Seattle rains on their championship credentials

The Seattle Storm's 2025 season exemplifies inconsistency, appearing as a title contender one moment and faltering the next. They secured impressive victories against the Atlanta Dream on a game-winning layup by Skylar Diggins and then handed the New York Liberty their worst home loss of the season, highlighted by strong bench play from Dominique Malonga.

Riding high with three All-Stars (Nneka Ogwumike, Diggins, and Gabby Williams), the Storm traveled to face the struggling Connecticut Sun, who were on a 10-game losing streak. Despite favorable expectations, especially considering the Sun's skid, the Storm suffered a surprising defeat. Former Storm player Tina Charles dominated with 29 points and 11 rebounds, handing Seattle a loss to end their East Coast road trip. While the early start and end of a long trip offer some excuse, the loss fits a pattern.

Seattle's season features notable wins but is marred by several bad losses, revealing a potential ceiling on their success. A key identified weakness is their 3-point shooting approach. Among playoff contenders, the Storm attempt the second-fewest 3-pointers per game (21.9, 9th in the league), significantly fewer than the top teams (all taking at least 26.4 per game), who embrace an analytically-driven offensive style.

Paradoxically, the Storm shoot the league's best percentage from 3-point range (35%). Key players like Erica Wheeler (40.5%), Gabby Williams, and Skylar Diggins are having strong or career-best shooting seasons from deep. However, increasing their 3-point attempts has consistently correlated with losses. In six of their eight defeats, including the loss to Connecticut (25 attempts) and both losses to Golden State (26 and 28 attempts), they exceeded their season average for 3-point attempts, often while scoring poorly.

This creates a dilemma: while their high percentage suggests they *should* shoot more threes like other successful teams, their actual results when they do increase attempts are negative, raising questions about their offensive strategy.