Storm 77, Sun 59: Do we fix the offense or defense first? Probably offense

We’ve talked a lot about on-ball defense in these parts and it really wasn’t any better Friday night, as Seattle guards got to the rim at will against Charlisse Leger-Walker and Hailey Van Lith. (“We didn’t dictate,” Rachid Meziane said after the game. “We let them do whatever they want. Defense is first taking pride in one-on-one.”)

But unfortunately there was a bigger issue at play, one that was huge last season with or without Leila Lacan, and that is shooting the ball.


The Sun shot 37% from the field Friday (23-for-62), some of that due to hitting some shots with the game already decided, and went 4-for-17 from behind the arc. The offense, bereft of anyone that can score on their own (we do miss Marina Mabrey for that, even if her advanced stats were awful), looked completely lost. 


Connecticut is actually not last in three-point percentage currently in the WNBA, sitting 12th at 28.6%, although it’s hard to expect Van Lith to keep up her 53.3% pace, the Sun do have some options in Aneesah Morrow and the rookies.


However, the numbers don’t lie, the Sun are by themselves in offensive efficiency this season at 0.952 points per possession, the only team in the W below 1. While their offensive rebounding numbers are solid (27.2%), they are last in getting to the free throw line (and also foul the most in the league as well). 


You combine that with the defensive deficiencies, and you have a bad basketball team, unfortunately. Now Brittany Griner (averaging 15 points per game) and Leila Lacan will certainly help the cause when playing and healthy and a game like Friday exposes just how important they are to everything, but they won’t be a magic fix, one we might not see until the Sun leave us and they add a piece or two for 2027.


What else did we learn from a tough watch in the Sun’s 77-59 loss Friday night?:




 

  1. Maybe the starting lineup was the best one? - The Sun came flying out of the gate led by Aaliyah Edwards and Kennedy Burke, and - although we knew Edwards makes lots of mistakes at this point - she certainly has potential, and the Sun probably just have to play her through them in 2026 and let her improve. Burke has the second-worst advanced metrics on the team behind Saniya Rivers at the moment, but has shown some life lately. She will be a tougher call because of her salary and age in the future. 

  2. Still no real answer on Aneesah Morrow - Morrow did play 18 minutes and hit a big three-pointer, but still put together a fairly lackluster performance, and - like Edwards - seems extremely turnover prone. We’ve seen her at her best, and we certainly hope we see more of that going forward, but it’s been a frustrating week, for sure.

  3. Monday will not be easier -  Connecticut heads to Golden State to play one of the best defensive teams in the WNBA. The Sun did have one of their best games of 2025 against the Valkryies, blowing them out at Mohegan Sun Arena, but also struggled on the road against them. It will be a good test to see where they are, especially the point guards, as we (finally) close in on Lacan’s return.


Player of the game:  Aaliyah Edwards - It took well into the fourth quarter for anyone on the Sun to get into double figures, but Edwards finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Not historic, certainly, but something.


Inside the numbers : 30.6% -  Diamond Miller’s shooting on two-pointers this season (11-for-36), which is pretty dreadful, unfortunately.


Under the radar: The ION feed had very good court microphones for some reason, and you could hear Meziane get frustrated on almost every offensive possession as things inevitably went deep into the shot clock before anything happened. Meziane has been a successful coach at other level, and surely knows what good offense looks like, so maybe he can find some fixes?


While the mixing and matching of players worked well Wednesday, it didn’t Friday, and Meziane is no closer to trying to figure out what his best lineup is, or who will not see minutes when Griner and Lacan come back. But maybe a full roster in the WNBA is a mirage anyway, we shall see.


Quotable:  “Offensively our decision making wasn’t the best. We didn’t get the ball on the wings for our side pick-and-roll. They pushed us to play out of our spacing. Everything is about repetition." - Rachid Meziane



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