Through the halfway point in the season, the Seattle Storm look to finish the season with a winning mindset. While Seattle’s season has not been ordinary, their mostly healthy roster and team chemistry prepare them for a bright postseason future. As the second half of the season looms, the positives outweigh the negatives keeping the Storm in the championship hunt.
Hey Now, You’re An All-Star
The Storm’s big three will represent Seattle as they add to their all-star resume. Breanna Stewart is playing in her fourth All-Star game as the team captain against Aja Wilson. Jewell Loyd is an All-Star reserve for Team Stewart in her fourth appearance, and Sue Bird is a co-captain of Stewie’s team in her 13th and final appearance. Stewart captains her team after leading the league in points with 21.0 per game and second in steals per game averaging 1.9 and Loyd is a reserve for Stewie’s team after she averaged 16.4 points per game before the break.
In the All-Star draft, Stewie drafted her with the first pick in the second round. Bird was a co-captain originally for Team Wilson, but a post-draft trade changed her uniform. After the teams were picked, Stewie traded her co-captain, Sylvia Fowles, to Team Wilson for Bird.
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After announcing her retirement during the season, Bird is playing in her final all-star game with her Seattle teammates. One notable member of the Storm left off the All-Star list include Ezi Magbegor. The 22-year-old is having a promising season as the starting center for the Storm. She is averaging 9.6 points per game and a league-leading 2.5 blocks per game but she joins a long list of snubs. While Magbegor didn’t make the team this year, she is very young and has many opportunities to make it going forward.
Personal Injury Brings Opportunity
The starting center for the past couple of seasons has been Mercedes Russell. However, this year she has missed 18 games with a non-basketball-related injury. It was later revealed that her injury was a headache syndrome. This loss has given Magbegor the chance to excel with the starting group, but it has weakened the Storm’s depth. With Russell hurt and Magbegor starting, the only forwards left are Jantel Lavender and Stephanie Talbot to make up for the lost playing time.
INJURY REPORT: The Storm Injury Report Presented by Providence @Swedish in advance of Wednesday’s game vs Las Vegas:
Mercedes Russell (non-basketball injury) – OUT#TakeCover x #RoadToRecovery pic.twitter.com/41LYK9xNi5
— Seattle Storm PR (@SeattleStormPR) June 29, 2022
On June 28th Seattle signed Tina Charles to strengthen their depth and prepare for a playoff storm in the Emerald City. Since her arrival, she is averaging 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game but the team is 4-1 with her. Her chemistry with the team should only get stronger as the season progresses into the second half.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1543063449055272961?s=21&t=rSJNsevF9N7_-OMY7ATD2A
Seattle, Take A Break
The Storm enters the All-Star Break with a 15-8 record which is third-best in the WNBA. This signifies they’re a top team, but the separation of games leaves little room for error. While the first half of the season has been unnatural for Seattle, they’re positioned to make the finish more ideal. Not to mention, they had a historic night last night on the road in LA.
Best shooting % (64.6) in franchise history ✅
Matched largest road win (37) in team history ✅
30 team assists ✅It was a good night. #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/iRkv8c6kA8
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 8, 2022
The following morning Stewie debuted her signature shoe, the first women’s signature shoe in a decade.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1545420031554641920?s=20&t=pE6-TeSI8wkXqB3Fxfa5eQ
The future is bright because the Storm has proven they can still win through the obstacles they faced in the first half of the season. The biggest issues for the Storm are traveling often and the days between games causing some of their losses. After the break, Seattle plays two games at home separated by five days for rest. While the road to a fifth championship has not been easy, the Storm aims to make Bird’s final year the most memorable by going out on top.
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