Flau’jae Johnson Hopes Storm Duo Can ‘Ascend To’ Bold A’ja Wilson-Jackie Young Model
The Seattle Storm lost their 35th game of the season when the Las Vegas Aces defeated them 98-77. There was a clear silver lining, though. Flau’jae Johnson recorded 29 points alongside 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block on A’ja Wilson, and Dominique Malonga finished the game with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Seeing two young players put up those numbers while going head-to-head with A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, who are one of the deadliest duos in the W, is not only impressive but also a great sign for the Storm’s future. The best-case scenario for the Storm would be if Malonga and Johnson can develop into a Wilson-and-Young-like two-way duo in Seattle.
The similarities are certainly there. Malonga projects to be one of the best, most versatile bigs in the W sooner rather than later. While she’s far away from rivaling Wilson’s greatness, she already made the jump into All-Star territory in just her second season and the sky is the limit for the 20-year-old. Johnson, meanwhile, is an athletic two-way wing not unlike Young. When the two teams played right after the World Cup break, Johnson even talked about stealing some of Young’s moves.
“I’m no Jackie Young right now, but in a few years I feel like I could be one of the best players in the league alongside Dom,” Johnson said when asked about the comparison to Wilson and Young in the postgame press conference, per a video by The Ballers Magazine. “Nobody can guard her. So, I think absolutely that’s what we’re trying to ascend to.”
Seattle is building something special
Between Malonga, Johnson, and Awa Fam, Seattle has three young stars who are all 22 or younger. That’s a great foundation to build around after losing Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, and Gabby Williams in free agency. Whether Ezi Magbegor will factor into the team’s long-term plans remains to be seen. She missed most of the season with injuries but could be an interesting trade candidate ahead of next season.
Despite all of the losses, the Storm’s young players know that their future is bright. Fam said after a loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday that they all had a lot to be proud of, even if they’re tired of losing.
After the loss to the Aces, Johnson said, “I think we’re gonna evolve into something great.”
The potential is certainly there, especially with another lottery pick coming in ahead of the 2027 season. Seattle is slowly but surely building and developing one of the WNBA’s most fascinating young cores, with two 20-year-olds who were dubbed future MVP candidates in their respective draft processes.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.