Storm at Midseason By the Numbers

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The Storm's overall Offensive Rating of 104.4 points per 100 possessions ranks third in the WNBA, trailing only the Washington Mystics and the Phoenix Mercury. Offensively, the Storm's only real weakness has been turnovers. Seattle turns the ball over on nearly a fifth of its possessions, the third-worst mark in the league. However, the Storm has shot the ball as well as almost anyone in the league, gotten on the offensive glass and been particularly effective at getting to the free-throw line.

All three members of the Storm's starting frontcourt - Barbara Turner (.474), Lauren Jackson (.368) and Janell Burse (.331) - rank in the WNBA's top 21 in free throws made per field-goal attempt. Turner actually ranks fifth in the league in this category, heady stuff for a rookie.

Jackson is simply having a phenomenal offensive season. She ranks second in the WNBA in points per 40 minutes (28.1; Lisa Leslie is the leader at 27.7) and leads all WNBA players in True Shooting Percentage at 67.0%. Essentially, that's the equivalent of a player who took nothing but two-point shots and made 67% of them. Jackson's combination of production and efficiency is unparalleled; only one other player (Connecticut's Katie Douglas) ranks in the top 10 in both True Shooting Percentage and points per game.

Turner ranks 10th in the league in True Shooting Percentage at 59.1%.

While defense was regarded as the Storm's big issue last season, the team actually finished fifth in the league in Defensive Rating. So far in 2006, the Storm is seventh. So why is there plenty of reason for optimism? First, the Storm was still slightly below average on defense a year ago; this year, Seattle is slightly better than the WNBA's average Defensive Rating (99.2).

Second, the Storm has no glaring weaknesses defensively this season. A year ago, the Storm forced fewer turnovers per possession (15.2%) than any other team in the league. While forcing turnovers remains a relative issue, with the Storm ranking ninth, it's not nearly so glaring as last season.

Third and most importantly, the Storm has been playing improved defensive over the last 10 games (in which the team is 6-4). Over that stretch, Seattle's Defensive Rating is just 94.8 points allowed per 100 possessions, a mark that would rank fifth in the league, pushing the Storm ahead of Los Angeles and Sacramento.

The Storm's point differential has been very strong this season. Seattle has outscored opponents by 4.0 points per game, a mark that trails only three teams (Connecticut, +8.2; Houston, +4.4; Washington, +4.1). That projects to an expected record of 11-7. Surprisingly, the WNBA-leading Los Angeles Sparks have only outscored opponents by 2.6 points per game, though this is heavily affected by a 43-point loss at Minnesota, far and away the largest single margin in any game this season.

The Storm drops down a spot compared to its actual record when adjusting for home and road games. Seattle has played as many home and road games and is thus one game better than its expected 9-9 record. San Antonio, which has seven road wins and five home losses and is thus +2, jumps ahead of the Storm. Sacramento, which owns an identical 10-8 record, is a 0 by this method. West leaders L.A. and Houston are both +2 along with San Antonio.