Storm/Sun Preseason Game Part 2

Additional thoughts from Sunday's preseason game.

I’m trying something a little bit different with this first (preseason) game of the 2025 WNBA season. For as long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve always prided myself on doing extensive coverage, covering the Seattle Storm and the WNBA. I started reporting and writing about the team in 2015. I was dissatisfied with the lack of media coverage for the Storm at the time. And one thing that helped me stand out and gain support was to write a lot. I wanted to be the antithesis to the Associated Press. If they were going to give you five sentences on the Seattle Storm/WNBA then I wanted to give you five pages! But to write 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 word articles… well, that takes a lot of time. I’ve often stayed up past 1:00 AM writing my articles because it takes a lot of time to process all of those thoughts, transcribe those interviews, and write it all down in a somewhat orderly fashion. Because of this, I never wanted to promise that I would send out the articles shortly after the game ended. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.

After Sunday’s game, a 79-59 victory for the Seattle Storm, I decided to split my article into two parts. Part 1 was mailed out to everyone and it covers the game summary, top players, the game breakdown, and some quick notes. Part 2 is being sent out only to paid subscribers and will hit your mailboxes early in the morning the day after the game. That’ll allow me the extra time to write all of my thoughts down, pick out the best interview quotes, and more without feeling like I have to rush the article out.

This is not set in stone. I am just trying something new. I do think there could be benefits to doing it this way but I’m not certain. I’m also not trying to spam people’s e-mail and some fans may feel that way if they’re receiving two articles for every game. With that in mind, feel free to share your feedback in the comments section if you strongly feel one way or another.

With all of that out of the way, let’s move on to the next topic.

Katie Lou’s Injury and Contract Status

The Storm announced yesterday that Katie Lou Samuelson suffered a torn ACL in her right knee during Seattle’s practice on May 1st and will miss the entire season.

I was just gutted when I saw this news. Especially after just recently seeing a video the Storm posted where they asked Lou what advice she would give to her rookie self and she talked about how her career was going to have a lot of struggles and tough moments, a lot more than she would have ever expected, but that she was proud that she’s withstood it and kept trying to improve and make things better. And then this injury happened. One could easily argue that Lou has had to deal with a lot more negatives than positives in her professional career. And now she has to deal with this horrific injury.

For the Storm, it’s also disappointing news because I think they were expecting some solid contributions from Samuelson this season even if that was just being part of a stronger bench unit. The team lacked three-point shooters and that is an area she could have helped fill. With Jordan Horston’s ACL injury and the thought that Gabby Williams might have to shift down from the Small Forward position to fill Jewell Loyd’s spot at Shooting Guard, there were going to be some potential minutes for Lou to contribute on this team.

Beyond another unfortunate injury to a Seattle Storm player, this will also create more problems for the Storm when it comes to roster building. Credit to Bella Munson from The Next Hoops, who was the first person I saw post about this. Although I later saw the article from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and spoke with HerHoopStats’s Contract guru, Richard Cohen and they all said the same thing. It’s something I didn’t realize. I thought that because Katie Lou Samuelson was on a non-guaranteed contract, that they ultimately could just cut/waive Lou and fill her roster spot with another player. However, apparently that is not the case. Because the injury took place during a Storm practice and not outside of the WNBA, like with what happened to both Nika Mühl and Jordan Horston, the Storm are apparently required to pay Katie Lou’s salary of $90,000.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea has stated that the team would only be able to carry 11 players heading into this season. Once again, this is a problem because the salaries increased in 2020 by as much as 200% but the salary cap was only increased to around 30-40%. And because of that, the Storm can’t roster 12 players and now they won’t even be able to roster 11 healthy players. Side bar, this MUST be fixed in the next CBA.

The only way the Storm can get out of paying Katie Lou’s salary would be if they traded her to another team and had that team take on her full salary. Because an ACL injury is a 9-12 month recovery period at best, Samuelson is guaranteed to miss the entire 2025 WNBA season. And since Lou will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, no one in their right mind would trade for her. That is to say, without major incentive going back the other team’s way. The Storm would almost certainly have to give up one of their 2026 future first-round draft picks in order for the other team to take on Katie Lou’s salary. Similar to when the Storm gave away their lottery pick that turned into Rickea Jackson in order to shed Kia Nurse’s contracts off of their books.

The only other option would be if the Storm paired a young player with Lou as well. For instance, trading someone like Serena Sundell or Mackenzie Holmes and Katie Lou to free up the cap space in order to sign another player. Of course, that seems counter productive as the team would only make the trade if they truly wanted to keep a player like Holmes or Sundell and they felt this was their only option to do so.

