Flau’jae Johnson has made herself indispensable because the Seattle Storm plans a brand new ascension.
BROOKLYN—Even in comparison with her hardwood contemporaries, Flau’jae Johnson’s profession has lengthy been listed.
Along with the numerous statistics led to by fashionable athlete evaluation and remark, the lyrically-inclined Johnson additionally retains an eye fixed on the musical charts, reminiscent of a high 12 iTunes posting upon the February 2025 launch of her first full R&B challenge „Flau and B.“
However the Seattle Storm capturing guard made it clear that there is one place she by no means desires to see her surname once more: the commerce block, and even so far as the transaction ledger until its for an extension.
„I need to finish my profession with the Storm,“ Johnson mentioned about her indispensability earlier than a matchup with the New York Liberty to Ballislife this week. „They took a probability to commerce up on me, so I suppose coming in each day, put my greatest foot ahead. I know each sport ain’t gonna be excellent. Might not make each shot, might rating zero, done it earlier than. But coming again the subsequent day, being the greatest model of myself and a good teammate [is the key].“
Commerce Wars
Johnson’s first skilled season has been fairly the profession: lower than an hour after identify was penned on a Golden State Valkyries draft card, her authentic choosers despatched her additional north to Seattle.
In distinction to the Valkyries‘ construct upon final 12 months’s enlargement success, the Storm might be charitably described as cautiously stepping by the minefield that’s the world with out Sue Hen and Breanna Stewart. Seattle (6-27) rounds out the 15-team leaderboard, a stark distinction to Johnson’s school days the place her LSU Tigers completed no worse than tenth within the last polls.
Effectively-known for her vocal nature with and with out a beat behind her, Johnson refused to let anybody put her in a defining field throughout the draft course of. She was fast to take up the privilege now that she’s been working by one of many extra eventful WNBA rookie excursions in fairly a while.
„Resilient,“ Johnson mentioned in a one-word definition of her debut. „I suppose a lot of issues have been thrown at me so fast and I’ve simply been so resilient, and that is simply a that is a nod to my work ethic, my eagerness to study … It’s so exhausting generally. You need to do so good, you do not need to let folks down, however issues occur. You’re going to fall, however can you get again up, you know what I am saying? I suppose that is the the primary factor I attempt to inform myself.“
It might be simple for Johnson to take an prompt commerce, particularly a shift from a lingering contender to a bunch within the throes of an simple rebuild, personally. She as a substitute sees it a praise, achievement in her self-comparability to Kobe Bryant. The late Bryant beforehand fulfilled Johnson’s dream of being a one-stop surprise, spending 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers after listening to his identify known as by one other group.
„I all the time thought I was Kobe, however it made me really feel extra like Kobe,“ Johnson mentioned, recalling Bryant’s transfer from the Charlotte Hornets to the exclusivity of the purple-and-gold throughout the 1996 draft course of. „Kobe received traded when he received drafted … that is my story and I like that.“
The one rookie to document a number of double-doubles up to now this @WNBA season: Flau’jae Johnson. pic.twitter.com/knk6kGCnKd
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) June 11, 2026
Jae’s D
Johnson has been one of many main sources of hardwood sanity in Seattle, instantly dwelling up the sky-high requirements that the Hen/Stewart period led to. At 13.9 factors a sport, third-best amongst this 12 months’s WNBA freshmen, Johnson is considered one of 4 first-year Seattle slingers to succeed in such a plateau. The earlier trio—Hen, Stewart, and Lauren Jackson—made stable names for themselves.
Olivia Miles could have essentially the most fabulous freshman long-locked up however Johnson has at the least absolutely established a residency on the group: along with her scoring output, she’s second amongst debuting ladies in rebounds, the runner-up in steals, and sixth in assists.
Since going fruitless in three makes an attempt in an Independence Day defeat, Johnson is averaging 17.3 factors, together with over three assists and rebounds every. Having additionally averaged two takeaways in the identical span, she’s considered one of solely two rookies to submit such a numerically spectacular two-way spanned field rating since 2010, the opposite being the Dallas debut antics of Paige Bueckers.
With these robberies in thoughts, Johnson takes delight in her capability to maintain field scores clean: as Seattle works by its rebuild, Johnson has been all too happy to attract high defensive assignments, reminiscent of that of Sabrina Ionescu throughout a doubleheader in New York earlier this week. However the Seattle Torrent, one of many Storm’s icy roommates at Local weather Pledge Area, would maybe be intrigued by the digits Johnson finds most intriguing.
„Plus/minus means a lot to me. That is a nice stat,“ Johnson mentioned. „I attempt to do issues that impression the sport. How is the sport when I am on the ground? Is it higher or is it worse? I need to be a participant to add. I am simply glad they belief me as a rookie.“
„I try to make it good. Strive to make it exhausting for groups to begin their offense. I know how vital it is, that shot clock, that timing, for us. I know to be ready to be a disruptor, be a gnat, be annoying. I need to be like that on the court docket.“
With that in thoughts, Seattle is 5-1 when Johnson is at the least plus-10 in her favourite metric. She was he literal distinction in a win over Connecticut on Could 22, setting a brand new Seattle rookie document at plus-18 in a 77-59 last.
Flau, Fam, and Dom
With the period of Hen and Stewart gone, the long run undeniably belongs to Johnson and her fellow latest draftees Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga. Fam, whose WNBA profession began 5 picks earlier than Johnson’s, is the one one forward of the Bayou Bengal in rookie rebounds whereas Malonga introduced Seattle’s new core to the mainstream with a literal slam dunk efficiency on the latest WNBA All-Star Sport.
Regardless of the dearth of obvious, rapid ends in the win column Johnson believes it might create one of the crucial distinctive and eventful ensembles of Seattle since Frasier Crane took his father in.
„Dom Malanga, Awa Fam, Flau’jae Johnson. You know what I am saying?“ Johnson mentioned of her imaginative and prescient for the Storm’s future. „Us being so younger, we have received to develop. We have received to study. I am simply making an attempt to pour into them, they’re pouring into me, and we’re studying. We’re rising. We’re gelling collectively. It is going to take some time, however once we click on, we’ll be good.“
Johnson and the Storm return to motion on Saturday night time once they keep within the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Hearth (5:30 p.m. PT, KOMO/NBA TV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
