Tempo Take Down Storm Part 2

Additional thoughts, discussion, and interviews from Seattle's loss to Toronto.

The Seattle Storm (3-6) lost again to the Toronto Tempo (5-4) for the second time this season. They kept the game close through the first 27 minutes. With the game tied 51-51 late in the third, the Tempo outscored the Storm 42-21 the rest of the way. If you missed it, you can read the full game recap at the link below.

In Part 2, I wrote about Kiki Rice’s impressive rookie campaign, Jordan Horston getting back to feeling comfortable on the court, and Seattle’s blown opportunities. I’ve also included several quotes and the audio versions of the post-game interviews.

Kiki Rice’s Impressive Start

I feel like my priors about Kiki Rice entering the WNBA Draft are coming to fruition. I legitimately believed Rice could be a consideration for the Seattle Storm with the third overall pick. I still believe the Storm were smart to draft Awa Fam, as many believed she had the highest upside of any of the draftable players. But Rice is showing why I and some others were very high on her.

Since entering the starting lineup for the Toronto Tempo, Rice is averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.3 APG. Rice has scored in double figures in eight games in a row. The only game in which she didn’t score double figures was her WNBA debut.

I previously wrote before the draft took place, “Sometimes you just have a gut feeling, and Kiki Rice is someone I have been zeroing in on lately. I consider the Storm’s ‘worst-case scenario’ to be if the Dallas Wings take Azzi Fudd and the Minnesota Lynx draft Olivia Miles. That would leave the Storm with either of the top post prospects (Awa Fam or Lauren Betts) or one of the top remaining guards/wings (Kiki Rice or Flau’jae Johnson)… Kiki reminds me a lot of Veronica Burton. She might not be the flashiest player out there, but there is a lot of good you can see. After her impressive season in Golden State, I look at Burton as one of the league’s best young point guards. I think Kiki has that potential too.”

It’s funny because Seattle ended up with one of each (Fam and Johnson). My top six prospects in no particular order were Olivia Miles, Awa Fam, Azzi Fudd, Flau’jae Johnson, Kiki Rice, and Lauren Betts. It’s still pretty incredible that the Storm were able to add two of them in the draft.

If Rice continues her stellar play, not only will she be a lock for the All-Rookie team, but she’ll also be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year.

Coach Sandy Brondello said after the game, “(Kiki) is even better than I thought she would be. She’s a winner. We are very thankful she’s on this team.”

There is a reason why the Toronto Tempo opted to select first in the WNBA college/amateur draft when they won the coin toss for the Expansion Draft. The winner could either get the 6th overall pick in the WNBA Draft or the first selection in the Expansion Draft. Brondello and the Tempo opted for the better college pick, and now they might have a core piece at a premium position that they can build around for years to come.

I wanted to get the Storm’s perspective on Rice after this game, so I spoke with Jade Melbourne, Jordan Horston, and Coach Raman about Rice during the post-game press conference.

Melbourne told me, “Oh, I think Kiki Rice is a great player. I watched her at UCLA and, you know, she was the head of the snake on that run where they won the championship. But no, just her ability to get in lanes, and then she just complements that team. She understands her role. She knows that, you know, Mabrey and Sykes are going to be the 1st ones to get their looks, and then she just kind of fills in the gaps. But I think she’s doing an excellent job. I wish we could have slowed her down a bit more tonight, but her ability to finish, come off 2 feet. Yeah, a highly skillful guard. She's gonna be a problem for a very long time.”

Horston added, “Just to piggyback off of what Jade said. She was just like, in the right spots at the right time. Like everything was just kind of flowing for her today, and then she also was able to draw a lot of fouls from (us), and that’s a skill.”

Coach Raman chimed in, “I think she’s been doing a really good job as she’s been elevated into the starting lineup. She typically takes care of the ball. She’s a good defender. You know, she just seems to kind of make the right play, whatever the situation falls for, a really solid point guard.”