With all that said, I hate the idea of trading any future first-round picks just for the chance to keep a player that would be the 11th player on their depth chart. Especially after we saw several talented players return to college (Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd, etc.) that have increased the value of the Storm’s future draft picks. I hated when the Storm traded away their 2024 lottery pick to Los Angeles but at least that move may ultimately land them another lottery pick in 2026 if the Sparks miss the playoffs this season; which I believe is likely.

Lastly, in Kevin Pelton’s article, Coach Quinn was quoted as saying the Storm will help Katie Lou through this “journey” of surgery and recovery and getting through this difficult time. Shipping her off to another WNBA team doesn’t really follow suit with that line of talk. The sports business is a cruel world but maybe not that cruel.

First Impressions

The Storm had several new players out on the court for this preseason game. The roster has been overhauled quite a bit. There is no more Jewell Loyd, Mercedes Russell, Sami Whitcomb, or Joyner Holmes.

Some of the new players really stood out. Some were very impressive while others struggled. And there were a few that almost felt invisible.

Li Yueru had the biggest impact. Her 6’7” frame is legit. As one fan commented to me on social media, “It was nice to see the Storm with a player that is too big for the opposing team.” Over the years, we’ve seen players like Brionna Jones, Brittney Griner, Jonquel Jones, etc. simply be too big, too tall, too strong and there was nothing the Storm could do about it. In Sunday’s game, there were times when there was nothing the Connecticut Sun could do to stop Li Yueru. Even during a couple of possessions where Yueru missed her first shot, she’d get her own rebound and either finish on her second attempt or get fouled.

Yueru’s 15 points and 10 rebounds was the most impressive part of the 40-minute preseason game that wasn’t really competitive from the very beginning. Yueru took advantage of her opportunity with both Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga sitting out of the game. Coach Quinn and her staff will have to find ways to get Yueru minutes in what now appears to be a potentially loaded front court between Li, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, and Dominique Malonga.

“Following Li's career, seeing her develop you know even with her National team, this year she was playing in Europe like you see these things. She's developed into a really, really good player. She started at a young age playing pro and now she's kind of in that age of her career where everything is flourishing. She's in amazing shape. At the beginning of camp, wasn't really rebounding the ball well, but ended this game with a double-double. She's very smart. She has very good touch. She can pass the ball. So we talk about versatility in every aspect of our team. She is one of the bigs that we wanted her because we knew what she had to offer. coming into camp and seeing her on the floor and getting her in our environment. I think it's good to see that she compliments the pieces that we do have.” Coach Quinn said of Yueru.

Erica Wheeler was the other player that filled in for the Storm’s starting lineup however, she didn’t make as much of a noticeable impact. It wasn’t that Wheeler played poorly. In fact, her stats are actually better than I thought. She finished the game with four points, four rebounds, and four assists.

After watching the preseason game, I do think Erica Wheeler’s chances to make the roster have gone up. And they were already pretty high to begin with. One thing that has stood out off the court is Wheeler’s positive energy and fun personality. Just from what the Storm’s social media team has shared, you can tell that she brings the good vibes, laughter, and positive attitude. Similar to what we’ve seen over the past few years in Las Vegas with Sydney Colson.

Of the four rookies that played, Mackenzie Holmes made the best impression. She stood out early with a fierce block on defense. She finished the game with one of the best statlines for the Storm. Mack added nine points on 4-5 FG shooting, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Prior to the game, Coach Quinn had praised Holmes for being in the gym multiple times a day and getting to camp early and really putting the work in.

One negative with Holmes is that she will need to continue to get stronger. There were a few times she did get bodied out of the paint and gave up some rebounds. However, that wasn’t a constant problem as her eight rebounds in the game was second-most for either team only behind Li Yueru’s 10.

Holmes’s ability to finish at the rim and off pick-and-roll was the best thing I saw out of her. She definitely had the best game of any of the rookies. Unfortunately for Mackenzie, one reason she may not make the team would be because of how stacked the Storm appear to be already in the front court. Despite her strong play in this game, I have to imagine Holmes would be behind Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Li Yueru, and Dominique Malonga on the post player depth chart. Would the Storm keep five post players and just five healthy guards and wings?

That’ll likely depend on if the Storm’s decision makers feel that Mackenzie could fill in and replace Katie Lou Samuelson’s spot. Or if not, would they’d be comfortable playing Nneka or Dominique occasionally at the Small Forward position. I still wouldn’t rule out a Storm starting lineup of Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, and Dominique Malonga. If the Storm went that route, then it would make a lot of sense to then have Mackenzie Holmes and Li Yueru as the two primary post backups. That might also be the way to go to have the best players on the roster.

Coach Quinn praised Holmes after the game.

“Mack came to market pretty early. And her knee is healthy and she looks in great shape. She was able to learn our concepts really quickly and get acclimated really quickly. And what you see is comfort because she was able to kind of get a head start in things. Yeah, Mack can, she's very physical. She can rebound. She's number one, top scorer at Indiana for a reason. She's very efficient in the paint, but even with our offenses, it's like, spaced out a little bit more, a little bit different than she's used to, but I think she's really grasping concepts. And I also think the year that she spent coaching really helped and see the game in a different lens, but also her how to prepare for the game,” Quinn stated.

