Storm’s season turns bleak after Dallas sting

Seattle Storm – Seattle’s rebuild is hitting real numbers in 2026: after a season-low 56 points in a Commissioner’s Cup loss to Dallas on June 1, the Storm sit at 3-7 with the second-worst point differential in the league. Still, three early draft bets—Dominique Malonga, Flau

Seattle’s rebuild was supposed to take its time. The numbers from the early part of the 2026 season have made that harder than anyone planned.

On June 1, the Storm were held to a season-low 56 points in a Commissioner’s Cup loss to Dallas. Since then, Seattle is 3-7 and carries the second-worst point differential in the league so far.

Part of the story is familiar for any team in transition, especially after last year’s core moved on. Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Erika Wheeler, and Nneka Ogwumike are gone, and the franchise is also navigating a first-time head coach in Sonia Raman.

But the floor hasn’t just felt shaky—it’s been producing bleak averages. Through ten games, the Storm are averaging 76.4 points per game, which is second-worst in the league. Their shooting has struggled. too: 40.5 percent from the field is the worst mark. and while their three-point rate of 32.3 percent lands them in the middle of the pack. it hasn’t been enough to lift the overall production.

There are reasons Seattle believes the next chapter can still be built from what’s already on the roster. The franchise has clearly pointed its future toward three recent draft picks: Dominique Malonga, Flau’jae Johnson, and Awa Fam.

Malonga. a 20-year-old selected 2nd overall by the Storm in last year’s draft. looked like the kind of cornerstone talent teams dream about before her season was interrupted. She began 2026 by starting the first three games and doubling many of her 2025 statistical averages before entering concussion protocol. In those opening games, she averaged 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.

At 6’6” with a 7′ 1” wingspan, Malonga is listed as a center, and the skill set has been obvious early. She’s been a natural fit as a pick-and-roll option with a catch radius that few can contest. She also showed early willingness as a shooter and as a post player. And in transition, her speed has stood out—outrunning opponents, including guards, for easier scoring opportunities.

Johnson’s arrival brought its own storyline even before the season began. She was involved in a draft-day trade from the Valkyries to the Storm, a move that was described as both surprising and headscratching, especially given how Johnson performed across four years at LSU.

The challenge so far has been efficiency. Through her first nine games, Johnson is shooting 31.2 percent from the field. Seattle has used her as an off-ball scorer. but that has coincided with her taking many shots either off a dribble handoff or into contested pull-up jumpers—an uncomfortable kind of workload even for a veteran. and especially for a rookie still settling into the league.

The numbers match the tape. Johnson is 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) from the midrange, and that’s over 20 percent below league average.

Still, there have been undeniable signs of what she can be. In the Storm’s win against Connecticut on May 22, Johnson scored 17 points. She went 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep—her most efficient game to date.

Even with offensive struggles, Johnson’s impact in other areas has been harder to ignore. She’s second in rebounding for the 2026 rookie draft class at 5.1 rebounds per game. She leads all rookies with 1.5 blocks per game. with 15 total blocks—leading the entire 2026 rookie class and the most for a Storm rookie in their first 10 games.

Seattle’s third high-profile bet is Fam, the Storm’s third overall pick from the past draft. At 6’4”, Fam has come into the league with an unusual start. She’s played only four games because she began the season playing for Valencia in the Spanish League. Her approach in Seattle has been cautious; Fam has been coming off the bench. with the Storm taking a patient approach.

Her debut went well. She scored 10 points off the bench in 20 minutes despite not having an official practice between finally joining the roster and taking on the Washington Mystics a few days later. But after that early burst. she hasn’t reached double-digit scoring again in the next three games she played. which came during a three-game losing streak for the Storm.

With only four games in the sample, it’s too soon to read much into the dip. Still, Fam has shown potency as both a pick-and-roll player and a stretch-big. During the draft process. her passing was viewed as a huge positive. and Seattle will be watching for how her ability to create scoring opportunities—especially in the post—can translate on the floor.

None of this guarantees that the pieces will click right away. Malonga, Johnson, and Fam have yet to play a single game together, so the chemistry is still an open question. How they share the floor—what matchups they can create. where the scoring comes from. and whether the defense can stabilize—remains untested.

But the early signs are at least clear enough to keep the hope alive in Seattle. The Storm are struggling with production and efficiency right now, yet they also have three young players whose skills point to roles that could change the trajectory fast if everything lines up.

Seattle Storm WNBA 2026 Commissioner’s Cup Dallas Sonia Raman Skylar Diggins Gabby Williams Erika Wheeler Nneka Ogwumike Dominique Malonga Flau’jae Johnson Awa Fam