Five Things the Storm Need to Figure Out Before Training Camp Gets Real

Sonia Raman is about to run her first Storm training camp as the franchise's seventh head coach, and she's already dealing with a wrinkle. Awa Fam, the Storm's top draft pick and No. 3 overall selection, flew home to Spain, and nobody knows exactly when she'll show up for practice. It's not a huge deal in the WNBA world, but it's the kind of thing that sets the tone for a camp that has way more questions than answers.

This isn't new territory. Last year, the Storm's No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga headed back to France after the draft to finish her Eurobasket season with LDLC Asvel Feminin. She missed the first week of practice. So yeah, the Storm are used to waiting on their young talent. Still, when your coach is brand new and your entire roster got turned upside down, every day matters.

The Big 3 Has to Deliver

Here's the reality: the Storm kept Ezi Magbegor and locked her up for three years and $3.75 million. That's the third-richest deal in WNBA history, and for good reason. After five of the team's top scorers left in free agency, Magbegor is carrying 8.0 points per game as the leading returning scorer from last year. She's also the last link to the 2023 championship team.

But the Storm are betting even harder on Dominique Malonga. The 20-year-old center put up 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds while earning All-Rookie honors as a 6-foot-6 beast. Then there's Fam, the 6-foot-4 prospect that league observers think has the most upside of anyone in the draft.

Here's the problem: all three probably won't still be on the team in 2028 when Magbegor and Malonga hit the final years of their deals. The next two seasons are basically a proving ground. The Storm need to develop at least one of them, maybe two, into an All-Star or MVP-caliber player who can carry a championship team the way Lauren Jackson and Breanna Stewart did. Until the Storm find someone in the low post who can hang with WNBA elite like A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas and Aliyah Boston, they're going to keep getting bounced early.

The Injury Comebacks Could Change Everything

Jordan Horston and Katie Lou Samuelson both blew out their ACLs last season and sat out the entire year. Both are dynamic forwards who might have been the missing pieces on a championship contender. Horston is a lockdown perimeter defender. Samuelson can flat out shoot it, hitting 33.6% from three over her five-year career. They're probably going to fight each other for a starting spot at the 3 this season, and Raman should get a ton of minutes from both of them.

The Veteran Depth Play

Stefanie Dolson just signed on for one year at $750,000. She's 34 and only two other players on the roster are over 30. Last year with Washington, Dolson averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 15.2 minutes, starting 14 of 43 games. This is her 13th season. Her locker room leadership might matter more than anything she does on the court.

The Storm open camp with plenty of talent and even more uncertainty. Raman's got work to do.

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