Brittney

Sykes

Diggins was inefficient from the field only hitting just over 30% of her field goals. She missed six shots at the rim which is usually where she’s most effective. Diggins scored the ball beyond the arc, taking five three-pointers and making three of them. She had a chance to win her team the game with 12.4 seconds left in regulation. She got the ball at the top of the key and drove past Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson. She was met by Jewell Loyd right on the block but decided to pass the ball to Wheeler who had a more hot hand rather than trying to drive the ball to the rim through contact. Diggins also had six assists and found five different teammates in Ezi Magbegor, Nneka Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, Brittney Sykes and Gabby Williams all for scores.

Sykes struggled on the offensive end in Monday’s loss to the Sparks. After scoring 27 points against LA less than a month ago, the veteran guard shot poorly and failed to contribute significantly in other areas during her 28 minutes. Sykes’ production has slowed a bit after a fast start to her Storm tenure. She’s scored in single digits three times in the past six games, with Monday’s total tying a low during her time with Seattle. She will likely need to be more productive if the Storm hope to hold onto a playoff spot.

Besides Ogwumike, Sykes was the second player that was successful scoring the basketball for Seattle in their blowout loss to the Fever. She had her most productive quarter in the third when she was willing the Storm to try to get back into the game. She put pressure on the rim, getting into the paint and driving past Indiana Fever defenders Lexie Hull, Odyssey Sims and Kelsey Mitchell. But besides her third quarter burst, Sykes struggled to put points on the board. She did have three assists, however, finding Ezi Magbeegor and Nneka Ogwumike in spots where they had the advantage.

The Storm were hoping that Sykes’s addition to the roster would provide a spark, but that has not been the case. Seattle has lost six straight, the last three with Sykes on the roster. After scoring 27 points against the Sparks on Sunday, Sykes’s production dropped significantly against the Dream, as she shot 2-of-10 from the field. Sykes did play 33 minutes on Wednesday, and the playing time makes were a player worth holding onto. However, Erica Wheeler’s playing time has taken a significant hit, as she played 15 minutes against Atlanta. Wheeler finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two three-pointers. Fantasy managers who can find an alternative to Wheeler on the waiver wire should not hesitate to switch.

After tallying a zero-point performance on Friday against Las Vegas, the veteran guard responded by recording her most points in a contest since the opening game of August against Los Angeles. Although she shot inefficiently, Diggins took advantage of the three-point line to make up more than half her points. As always, she made plays for others and had active hands on the defensive end. Diggins will continue to start and play heavy minutes, but her production and role moving forward are worth monitoring after the Storm’s insertion of Brittney Sykes into the starting lineup.

Sykes delivered in her first start with the Storm, finishing as the team’s leading scorer while serving as the go-to scoring option down the stretch. She also made her usual impact on the defensive end and was an overall positive on the night, as seen in her near-team-best plus-minus of +5. Sykes did register five turnovers, but aside from the miscues, she was impressive on the night. She’ll remain an important piece for Seattle throughout the rest of the season.

Ahead of her second game with the Storm after being traded from the Mystics, Sykes has been listed as one of Seattle’s five starters for Sunday’s contest. The newly acquired guard will replace Erica Wheeler, who had become a full-time starter for Seattle earlier in the season. Sykes played well in her debut with the Storm on Friday, tallying 14 points and six assists in 29 minutes against the Aces. Her insertion into the starting unit will provide the Storm with a combination of scoring, playmaking, and on-ball defense, as they look to end a four-game losing streak.

Sykes stood out in her Storm debut, just days after she was traded from the Mystics. While she didn’t shoot the ball efficiently, she showed exactly why she will be a large help to a playoff team. She has one of the quickest steps in the WNBA and was able to blow by multiple lines of the Aces defense on her way to the basket. She also hit a three with 2:48 left in the third quarter that was part of the Storm’s 24-8 run in the second half that got Seattle back in the game after being down by as many as 19 points. Sykes played minutes at the point guard spot in favor of Skylar Diggins and made sure to establish Dominque Malonga who scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half and didn’t miss a single shot in the final two quarters.

Wheeler led all starers in scoring, and led the entire team in shot attempts. She scored on a mix of drives and pull-up shots, including one three-pointer. She made sure to find her new teammate Brittney Sykes on a pair of shots including a transition three-pointer and cutting layup. Wheeler registered three steals, getting her hands in the drives of both A’ja Wilson and Jewell Loyd. This is her third game in a row forcing multiple steals which ties her longest streak since 2017 when she was playing for the Fever.

Malonga notched her second career double-double on Friday night and set career highs in both points and rebounds in the process. Her production off the bench stands out in WNBA history as she became the first rookie to record a 20/12 double-double as a non-starter. She also became the first rookie in Storm franchise history to shoot over 50% in her first 150 shot attempts. Malonga was critical in the Storm getting back into Friday night’s game against the Aces after trailing by as many as 19 points. She accounted for over 71% of the Storm’s total offense in the fourth quarter, scoring a little under half of her points in the final frame alone. New teammate Brittney Sykes was intentional finding Malonga on mismatches in the second half as half of her six assists went to the Storm rookie.