Storm Roster Roundup: Can Mackenzie Holmes Earn First WNBA Action?
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Former Indiana Hoosiers and current Seattle Storm forward Mackenzie Holmes celebrates after making a tough bucket underneath the basket. Credit: Mackenzie Holmes/Instagram [/caption]
The Seattle Storm are nearing the WNBA Draft on April 14, and will begin their preseason soon after on May 4. It will be head coach Noelle Quinn’s fifth season leading the franchise and the first without franchise legend Jewell Loyd, ushering in a new era of Storm basketball.
As the 2025 season approaches, we will profile each of the 14 players currently on Seattle’s roster, exploring the best- and worst-case scenarios for each player while also examining realistic expectations. Then we will discuss the team’s draft selections and what they could add to the team.
Though she was a third-round draft pick last season, forward Mackenzie Holmes will be considered a rookie in 2025. Can Holmes crack Seattle’s 12-player regular season roster?
Background
Holmes was as dominant a high school player as the state of Maine has ever seen, winning two state titles during her prep career and averaging 30.1 points, 16.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocks as a senior. She was named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year in her final season and was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN.
Committing to Indiana, Holmes was an instant contributor as a freshman during the 2019–20 season, averaging 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. Holmes took advantage of a 30 minutes-per-game average as a sophomore, posting 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks the following season.
But the best of Holmes’ five seasons at Indiana was in 2022–23 when she won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous First Team All-American. Holmes posted 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, also pouring in 22.3 points. Indiana made one Elite Eight (2020–21) and two Sweet 16 appearances during Holmes’ career.
The Storm selected Holmes in the third round (No. 26 overall) of the 2024 WNBA Draft, but she missed the entire season due to a knee procedure. She spent last season with the Indiana women’s basketball team as a graduate manager, helping coach the program’s post players. Holmes signed a rookie-scale contract with Seattle on Feb. 12.
Best case scenario
Appearing fully recovered from her knee surgery — which reportedly cleaned up years of discomfort for Holmes dating back to high school — the 6-3 forward is retained on the regular season roster and earns minutes late in the Storm’s rotation. Even then, in her rookie season, Holmes receives between 10-15 minutes per game at most.
Seattle needs more youthful forward talent to emerge, with starter Nneka Ogwumike nearing the end of her career and potential primary reserve Alysha Clark entering her 13th season. Holmes is one of two rookie forwards on the current 14-player roster alongside Brianna Fraser.
Seattle does have other proven posts in their prime, such as Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor. Jordan Horston was also part of that group until she tore her ACL in early February while playing in the Athletes Unlimited league — an injury that will sideline her for the entirety of the 2025 season.
If Holmes can outplay five-year veteran Katie Lou Samuelson and Fraser in training camp, there could be a spot on the roster for her in 2025, especially with Horston out. But who Seattle selects in this year’s draft could also alter the outcome.
Worst case scenario
Health aside, Holmes doesn’t impress enough in training camp to be retained into the regular season. There is also the chance, however, that her longstanding knee injuries continue to be an issue, and her path to maintaining a WNBA roster spot begins to look like a long shot.
Holmes’ talent at Indiana was undeniable, but with limited roster spaces in the WNBA (156 total roster spots in 2025), it’s becoming increasingly difficult for rookies to remain with the teams that drafted them as the league continues to grow. Thus, the worst situation for Holmes simply leaves her off the team entirely, potentially landing elsewhere for a post-needy franchise.
What to Expect in 2025
Horston’s injury certainly swings Holmes’ chances of being retained by Seattle, whether she is in the regular season rotation or not. Another factor will be the availability of guard Nika Mühl, who tore her ACL and meniscus playing overseas this offseason and had surgery on Nov. 1, 2024. If Mühl isn’t available this season, that’s another possible opening for Holmes.
As stated earlier, where the Storm allocates its draft resources will also impact Holmes’ chances of making the roster as a fringe prospect. The team has the No. 2 overall pick, then doesn’t have another selection until it has three in the third round.
Holmes had all the tools in college to be a successful WNBA player, but it’s difficult to assess how effective she will be without having seen much basketball from her since the 2023–24 college season. A realistic expectation is she will be on the bubble near the end of training camp, with a legitimate opportunity to emerge as a surprise contributor.