Of the guards that are competing for a roster spot, Zia Cooke definitely showed the most. She was aggressive getting to the rim a couple of times. Cooke scored eight points but will need to improve her outside shot (0-4 FG on 3-PT) to really stick on a roster. She was also the first player off the bench and played more minutes than anyone else on the Storm. To me that indicates that Coach Quinn really wanted to get a good look at her to see what she can get done out there.

Cooke didn’t bring the ball up as much as I thought she might because the primary backup PG role was mostly filled by Serena Sundell. Cooke also did not have any assists which could be a concern.

Speaking of Sundell, unfortunately, I felt it was a pretty rough game for her. I feel things started off a bit shaky as she had her first jump shot blocked and also committed a couple of turnovers. She was also pressured a bit by a smaller/speedier guard when bringing the ball up and that seemed to give her some problems. It wasn’t a repeat of Blake Dietrick who I recall seeing her get the ball stolen away multiple times in a game when she was trying to bring the ball up the court. More so, Sundell looked a little lost out there anytime she didn’t have the ball in her hands.

Sundell finished with one point (0-3 FG), two rebounds, just one assist, and four turnovers. I’m sure nerves played a factor. But it could also just be the step up in competition and having to go up against WNBA-quality athletes. She has great size for the position but may lack the athleticism needed to compete against the best of the WNBA. In a perfect world, the WNBA would allow rookies to be kept on a “practice squad” where they can practice and grow with their clubs over time. Instead of being given two weeks to adjust to the major change from college to the pros. Maybe my “practice squad” idea is something that could get implemented in the new CBA that should take place in 2026.

While Sundell probably had the roughest game of any Storm player that was given quality minutes, I might have been more disappointed with Lexie Brown’s performance. But that’s also because I thought Brown might be competing for the starting Shooting Guard spot. For the most part, I felt Brown was invisible out there. She finished with three points on 0-4 field goal shooting. To her credit, she did finish with a team-high five assists. I didn’t realize that until I double-checked the box score as I didn’t recall her making a ton of great passes.

Lexie didn’t start and she wasn’t one of the first players off the bench. She only played 13 minutes which was only more than Jordan Hobbs, Madison Conner, and Brianna Fraser. Now, that may be because Brown has a guaranteed contract and has to make the final roster because of that, so Coach Quinn and her staff don’t need to evaluate her as much.

Lastly, Madison Conner and Jordan Hobbs each saw the least amount of playing time. As late third-round picks, they always had the longest odds to make the team. Hobbs and Conner each had a few rebounds. Hobbs stood out a little more in that regard. Neither player scored and each of them took just one shot a piece. I have a hard time seeing the Storm keep either player on the final roster as they will have to cut multiple other players that contributed more in this game.

Final Roster…?

Knowing that the Storm have to carry Katie Lou’s $90,000 salary on their roster, that means Seattle is only going to be able to roster 10 healthy players. Unless an unexpected trade happens that sends either Samuelson or Lexie Brown to another team, the Storm are likely locked into nine out of the 10 players. That means there is going to be only one roster spot available for almost the entire bench that played in Sunday’s preseason game.

That means Zia Cooke, Mackenzie Holmes, Serena Sundell, Brianna Fraser, Madison Conner, and Jordan Hobbs are all battling for the final spot. If the team feels they need another guard, then it’ll come down to a decision between Zia Cooke and Serena Sundell. If they just want to take the best player, they might decide to keep Mackenzie Holmes.

One benefit in keeping Holmes or Sundell would be that they would be under a rookie-scale contract and club control for the next four seasons. With that said, rarely have I seen WNBA General Manager’s base any of their decisions on that. Or should I say, I’ve rarely seen that be the main deciding factor when roster decisions are made.

After the game, I spoke with Coach Quinn on what the deciding factors will be when making that final roster decision.

“First and foremost, culture fit is gonna be important. The culture, having good people in here who are committed to the buy-in, wanting to win, wanting to work hard. And I think all of our candidates, our options exemplify that. The next is the ability to compliment the pieces that we do have. Stretching the floor, being able to shoot, attacking, and I think one of the biggest things is defensively. Are you physical, capable? Do you have an ability to step up, guard your yard, and obviously play team defense? So a multitude of things, but the fit of the system does matter.” Quinn told me.

Projected Storm Roster:
PG: Skylar Diggins, Erica Wheeler
SG: Gabby Williams, Lexie Brown
SF: Alysha Clark, Katie Lou Samuelson
PF: Nneka Ogwumike, Dominique Malonga, Mackenzie Holmes
C: Ezi Magbegor, Li Yueru

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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