With the WNBA playoffs just over a month away, it seems that Storm rookie center Dominique Malonga is peaking at the perfect time.
The 19-year-old reserve, who floundered early in the season, totaled 30 points and 19 rebounds in at least 20 minutes of court time in the team’s last three outings.
Malonga, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, particularly shined in Sunday’s home game against the Indiana Fever, leading the Storm’s nearly successful fourth-quarter comeback. She scored six points in that final period, including a jumper with 12 seconds left to bring the Storm within one.
“When the coach keeps you on the court and is dependent on you, of course, that’s a great show of trust,” Malonga said after Sunday’s game about being included in the Storm’s closing lineup. “I just talked to [coach Noelle Quinn] a lot, and I just asked what she wanted from me and jumped on the court and did what needed to be done. It’s just about growing, working and showing that I can be on the court during that time, too.”
Said Quinn: “It’s the work that she’s putting in to be ready for these moments. She is growing in a lot of ways. She’s growing in games from learning about how to guard and defend and be physical to learning where she can pick her positions to score and give us energy offensively.”
The 6-foot-6 French player, who ended the game with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists, recorded her 100th career rebound in the first half, becoming the second-youngest player in WNBA history to reach the mark.
The milestone closely followed her July 24 performance when she recorded a season-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Storm’s win against the Chicago Sky, becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to record a double-double.
In the first half of the season Malonga struggled to find a meaningful role among the Storm’s lineup of WNBA All-Stars and a frontcourt featuring forward Nneka Ogwumike and the league’s second-best blocker Ezi Magbegor (2.2 blocks per game).
Malonga was averaging 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game by July 8, a week before the All-Star break. She was the only top four 2025 draft pick not selected for the All-Star Game.
Across the Storm’s six games since returning from the break, Malonga has averaged 8.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.
“Every day is a different Dom,” Ogwumike said. “She’s growing and progressing in so many different ways. Wise beyond her years. She understands the game very well. There’s also a maturity about how she approaches the game, and I can tell that she wants to learn, but I am also learning from her.
“She’s not just a spark coming off the bench. She is artillery.”
Malonga and the Storm (16-13) return to play at 7 p.m. Tuesday against the Minnesota Lynx (24-5), who top the league’s standings.
Tuesday’s home game will mark the Storm’s third time playing the Lynx this season, besting them in early June at Climate Pledge Arena after losing in late May on the road.
