Flau’jae Johnson is set for her WNBA debut in valkyries vs storm on Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle will ask the rookie guard to carry a bigger offensive load while the Storm sort through a lineup missing most of last season’s scoring core.
The Storm host the Golden State Valkyries with Johnson in a featured role and Dominique Malonga also expected to play a bigger part. Johnson scored 12 points against Golden State in her preseason debut, then posted 20 points against Portland while shooting well from deep, a useful sign for a team that needs scoring early.
Johnson’s early scoring touch
Johnson’s preseason line gives Seattle a reason to lean on her immediately. She scored 12 points against the Valkyries and followed that with 20 points against Portland, showing the kind of shot-making the Storm need while their rotation settles.
Golden State drafted Johnson and traded her on draft night, so Friday brings her debut against the team that selected her. That adds an unusual edge to a game that already matters for Seattle’s offense because more than 90% of last year’s offensive firepower is gone.
Malonga and Seattle’s rotation
Malonga arrives in a different spot than last season, when she logged fewer than 15 minutes per game as a rookie. In five games with at least 25 minutes, she averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds, which gives Seattle a second frontcourt option if the offense bogs down.
That workload becomes more important with Awa Fam overseas, Katie Lou Samuelson out, and Ezi Magbegor dealing with injuries. The Storm ranked eighth in offensive rating and eighth in points scored in 2025, so the current roster has to replace production quickly rather than slowly ease into it.
Golden State’s defensive test
Golden State comes in with a different profile. The Valkyries finished above.500 in 2025, ranked third in defensive rating, but sat 10th in offensive rating, 10th in points per game, and last in pace, which has shaped how they have won games.
They also enter without Illiana Rupert and Juste Jocyte. Last season’s four head-to-head matchups between the Valkyries and Storm all stayed under the game total, and Friday’s version should again hinge on whether Seattle’s new scoring pieces can beat a defense built to keep the game slow and tight.