The one thing I’d like to see Rice improve on is her assist numbers. She’s only had one game this season where she’s had five assists or more. That will likely come in time as she builds chemistry with all of her new teammates. That’s a small complaint for a rookie that’s averaging 13.1 PPG on 55% FG shooting, with nearly 5.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG.

Blown Opportunities

Seattle can lament the fact that the free throw disparity was completely one-sided, but ultimately the Storm missed far too many shots around the rim and turned the ball over way too many times to win the game on Saturday. Below you can view the heat map and shot chart from the game against Toronto.

Red is obviously very bad. Making less than 60% of their layups is not good. Shooting 30% from inside the paint, but outside the restricted circle is definitely not ideal. Connecting on just 3-19 FG from beyond the arc on all 3-PT attempts that weren’t corner threes is sub-optimal.

In total, the Storm barely shot above 40% for the game. Combined with turning the ball over 18 times, giving up more open three-point shots, and having 24 fewer points from the free throw line was the recipe for disaster, and another Seattle Storm loss.

Jordan Horston’s Strong Performance + Future

It was great to see Jordan Horston play so well in this game. In a season where the Storm are expected to have more losses than wins, I think it’s important to recognize the positives. There is a reason why I would often include Jordan Horston as one of the main pieces for the Seattle Storm to build the team around if they were going to enter a rebuild without Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins. A’ja Wilson needed Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. Breanna Stewart needed Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, and Natasha Howard. Every great team needs multiple key pieces. Even if Dominique Malonga becomes a legitimate #1 option and the Storm’s next true franchise player, she is going to need standout teammates.

At 6’2” with guard skills, forward size, and elite athleticism, Jordan Horston has all the physical tools in the world to be an All-Star-level player in the WNBA. She has been an excellent defender since Day 1. Her offensive game improved significantly from Year 1 to Year 2, where she improved her field goal percentage from 37% to 49%. A torn ACL, one of the most significant injuries a professional athlete can suffer, derailed her third season.

It had been around 18 months since Horston had last played in the WNBA prior to the 2026 tip-off. It wasn’t shocking to me to see her get off to a slower start. But that’s a nice thing about these “newer” extended seasons. It gives players plenty of time and opportunity to grow and get better as the season progresses. Jordan had her first double-digit performance in her 9th game back. But you could start to see the signs in Game 6, where she had eight points, four rebounds, and three steals. I believe this game against Toronto and that game against Connecticut are more of Jordan Horston's potential that we will start to see more of as more games are played.

I spoke with Jordan after the game about her good game.

“I mean, I was able to put the ball in the basket a little bit today, a little better. But I gotta watch the game. I’m very, very hard on myself, so I got to just like really sit down and really watch the game. Right after the game, I’m just always thinking about how I could have been better.” Horston replied.

Naturally, like a lot of athletes, she didn’t want to sing her own praises too much; still thinking about what she could have done better. But Jade Melbourne was happy to talk her up.

“I thought Jordy was excellent today. Just her ability to get in the lanes and stuff, and for someone who’s… It’s her ninth game of the season, and she hasn’t played basketball in 18 months. This is huge, and it’s back to the Jordy that we all know and love, and we knew it was going to take time. I’m surprised it’s honestly happened this quickly, but it’s a credit to the work she put in. So, she’s going to be in the lanes. We’re going to give her the toughest matchup, regardless if it’s the three, if it’s a post, if it’s the point guard, you know, Jordy’s a lockdown defender. So the fact that she was able to turn defense into offense tonight and do her thing, that’s what she does, and we expect that from her every night. So it’s just great to see her getting back into a groove, and I love playing with Jordy. She’s hard on herself, but I’m going to give her her flowers because I thought she was awesome tonight.” Melbourne added.

Horston’s potential is another reason why I feel the Storm will be alright even after losing Gabby Williams. For all of the players who left this past offseason, Gabby was the one I thought the team might aggressively try to retain. They didn’t, but that now gives Jordan a larger opportunity to grow into the player that she can become. That is something worth watching as the season continues.

Player Interviews

Jade Melbourne and Jordan Horston:

Coach’s Quotes

Notes:
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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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