Dominique Malonga Is Built Different, and the Storm's Whole Future Depends On It

The Seattle Storm just blew up their roster. Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, gone. The top five scorers from last season walked out the door in free agency. So what's the plan? A 20-year-old center who plays like a guard. A 6-foot-6 "positionless" phenomenon named Dominique Malonga who handles the ball, runs the floor with relentless energy, and can flip a fadeaway jumper with a feathery touch. That's not a rebuild. That's a bet on upside.

The New Storm Plays a Different Game

New coach Sonia Raman is installing a fast-paced, fluid brand of basketball that doesn't care about traditional positions. And nobody on the roster embodies that vision better than Malonga. She brings the ball up the court. She dunks. She does things centers, especially 20-year-old centers, aren't supposed to do.

"She's just phenomenal, with the things she does," teammate Katie Lou Samuelson said. "It's going to be a lot of fun to watch." Malonga agrees. When asked about expectations heading into her second season, she kept it simple: "They just expect me to be me, to bring what I know, to bring energy, to run the floor, to be versatile, play defense, the basics."

The word for this season, she said, is "efficiency." Make sense. After back-to-back first-round exits, the Storm smartly reset. The roster is now built around Malonga, 26-year-old Ezi Magbegor, 24-year-old Jordan Horston, and a pair of rookies: 19-year-old Spanish center Awa Fam and 22-year-old guard Flau'jae Johnson.

Her Rookie Year Told You Everything

As a 19-year-old last season, Malonga averaged just 4.3 points in 9 minutes over her first 23 games. Then she exploded. In 19 games down the stretch, she averaged 12 points and 20.7 minutes. She was the youngest player in WNBA history to record a double-double and reach 100 points and 100 rebounds combined. She finished first among reserves in field goals, rebounds, blocked shots, points in the paint, second-chance points, and double-doubles.

Her ceiling? The Storm's No. 2 pick may still be higher than No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, who averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists and won Rookie of the Year. At Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league, Malonga averaged 16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds on 55.1% shooting in 14 games. She became the first player ever to record multiple dunks and double-doubles in her first two games.

Magbegor just signed a three-year, $3.75 million deal to stay in Seattle. But she'll miss at least six to eight weeks with a foot injury. That puts everything on Malonga's shoulders. It's uncomfortable. It's a lot. It's also exactly what the future of the Storm looks like right now.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.