the playoffs. That says something. Even Coach Becky Hammon recently said that Seattle was the other best team in the WNBA that year next to Vegas who went on to win the Championship. I strongly believe that if Chelsea Gray just plays normal Chelsea Gray All-Star level, the Storm win that series. But instead, she played like she was peak Michael Jordan.
I will say, they should have won Game 1 of the Aces playoff series this season. Scoring 2 points in the 4th quarter is unacceptable and the Coach has to figure a way to fix that in-game. They were out-coached in that series.
For your last point about player development. I can't say I agree with that. That's ignoring the work she's done with Ezi Magbegor, Gabby Williams, and Jordan Horston. Gabby has played by far the best WNBA basketball of her career in Seattle. Ezi has developed into an All-Star under Quinn. Jordan Horston still has the potential to at least be a legit starter and took some positive steps forward with her efficiency this season. Even with Dulcy, Dulcy was an extremely raw product. And she worked her way up to being a starter, even if it was a lower-quality one in 2023. She still had some good moments and had a couple of double-doubles. I don't think it's accurate to say there hasn't been any youth development under Quinn.
Jewell was so inefficient this past season with her 3-point shooting that we should be able to improve with a better long-distance shooter, but, if we can't re-sign Nneka, our priority almost has to be a Big. How about signing Tina Charles again as a short-term solution? Of course that's not building for the future, though. Trading Jewell to Chicago probably makes the most sense.
I agree that the Storm will need to bring in another big if they don't re-sign Nneka Ogwumike. Honestly, they probably need to bring in another big even if they do sign Nneka as I don't think it's too likely Mercedes Russell will be back with the team next year. If Connecticut's core breaks up, the Storm could try to attract either Brionna Jones or Alyssa Thomas.
Tina is a great player but she was lost in Quinn’s system. Nope.
Jewell to Chicago for their #3? If LAS reunites Kiki & Brink, that could land us Olivia Miles and I’ve been 👀on her since her freshman year. SDS has also been back @ ND already mentoring so this could be great. Also, if we traded Jewell to LAS for their #2, that could impact our ‘26 draft pick.
Good point Cija, while it would be tempting to try and get the #2 overall pick away from Los Angeles, that could inadvertently make the Sparks a playoff team in 2025 when they might not be otherwise. While it's no guarantee, as we stand today, there is a pretty legitimate chance the Storm could get the #1 overall pick in 2026 via LA's draft pick. Even if it's not, a Top 3 pick next year would be really nice.
Chicago's #3 overall pick seems like the most obvious trade in that it would send Jewell Loyd home to Chicago and give the Storm a Top 3 pick where as you mentioned they could potentially draft Olivia Miles or Kiki Iriafen. I do wonder if the 3rd overall pick is enough for Seattle or if they could possibly get more like the 3rd overall pick and the rights to Dana Evans or Michaela Onyenwere.
Great and interesting article. Ezi is so talented and I agree her full potential has not been met. I wonder about her confidence. She needs to be more physical and aggressive to get to the next level. Last year, she looked disengaged and passive at times. Does she have it in her mentally to be the number one option? I would think coaching could impact this.
I love what you said about efficiency being critical to winning. I’ve been preaching that about the Storm choosing (IMO, incorrectly) to build around Jewell. She is so inefficient and streaky. And now, there is all this drama and toxicity. I thought they should have done the bold but unpopular move of trading her after Stewie left. Now with her worst shooting season and baggage, the Storm are going to get pennies on the dollar for her. This whole thing reflects really poorly on the front office.
Thanks for the kind words mld! I agree with the sentiment that the only thing possibly holding Ezi back from being a star player like Napheesa Collier is the aggressive drive/mental aspect of it. When you look at her size, athleticism, skills, and talent Ezi is a top tier prospect/player. How many 6'4" Centers can bring the ball up the court, easily drive by slower defenders to the rim, and knock down the three-pointer? Not to mention, how efficient of a scorer she is, 5 season in the WNBA shooting above 50% every single season. Can she turn into a true #1 that wants the ball when the game is on the line. To Jewell's credit, Loyd is up there as the most clutch player in Seattle Storm history right with Sue Bird. Jewell was always better than Stewie in those moments (game-winners).
Interesting. Ezi is a good player but I’m not sold on building the team around her. I hope I’m wrong and she continues to develop into that type of player.
Jewell was horrible in the playoffs. I thought it was because of the injury but she said she was 100%. Maybe she checked out early. I hope her trade value is high but the Storm’s trade acumen doesn’t impress me.
If they can’t sign Nneka and Gabby then a rebuild is forced on them. I wouldn’t chase other free agents.
Combining unimpressive trade acumen and questionable player development does not portend a successful rebuild.
I’m a big Ezi fan (I actually named my dog after her because of it!), but I do think her ceiling may be the second best player on a championship/contending team. That’s still amazing and worthy of building around, but I think it’ll take some intention in how we build. Specifically playing her alongside an elite playmaker/floor general type. Ezi has shown flashes on the break of making great plays for others, but it feels like in the half court there’s a tendency to over dribble or force passes and I think she’d benefit from having a playmaker to set her up more long term. SDS certainly had some games this past season where she took that role, but I think she was at her best when she was attacking and we would have benefitted from a more traditional point guard to facilitate the offense. Having a bigger center next to Ezi to free her up to play help defense will of course help us maximize her shot blocking and fastbreak abilities more too.
Are we overestimating the trade value for 1 year of the Jewell Loyd we all just saw? Why would a building team trade their future away for that?
It's certainly possible. At the same time, a proven legitimate scorer, multi-time All-Star should still hold value. And while they may not be able to immediately sign a contract extension with the new team. I'm sure they can have discussions and come to a handshake type of deal. I guess we will see though, maybe they'll trade her for a third-round pick like they did with Jade.
I don't understand how any acquiring team doesn't look at Loyd as 1) a player in decline and 2) a player who was given everything she said she wanted and was still willing to try to bring down her former team and Coach Quinn with frivolous investigations.
I wouldn't want anything to do with giving up assets for her.
I figure the best outcome is that she gets paid for sitting out the year.
Definitely Ezi is amazing. She should be part of the next Storm.