SEATTLE -- The Seattle Storm will have the best defense in the WNBA this season. After refining the roster in the offseason, the Storm finally has the talent to be a title contender. Even though the league improved, Seattle has shown it will be tough for anyone to face. As the season tips off, the Storm has everything they need to prove that defense does win championships.
Seattle is led by their big three of Nneka Ogwumike (NEH-kuh oh-gwoo-MIH-kay), Skylar Diggins, and Ezi Magbegor (Eh-zee Mag-BUH-gore). While all three players are good on the defensive end, Magbegor is their elite shot blocker. Last season, she averaged a career-high 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Magbegor has emerged over her career to become the Storm’s best defensive player, and she’ll look to do the same this season. Seattle addressed their defense in free agency, signing veteran forward Alysha Clark (Uh-LEE-shuh). After spending her first eight seasons with the Storm, she makes her return as a key defender for the team. Clark won two championships in Seattle, most recently in 2020, her last season on the team. Although the current roster is different from the championship team in 2020, she talked about the similarities this team has when it comes to defense.
“(This is a) team full of people who want to be the best defensively and play both sides of the ball with the same intensity and focus, and that’s something I’m really excited about,” Clark said before their 79-59 preseason win against Connecticut. “We have so many athletic and versatile pieces and a lot of high-IQ players in that way.”
The Storm has a roster filled with smart players who share the desire to play well defensively, which helps them stand out as a top team. Last season, Seattle finished first in blocks per game, averaging 5.2, and first in steals with 9.3 per game. Their defensive rating was 96.4, which ranked fourth. This means they allowed around 96 points per 100 possessions. Ogwumike played a big role in their performance last season, and she’s prepared for that same role this year. She spoke about the confidence she has in this defense and how Seattle can still win games even if the offense is out of rhythm.
“Last year (our defense) was an emphasis, and this year it’s no different,” Ogwumike explained. “Everyone is locked into the idea that we need to get stops, and that’s a very big component of how we play.”
As the Storm focused on winning games with their defense last season, they added talent to help their team take the next step. One of the key pieces Seattle brought back was forward Gabby Williams. After joining the team midway through last season, she is returning to the starting unit for a full year. While the Storm has an impressive starting five when it comes to defending the basket, they made an improvement that will catapult them to an elite status.
Seattle’s bench has a combination of two-way players like Erica Wheeler, Lexie Brown, and Zia Cooke. Although their guards are great, the Storm’s biggest improvement is their frontcourt. Seattle traded their star, Jewell Loyd, to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team trade in which they received two front-court pieces in Li Yueru (Lee YOU-Roo) and 2025 draft pick Dominque Molonga (Muh-LONG-guh). Storm head coach Noelle Quinn commented on her confidence in the defense this season, highlighting the communication and the different ways they can play.
“We’ve shown we can play in a variety of different ways,” Quinn said. “The level of communication has been on point. We have an ability to be small, big, physical, and these are the things that are important when you’re talking about having a strong defense.”
Seattle has versatility and the knowledge within their team to be a strong defense, and that will be important if they want to win a championship. Although the team last season was good on defense, their Achilles' heel was rebounding. They averaged 26 defensive rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the league. The front-court additions of Yueru and Molonga help fill an important need and make their team more versatile. Quinn emphasized the importance of rebounding and how it takes their defense to the next level.
“The thing that I’m going to challenge this group with is rebounding,” she said. “We can have all the athletes in a variety of ways to defend, but if we can’t be solid on the boards, then we’re not going to be very good defensively.”
