The Seattle Storm are no strangers to hitting on their first-round picks. Most recently, Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga have flourished, and they may have found another big hit in rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson.

SHOCKING DRAFT DAY MOVE

Selected eighth overall by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Johnson was traded to Seattle just minutes after hearing her name called— a move that shocked many fans, but appears to have benefited the former star LSU guard and the Storm.

Following an offseason where the Storm saw Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes and Erica Wheeler depart in free agency, the franchise decided to enter a full rebuild and prioritize adding younger talent to pair alongside Malonga, the 2025 second overall pick.

Although Seattle also selected center Awa Fam in the first round, Johnson’s been given the opportunity to make an impact, and she’s taking advantage of it. So far, she’s started in all 22 of the Storm’s games, averaging 12.7 points per game (tied for third amongst all rookies), 5.4 rebounds (1st amongst all rookies) and 2.7 assists. Her impressive start on the court even earned her a spot on ESPN’s Top 50 WNBA Players list, where she was ranked 49th.

AN IDEAL SITUATION

There’s no doubt Johnson was put in a significantly better position to find immediate personal success in Seattle, rather than Golden State. Following a playoff appearance in their inaugural season and the signing of Gabby Williams, the Valkyries made it clear they were looking to contend. Outside of Williams, the presence of Veronica Burton at the point and Kia Stokes as the two guard would’ve made it difficult for Johnson to carve out significant minutes.

However, the star rookie is averaging a staggering 28.2 minutes per game with the Storm, where she’s had the luxury of playing and learning alongside veteran Natisha Heideman.

“She’s just finding her game, everyone knows she’s an elite level scorer so she’s obviously going to have big crowds in front of her and she’s just stacking her game … making the right plays, making the right reads and it’s just fun to watch,” said Heideman, following Seattle’s 88-83 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on June 10. “It’s really fun just to see her growth from training camp until now,” she added. 

Just two weeks later, Johnson achieved a career-high 28 points in Seattle’s 99-88 win over the Liberty on June 25 and followed up the stellar performance with another. Two days later, she dropped an efficient 24 points in the Storm’s second consecutive win against the Atlanta Dream.

Seattle’s wins over New York and Atlanta are their lone victories over teams with a record over .500 this season, and two of Johnson’s three 20+ point performances. 

The other came on Monday against the Sparks, where she notched 23 points, including the team’s first 13 of the game in the Storm’s 82-64 victory, just their sixth of the season. 

PROVEN WINNER

When Flau’jae is on her game, it translates to wins. So, while the offensive consistency might not yet be there, flashes of stardom have been.

Although her offensive numbers have been eye-popping from a rookie perspective, first-year head coach Sonia Raman has also taken note of her development as a defender, most recently after Seattle’s 112-110 overtime loss to the Dallas Wings.

“I want to shout out Flau (‘jae), I thought she guarded her (Paige Bueckers) really well, she connected and understood the personnel, scout and the game plan — I thought she did a really good job,” she said in a recent press conference.

The growth Heideman raved about spanned beyond Flau’jae’s play on the court, but also to her approach on the game, because it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for the stellar rookie guard. With Seattle sitting at 6-17 and dead last in the Western Conference, it’s been a culture shift for Johnson, who lost just 20 games across her four seasons with the LSU Tigers and won the 2023 National Championship.

Coming from one of the most successful collegiate programs in the nation, it’s been an ongoing struggle for Johnson, but one she’s improved at throughout the year. 

“She got really high with the wins and really low with the losses,” veteran teammate Jade Melbourne told The IX Sports. 

As the season’s progressed, the rookie guard has been finding ways to fight through the adversity and approach losses with a different mindset.

“I’m just learning more about the process … I feel like as long as we’re growing and growing, it’s (wins are) going to happen,” Johnson said in a recent press conference.

Johnson later used the phrase “no rain, no flowers” to describe the Storm’s struggles and cited Bueckers’ rookie season with the Wings, where they only won 10 games. Fast forward nearly a year, and Dallas is contending for a playoff berth.

Team first mentality

While Johnson’s been enjoying her own personal success, helping others thrive remains a priority.  Despite the Storm’s struggles, the growth of the team and players around her has become a common theme in her post-game press conferences.

Following Seattle’s win over the Dream, she emphasized how crucial it was to give more opportunities to Awa Fam after she started to find her rhythm.

“Awa (Fam) hit three three’s in a row and I’m like ‘Hey, get her the ball, don’t give it to me,’ ” Johnson said.

Fam finished with a career-high 21 points against Atlanta.  Johnson’s selfless mentality spans far beyond their upset win against the Dream. 

Fam had her contract with the Storm suspended for the first six games of the season, after which she finished the season with her Spanish club, Valencia. During her absence, Johnson averaged just 1.6 assists per game. 

However, following Fam’s return on May 24, those numbers have significantly increased. The rookie guard is averaging 3.1 dimes per game, demonstrating not only her chemistry with Fam, but also her growth as a playmaker and willingness to get the ball in the hands of whoever’s open.

The reality is, developing as both a player and a team is challenging. 

But, with the opportunity to grow and the willingness to learn and adapt, Johnson quickly demonstrated both the physical and mental traits of a great WNBA player and the potential to become the future face of an energetic and hungry Seattle squad, the fourth youngest roster in the league.

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