Jewell Loyd and Jordan Horston share a terrific record with their approach in the Seattle Storm and with that, an unexpected partnership has emerged, promising to reshape the team’s future. The Storm’s championship aspirations may as well hinge on the success of this newly minted partnership. With a focus on intensive training and rigorous “boot camp” that has resulted in the elevated performance of Loyd’s teammate, the #24 guard has nothing but praise for her commitment.

During the postgame presser, All-Star Jewell Loyd unveiled the intriguing story of taking Jordan Horston under her wing, which helped Horston push boundaries and challenge her limits. “Jordan had a big commitment this off-season of coming down and training with me and she guarded some of the best players in the world. Um, and it wasn’t easy there was a lot of frustration,” Jewell Loyd said in the postgame media appearance.

Talking about her faith in Jordan Horston and reflecting on her gameplay, the 30-year-old further added, “She could guard grown men and hold them to and make them frustrated the way she’s been able to do that in the last couple of games but I knew that she has a lot of things in her to really make be a star in this league defensively.”

As Horston continued to outdo herself during the offseason practice, Loyd’s confidence in her grew. So much so that she believes that the 23-year-old could really be a star in the pro league in terms of defense. Not only has Horston improved her game from last season but has also registered better performances as she moves ahead with this season. For the last season, she was averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while this season, she is recording 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

Keeping up similar stellar gameplay, in a recent matchup against the Dallas Wings, Horston scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. And this has left Loyd neither surprised nor shocked with the performance of the No. 9 WNBA 2023 draft pick as this is exactly what had she envisioned for her teammate.

While Horston continues to deliver impressive numbers, let’s look at what went in the background that enabled her to strengthen her gameplay and simultaneously develop chemistry with Loyd.

Offseason ‘boot camp’ and chemistry for Horston and Loyd

Horston’s commitment became clear when she dived into a four-week-long “boot camp” with Loyd. During this period, Horston mostly focused on the workouts while Loyd took care of her. This was supposed to be an intense training period that included daily workouts and opportunities for mentorship beyond the basketball court. And the biggest takeaway from this for Horston was consistency.

It appears that this has fostered a stronger on-court bond between the teammates. Loyd said how the challenges that were thrown her way during the off-season have translated into building Horston’s confidence and even mentioned that the learnings from the same can now be emulated in the game.

As the season picks up, the Horston-Loyd chemistry becomes key to spelling success for the Storm. With Loyd guiding and Horston dedicated, it seems the Seattle Storm might have that feared duo who can shape its future.

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