As the Seattle Storm started the second portion of the season, they added a familiar face who starred in the 2024 Olympics. The Storm added forward Gabby Williams, who most recently played for France in the Olympics, to the roster. She re-joins Seattle for the rest of the season after spending the last two years with the franchise. The reunion is a match made in Heaven for both sides, as the Storm’s chase for a fifth championship continues.

Coming out of a long month off, the Storm has struggled in their first games back and needs a two-way veteran like Williams. In two meetings, they averaged 78 points but surrendered 87.5 points, which is unusual for a top defense like Seattle. They lost to the Atlanta Dream, and the Indiana Fever, who are a tier below the Storm trying to make the playoffs. With enough talent to win a championship, they can improve their standing by winning games they know they should. After struggling against these teams, the addition of Williams helps Seattle tremendously while providing another scoring option for them.

Last season was a struggle for not only the Storm but for Williams as well. After signing with the team amid their struggles, her comeback was cut short due to a broken foot. Now back with Seattle for a third time, she enters an improved roster coming off a stellar performance on a global stage. Williams represents Team France every chance she plays overseas, and she helped her country earn a silver medal in the 2024 Olympic Games. In six games, she averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 steals for France. In the Gold Medal game against Team U.S.A., she was a big reason why they almost pulled off the upset, and now she has a chance to showcase her talent on a championship contender. When asked about the addition, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn seemed thrilled to have a player of her caliber who already understands their system. “Gabby is a dynamic player who brings tremendous versatility. She’s a two-way player that can guard multiple positions and has a strong offensive game. Given her familiarity with our system, we know she can have an immediate impact.” The Storm now have more depth with the addition of Williams, and their case for a championship becomes more interesting as they shuffle up the pieces during the season.

Before the addition, Seattle looked like a top team with a revamped roster and top defense. Now with Williams as a part of the team, they can feel better about their push towards the playoffs. Due to her familiarity with the system, she will likely join the starting lineup of Jewell Loyd, Ezi Magbegor (EH-zee MAG-buh-gore), Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Nneka Ogwumike ((NEH-kuh OH-gwoo-muh-kay). As a result, rising second-year guard Jordan Horston would return to her sixth-player role, which provides more scoring off the bench. This change will likely happen after Williams gets acclimated to the roster. The rotations could see any of these players on the floor together, which could be interesting with defensive guards like Williams and Horston sharing the floor. In their small sample size last season, they had an offensive rating of 89.0 and a defensive rating of 94.3. That accumulates to a -5.3 net rating, which should massively improve given improvements from both the players and the team. As the Storm battle through the rest of the season with the addition of Williams, their championship hopes could soon become reality at the season’s end.