When opposing teams put together their scouting report on the Seattle Storm, Jewell Loyd is the number one item on the report. That wasn’t often the case the past seven seasons while Loyd was part of a Big 3 playing alongside legendary point guard Sue Bird and legend-in-the-making forward Breanna Stewart.

That trio led the Storm to WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020, but following the 2022 season, Bird hung up her sneakers (and the Storm raised her No. 10 to the rafters) and Stewart headed East to join the New York Liberty as part of a Big 4 alongside Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot.

Those departures naturally elevated Loyd to be the centerpiece of the 2023 Storm. The 29-year-old combo guard is the most veteran player on Seattle’s roster in her ninth WNBA season. Her role has changed in all facets of the game – on the court, in the locker room, in the community, with the media, as a leader. She’s no longer sharing that load with Bird and Stewart, now it’s on Loyd to deliver.

“I came into the league with a team full of vets — from Jenna O’Hea, Alysha Clark, Sue, Abby Bishop — I’ve had a lot of vets, I’ve seen what leadership looks like from different people and different perspectives,” Loyd said at the beginning of this season. “I’ve been on really good teams, I’ve been on great teams, I’ve been on bad teams, so I’ve seen all aspects of what it looks like and what it feels like. I think you guys will see a different type of leadership from me — I’m not Sue, I’m not Stewie, I’m not AC — so it comes a little differently for me. I’ve been in this position before, I didn’t have to do it here, but I’m definitely ready for it and I’m excited for it.”

In addition to taking on a larger leadership role – including becoming more vocal, rather than just relying on leading by example – Loyd has had to shoulder a much heavier burden on the court, particularly on offense after the Storm lost last year’s league scoring champion in Stewart (21.8 points per game). This season, Loyd’s offensive usage rate has jumped from 25.3% to 31.8% as she finishes nearly a third of all Seattle offensive possessions while she’s on the court.

To put that mark into perspective, only two players in WNBA history have carried a higher usage rate over the course of a season: Angel McCoughtry (2011-2013, 2015) and Betty Lennox (2002).

Last season, Loyd finished 10^th in the WNBA in scoring at 16.3 points per game, while attempting 14.1 shots, 6.1 3-pointers, and 3.1 free throws in 30.3 minutes per game. This season, all of those numbers have skyrocketed to career-high marks: 25.7 points, 20.9 shots, 8.6 3-pointers, and 6.9 free throws in 35.7 minutes per game.

Loyd’s 25.7 points per game not only leads the league by a whopping 3.3 ppg over second-ranked Arike Ogunbowale, but Loyd’s mark is also on pace to challenge the record for the highest single-season scoring average in league history. That record of 25.3 ppg was set by Diana Taurasi in 2006, and while it has been challenged on a number of occasions, no player has been able to sustain that consistent level of elite scoring over a full season.

While Loyd knew that she would be tasked to score more than ever before in her Storm career, she did not set out to win the scoring title, let alone challenge Taurasi’s all-time mark.

“Definitely not. I was just trying to find ways to help my team,” she said. “I’ve been putting a lot of work in since I’ve been in the league and this past offseason, just trying to get more freedom, creativity in my game, and just having all the confidence that I have, knowing that I prepared for myself to just create and have fun the season.”

“You lose more than just Sue and Stewie, you know, Pip [Epiphanny Prince] and Briann [January] and everyone else, you know that you have to do a little bit more,” Loyd continued. “But I’ve been preparing myself to do that. And it’s not just me, I’m able to rely on my teammates and make sure that I’m in certain situations to be able to score for our team. But that’s kind of just the evolution of basketball.”

Being at the top of the scouting report means plenty of defensive attention each and every night for Loyd. Opposing teams have thrown all types of different coverages at Loyd this season trying to slow her down, but she already has nine 20+ point games, five 30+ point games, and a career-best 41-point game against Minnesota last week.

“I’ve seen a box-and-one, I’ve seen double teams, I’ve seen a lot more physicality,” she said. “At the same time, I’ve prepared for all different kinds of coverages and I’m just trying to see where the space is and go to that.”

“I’ve played a lot of basketball in a lot of places across the world, I’ve seen a lot of different coverages,” she continued. “I thought it would be just like how it is, I’m seeing a lot of different things. And I’m doing a good job of trying to stay composed, but also my teammates, my coaches are doing a good job and making sure that I’m ready for every situation.”

As her shot chart illustrates, Loyd can get buckets from all over the court. A three-level scorer, Loyd leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made (47) while shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc; she ranks second with 29 mid-range buckets; and she can break down most defenders off the dribble to get into the paint and finish with floaters and layups.

The Storm are just 15 games into this year’s 40-game season, giving Loyd 25 more chances to showcase her game. That’s in addition to the 2023 All-Star Game on July 14 as Loyd was selected as starter for the second time in her career.

Loyd has already set a career-high in scoring twice this season. The first came in an epic scoring duel with Ogunbowale as the two former Notre Dame guards traded buckets back and forth in a tightly contested game. While Ogunbowale won the scoring battle that night, outscoring Loyd 41-39, it was Loyd and the Storm that picked up the win.

“In a game like that you’re both focused, we’re both competitors, we want to win the game, and we’re just doing what we can,” Loyd said. “It just happened to be that we got hot and fired back and forth. And I didn’t really realize it until after the game. But yeah, I mean, I think in general, that was a big game for women’s sports.”

The 80 combined points from Loyd and Ogunbowale are the second-most ever scored by opponents in a game – topped only by the 84 combined points from a Taurasi vs. Tina Thompson duel back in 2006. The Storm and Wings have two more meetings this season – Aug. 2 and Sept. 8 – to see if that record can fall as well.

The situation that Loyd finds herself in this season in Seattle is reminiscent of a situation that her mentor – the late Kobe Bryant – faced during his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning multiple titles early in his career while playing alongside another dominant player in Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant took the lead role for the Lakers following Shaq being traded to the Miami Heat.

In the seasons that followed that breakup, Bryant’s offensive game reached new heights, winning a pair of scoring titles while averaging over 30 points per game and putting together some epic scoring binges. Eventually, the Lakers were able to build a championship team around Kobe as the marquee player. Can the Storm do the same with Jewell a.k.a. the Gold Mamba?

“I’m just trying to be myself through the process,” said Loyd when asked about winning with the Storm being her team. “You know, I think it’s very easy to overthink things and get in your head and you lose focus. I’ve always been the same since starting the season, you know, stay within myself, play the game, have fun, be creative. I try not to think about anything except just being present every day.”

Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.