Jewell Loyd

Hoisted by Her Own Petard

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment
Screen Shot 2017-08-10 at 11.00.19 PM
A visual representation of Jenny Boucek turning in her KeyArena ID and Starbucks Rewards card at Storm HQ.

I started working on this before going to work Thursday afternoon, and while I was working, the Seattle Storm went ahead and fired Jenny Boucek, naming Gary Kloppenburg as the interim replacement.

As a result, this transformed from an another airing of grievances with the Storm’s direction into a treatise about what went wrong for Boucek.

During a 2017 season that has been disappointing in virtually every facet for the Seattle Storm, the team’s lack of offensive adventure is one of the most underwhelming aspects and arguably most justified Boucek’s firing. Continue reading →

The Storm Kick the Can Down the Road

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

The Seattle Storm maintained the status quo through the WNBA trade deadline, failing to capitalize on their last opportunity reinvigorate what has been an underwhelming 2017 season.

One can understand general manager Alisha Valavanis’ desire to avoid being too reactionary following the team’s 10-13 start. Things are bad enough as is; making a shortsighted move would only compound matters.

At the same time, this past weekend demonstrated that something is fundamentally broken with the Storm. Continue reading →

What’s Wrong with the Seattle Storm?

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

What in the world happened to the Seattle Storm team that started the year 4-1?

Seattle was riding high entering its June 3 game against the Minnesota Lynx and sat third in WNBA’s Week 3 power rankings. Then the Storm got outclassed by the Lynx and everything snowballed. Now Seattle is 6-7 overall and eighth in the WNBA standings.

It’s still too early to begin panicking about the Storm’s playoff chances, which isn’t to stay the team’s poor play should be dismissed offhand. In some cases, aspects of the Storm’s 2-6 run speak to what were genuine concerns coming into the year.

In no particular order, here are some of the factors that explain the Storm’s slide. Continue reading →

Stop What You’re Doing and Watch Jewell Loyd Work

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

At the risk of sounding too much like a paid employee of the WNBA, buy League Pass right now and catch up on what Jewell Loyd has done this season.

The numbers alone are impressive. Through three games, Loyd is averaging 26.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists, and she’s shooting 61.5 percent from three-point range. In terms of advanced metrics, she boasts a 68.0 percent effective field-goal rate and a 70.5 percent true shooting rate.

Her scoring is bound to cool off eventually. No player in league history has eclipsed 26 points a game or shot 60-plus percent from beyond the arc. Diana Taurasi has the single-season scoring record (25.3 PPG) from 2006, while Temeka Johnson was the most accurate three-point shooter (53.1 percent) over a full season in 2012. Continue reading →

Seattle Storm Weekend Review: Sue Bird Can’t Come Back Soon Enough

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

The Seattle Storm wrapped up their first weekend of the 2017 WNBA season, splitting their two games. They lost 78-68 to the Los Angeles Sparks Saturday and rebounded with an 87-82 victory over the Indiana Fever Sunday.

Going 1-1 wasn’t a bad outcome for Seattle since the Storm were without Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart against the Sparks and Bird didn’t play against the Fever. Granted, Los Angeles didn’t have the services of Candace Parker, Jantel Lavender or Essence Carson, so the Sparks weren’t exactly at full strength, either.

If anything, the opening weekend offered a strong argument as to why Bird may be the team’s most valuable player. In her absence, the Storm turned the ball over 23 times against Los Angeles and 20 times against the Fever. Seattle averaged the third-most turnovers (14.4 per game) in the league last year, so it wasn’t a surprise Bird’s injury coincided with a spike in that category. Continue reading →

Seattle Storm 2017 Preview Series: How Big a Jump will the 2015 Draft Class Take in Year 3?

Joseph ZuckerLeave a comment

Prior to the selection of Breanna Stewart first overall in 2016, the 2015 draft laid the groundwork for the Seattle Storm’s rebuild. With Jewell Loyd and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis entering their third years, the duo may finally be poised to reach their potential and take the Storm to the next stage in their overall development.

Whereas Stewart immediately showed herself to be one of the WNBA’s best frontcourt players in her first season, Loyd’s gains have been more gradual.

Loyd won Rookie of the Year in 2015 after averaging 10.7 points and 1.9 assists a game. With more playing time in 2016, her scoring average climbed to 16.5 points per game, and her assists nearly doubled (3.4 per game). She earned second-team All-WNBA honors as well. Continue reading →