Storm Roster Roundup: Will Erica Wheeler Bounce Back in 2025?
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Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler (No. 17) on June 9th, 2023 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Credit: John McClellan [/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.
One of eight seasoned veterans with at least five years of WNBA experience on Seattle’s roster, guard Erica Wheeler is coming off the worst season of her professional career. Can she bounce back in her first season with the Storm?
Background
Wheeler, 33, played high school basketball at Parkway Academy in Miramar, Florida. She committed to Rutgers as part of the 2009 recruiting class and played all four of her college seasons there. Wheeler wasn’t a full-time starter until her senior season in 2012–13 when she averaged 31.4 minutes per game. That came with a breakout campaign, averaging 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and an anchor-like 2.5 steals per game.
But Wheeler went undrafted in the 2013 WNBA Draft. She played overseas from 2013–15 with multiple clubs before earning a tryout with the Atlanta Dream. Managing to stick, Wheeler played in 17 games with Atlanta in 2015 before being cut and signing with the New York Liberty in the same season. Wheeler finished her rookie season averaging 4.5 points, 1 rebound, 1.4 assists and 0.6 steals in 20 games.
In 2016, Wheeler signed with the Indiana Fever. She went on to play four seasons there, earning her first and only All-Star nod in 2019. That season Wheeler averaged 10.1 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.2 steals. She also finished fifth in the Most Improved Player voting.
Wheeler missed the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19 and enduring further health complications. Indiana did not bring her back in 2021, and Wheeler signed with the Los Angeles Sparks. Starting all 32 games, Wheeler posted a career-high 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals.
Following a second stint with the Dream in 2022, Wheeler returned to the Fever in 2023. She backed up rookie star Caitlin Clark last season, averaging career-low numbers of 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.4 steals. Wheeler signed a training camp contract with the Storm on Feb. 12.
Best Case Scenario
Wheeler manages to make the roster and is early in the rotation even with the Storm taking a high-profile guard in the WNBA Draft. Sharing minutes with Skylar Diggins-Smith, Lexie Brown and the rookie, Wheeler plays north of 15 minutes per game. Though remaining in a backup role, she sees more time on the floor than she did in 2024 with Indiana.
As a result, Wheeler has a bounce-back season that puts her in a defensive specialist role while also relying on her to distribute the basketball. Her experience also helps mentor the Storm’s younger guards as the team prepares to phase out some veterans over the next few seasons.
Worst Case Scenario
According to Spotrac, Wheeler’s contract is a training camp contract, despite her being expected to be on the roster. But it also means she is essentially only promised a shot to make the team, and her ability to produce may be declining. The worst that could happen is Wheeler is not signed to a deal, and he is left off the Seattle roster.
What to Expect in 2025
Seattle projects to have a fairly deep guard rotation if they select either Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles or UConn’s Paige Bueckers at No. 2 overall. But with Nika Mühl (guard) and Jordan Horston (small forward) expected to be suspended due to injury, Wheeler’s experience will be valued and heavily in her favor. Alongside Diggins-Smith and Brown, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn could even ease Miles or Bueckers into the lineup.
There’s likely to be other guard competition in training camp via Seattle’s trio of third-round picks, but Wheeler has 211 starts under her belt. She should be on the roster and may even have a more expanded role than she had backing up Clark last season with the Fever.
