Rebuilds are never easy, and the Seattle Storm are learning that lesson early in this 2026 WNBA season.
With last year’s starters in Skylar Diggins (Sky), Gabby Williams (Valkyries), and Erika Wheeler and Nneka Ogwumike (Sparks) all gone, not to mention a first-time head coach in Sonia Raman, the road was already a tough one.
But now, after scoring a season-low 56 points in a Commissioner’s Cup loss to Dallas on June 1, Seattle is 3-7 with the second-worst point differential in the league so far.
Of course, younger teams have growing pains. Through ten games, the Storm are averaging 76.4 points per game (second-worst in the league), 40.5 percent field goal shooting (worst), and a surprising 32.3 percent three-point shooting that puts them in the middle of the pack.
Long gone are the days of Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Jewell Loyd, and Breanna Stewart carrying the Storm.
Now, a franchise that’s shown consistent winning is looking for its next star, and they have three good chances at finding one or even more in Dominique Malonga, Flau’jae Johnson, and Awa Fam.
The top three picks from the Storm, but how have they fared in the early parts of this 2026 WNBA season? Let’s take a look.
Dominique Malonga was beginning the season well, starting the first three games and doubling many of her 2025 statistical averages before entering concussion protocol. She was averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in those games.
There may not be a player with as much potential as the 20-year-old Malonga, picked 2nd overall by the Storm in last year’s draft. Her 6’6” frame and 7′ 1” wingspan, along with her skill set as a listed center, make her a perfect pick-and-roll option with a catch radius that few can contest.
She’s also shown to be a willing shooter and post player early. And how many other players can say they outrun their opponents, including guards, for easy scoring opportunities in transition?
Flau’jae Johnson’s draft-day trade from the Valkyries to the Storm was as surprising as it was headscratching, especially considering how well Johnson had played in her four years at LSU.
But her biggest issue so far is efficiency, shooting just 31.2 percent from the field through her first nine games. The Storm has put her as an off-ball scorer, which had led to Johnson taking a lot of shots either off a dribble handoff or into a contested pull-up jumper.
Those types of shots are already tough for a veteran, let alone a rookie getting her feet wet. The numbers back up the tape, as she’s shooting just 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) from the midrange, over 20 percent below league average.
There’s still no denying Johnson’s talent, such as her 17-point performance in the Storm’s win against Connecticut on May 22, where she finished 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep, her most efficient game to date.
Despite her offensive struggles, Johnson is making up for it in other areas. Surprisingly, she’s second in rebounding for the 2026 rookie draft class at 5.1 rebounds per game, and leads all rookies with 1.5 blocks per game. Her 15 total blocks not only lead the entire 2026 rookie class, but are the most for a Storm rookie in their first 10 games.
Then there’s the Storm’s third overall pick from this past draft, as they decided to double down on foreign potential by taking the 6’4” Fam.
Fam has only played four games due to playing for Valencia in the Spanish League in the beginning of the season. She’s been coming off the bench as the Storm is taking the patient approach with Fam.
Her debut game went well, even though she didn’t even have an official practice between finally joining the Storm’s roster and taking on the Washington Mystics a few days later.
Scoring 10 points off the bench in 20 minutes, Fam has yet to hit double-digit scoring again in the next three games she played, part of a three-game losing streak for the Storm.
It’s still a small sample size of four games, but Fam has shown potency as both a pick-and-roll player and a stretch-big. Hopefully, in the future, the Storm can take advantage of Fam’s ability to create scoring opportunities in the post for others, as her passing was seen as a huge positive during the draft process.
These three have yet to play a single game together, so it’s unknown how Malonga and Fam will play next to each other. It may take a while, but there could be a nasty storm brewing in Seattle if everything comes together.