Storm Fall to Lynx 91-87 Part 2

Additional thoughts, interviews, and discussion on Seattle's loss to Minnesota.

The Seattle Storm (16-14) were unable to take advantage of the fact that the Minnesota Lynx were without their best player, Napheesa Collier. Despite leading by eight points at the half, Seattle gave up 56 points and was outscored by 12 in the second half, as they fell to the Minnesota Lynx (25-5) by a final score of 91-87. If you missed it, you can read the full game recap here.

In Part 2, I wrote about Skylar Diggins’ recent struggles, the upcoming impact of Brittney Sykes, and a debate on Ezi versus Dom. Plus, a question for the community. I’ve also included the post-game press conference in audio and video.

Skylar’s Struggles

I think one of the reasons the Storm have lost three games in a row and have been struggling is that Skylar Diggins’ production has dropped off. Whether it’s fatigue, age, the longer seasons, etc. Skylar’s numbers have gone down quite a bit.

In May, Diggins averaged 19 PPG. She scored 20 points or more in four of the six games, 18 points or more in all but one game, and scored in double figures in all six games during the first month of the season.

Throughout June, Diggins averaged 18.9 PPG. She scored 20 points or more in six of the 11 games that month. Skylar scored in double figures in 10 of the 11 games.

Fast forward to July, and Skylar averaged just 13.1 PPG. Over the nine games in July, Diggins scored 20 points or more just twice. And even though she scored in double figures in eight of the nine games, a lot more of those were 10 or 11 points instead of being closer to the 18-22 PPG range.

We are too early into August to be able to get the full amount of data, but we can look at the Storm’s last five games, including this three-game homestand, where the Storm lost all three games. Diggins’ average drops even further, down to 11.6 PPG.

Skylar looks more frustrated, too. She’s always going to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but it just feels like the frustration level is rising higher and higher. It seems like there is more finger-pointing taking place. There was one moment where she was in the corner, as Erica Wheeler was running the offense, and Diggins just looked upset.

It’s also been more noticeable on the defensive end. It seems like she is getting blown by more often as other guards are beating her to the rim.

This is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. But there is a reason why they call Skylar “the head of the snake”, and it’s not a coincidence that the Storm as a team are really struggling at the same time that their leader’s production has dropped off a cliff.

Impact of Brittney Sykes

In case you missed it, the Seattle Storm traded Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, and their own 2026 first-round pick to acquire Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics. You can read my initial thoughts on the trade here.

While the Storm are spiraling, Brittney Sykes can certainly help the team get back on track. It will be interesting to see what her role will be with the Storm. She could replace Erica Wheeler in the starting lineup or be the team’s primary guard/wing off the bench.

Winners:

Seattle’s starters - the Storm’s starters play some of the heaviest minutes out of all the teams in the WNBA. Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins particularly should be able to get more rest as Sykes can fill in at either the guard or wing position. Whether Sykes replaces Erica Wheeler in the starting lineup or not, she should be playing at least 20 minutes per game. Skylar’s numbers have decreased, and Gabby’s three-point shooting has gone way down. Hopefully, they will get more and play fewer minutes, and that’ll give them a boost of energy, so that they can start playing back during the earlier parts of the season where the Storm had more success.

Coach Noelle Quinn - if the addition of Brittney Sykes helps the Storm get back on track and “over the hump” as Erica Wheeler stated in the post-game press conference, that’ll be good news for Quinn. As the team is having another poor second-half of the season, a trend under Quinn in recent seasons, more and more fans are expressing their frustration with Seattle’s Coaching staff. If the team can stop the free fall, and especially if the Storm can make the playoffs and advance past the first round, it could help take some fire off the coach’s hot seat.

Losers:

Tiffany Mitchell - She will likely get less playing time once Sykes joins the team. It seems like Brittney can do a lot of what Mitchell brings to the team, but she is generally better at it.

Lexie Brown - Unless the team desperately needs three-point shooting in a game, I have to think that Lexie’s minutes will go to Mitchell and Mitchell’s minutes will go to Sykes. The Storm used an 8-player rotation in Tuesday’s game, partly due to the fact that they traded away Alysha Clark and Zia Cooke and didn’t have Sykes yet.

The Storm’s GM/Front Office - this trade might be trying to put a band-aid on an amputated limb. General Manager Talisa Rhea traded away the team’s own 2026 first-round pick. At initial glance, that’s the best move if you’re going to have to part with one of their three first-round picks. Even though it’s looking more and more likely that the Los Angeles Sparks will make the playoffs, LA’s pick is still the most valuable because they currently have the worst record of the three teams, and their two-year record is by far the worst of the three. If they were parting with a pick, this was the correct move to make. But they just need to hope that they can find a way to win a lot more of these upcoming games.

A worst-case scenario would be the Storm end up missing the playoffs due to their poor 2nd half, and then their own lottery selection is handed over to the Washington Mystics. This also becomes a lose-lose situation for the Storm if they get swept in the first round of the playoffs again and decide to blow it all up, only hanging on to players under the age of 30. If that happens, they will be better off just keeping the draft pick and building towards the future.

Ezi versus Dom

I saw some online chatter that Dominique Malonga should replace Ezi Magbegor in the starting lineup. I understand that opinion because Malonga seems to make a more obvious impact when she’s on the court. Dom is playing really well right now. She’s scored in double figures in three of the last four games.

Most opposing teams don’t really have an answer for Malonga. The more confident and aggressive she’s becoming, the more her production is increasing. While she still makes some mistakes, she has also been very defensively sound. Her defense against Aliyah Boston the other night was very impressive.

Malonga’s growth and development have been very good this season. That is one area in which I feel Coach Quinn and her staff deserve a lot of credit. Dom won’t win Rookie of the Year, and she might not even be named to the All-Rookie team due to her limited minutes throughout the first 20 games of the season. But a lot of work has been put in behind the scenes, and that’s translating to these recent games.

With all that said, they don’t need to rush her. The Storm will continue to build up her endurance so she can play more minutes.

We did see Malonga close the game out against Indiana instead of Ezi Magbegor. That’s the closest thing we’ve seen to her replacing Magbegor in the lineup. However, ultimately, this should be a moot point. They need to be playing a lot more together.

Yes, Nneka Ogwumike is the Storm’s best post player (and player in general). But she is 35 years old. Ezi Magbegor is 25 years old, and Dominique Malonga is 19 years old. The Storm’s future is in both Malonga and Magbegor. There’s no reason to pit the two against each other.

If the Storm are in a spot late in the season where the outcome doesn’t have an impact on the standings, playoff positioning, etc. I would love to see Malonga and Magbegor start a game together and see what they can do, while giving Ogwumike more rest. It could be a glimpse of 2026 or 2027.

Lynx or Liberty?

This is to engage with the community. If the WNBA Finals come down to Minnesota and New York, which team are you pulling for? Would you prefer to see the Minnesota Lynx become the first franchise to win five WNBA Championships, surpassing the Seattle Storm in that regard? Or would you rather see the superteam New York Liberty, with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Emma Meesseman, etc., win their second Championship?

Post-Game Press Conference

Player Interviews

Coach’s Quotes

Notes:
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Thanks to Her Hoop Stats and Across the Timeline for being great resources.
Photo Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography

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