{"id":573618,"date":"2026-02-07T20:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T20:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/573618\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T20:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T20:24:10","slug":"dominique-malonga-points-to-a-key-shift-in-her-game-during-unrivaled-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/573618\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominique Malonga Points to a Key Shift in Her Game During Unrivaled Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The leap did not start with a highlight. It started with contact. As Dominique Malonga navigates her first professional offseason, the Seattle Storm forward believes the most important growth in her game has come away from traditional five-on-five basketball. The Unrivaled season has forced her into tighter spaces, faster reads, and constant physical battles, and Malonga says that environment has changed how she plays.<\/p>\n

That realization came during Unrivaled play this winter. Speaking after a recent game, Dominique Malonga explained that the fast, physical 3\u00d73 format has sharpened the part of her game she now leans on most.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI would say my physicality, how I step into the games,\u201d Malonga said.<\/a> \u201cHere the game is very physical and very fast. It\u2019s me navigating that pace and trying to find my reps. I really try to be efficient close to the basket in my pick and roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

That answer matters because Malonga already arrived in the WNBA with momentum. Drafted second overall in 2025 by the Seattle Storm, she quickly became a rotation staple, averaging 14.3 minutes and 7.7 points per game as a rookie. Her role expanded late in the season, including increased minutes during the playoffs against the Las Vegas Aces. By year\u2019s end, Malonga earned All-Rookie Team honors and emerged as a clear candidate for Seattle\u2019s protected core.<\/p>\n

Instead of coasting on that foundation, Malonga took her offseason reps to Unrivaled.<\/p>\n

Playing for Breeze BC, Malonga has thrived in the league\u2019s 3\u00d73 structure. She has hovered near the top of the rebounding leaderboard and averaged roughly 15 points per game in a format that compresses space and magnifies physical contact. With fewer players on the floor, defenders are always engaged, especially in the paint.<\/p>\n

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That environment has pushed Malonga toward efficiency rather than volume. In 3\u00d73, nearly every half-court action turns into a pick-and-roll, and there is little room to hide from contact. As a result, finishing through bodies becomes non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

Malonga pointed to her chemistry with teammate Paige Bueckers as a major factor. Bueckers\u2019 ability to find her around the rim has increased both her touches and her exposure to physical defense, creating repetitions she does not always see during a WNBA season.<\/p>\n

Those repetitions have already produced tangible results. Earlier in the Unrivaled season, Malonga recorded her first professional dunk<\/a>, a moment that symbolized the strength and confidence she says she has been building. It was not an isolated flash. It was the outcome of constant contact and decision-making under pressure.<\/p>\n

That progression carries real implications for Seattle. A stronger, more assertive Malonga fits cleanly into the Storm\u2019s long-term frontcourt plans and positions her for a larger role in the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

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Dominique Malonga eyes Unrivaled\u2019s 1-on-1 challenge<\/p>\n

That growth will be tested again soon. Unrivaled\u2019s 1-on-1 tournament returns this season, featuring 32 players split into four pods competing for a $300,000 prize pool. Fan voting determines seeding within each pod, shaping early matchups and potential paths through the bracket.<\/p>\n

The field includes a mix of veterans and first-time participants, headlined by Bueckers. Defending champion Napheesa Collier will not take part this year, opening the door for new contenders.<\/p>\n

Malonga said she is looking forward to the tournament, describing it as both a challenge and an opportunity to measure her progress. She has been placed in Pod D, a group stacked with size, strength, and defensive versatility.<\/p>\n

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Two players from each pod will advance to the main bracket. Whether Malonga breaks through or not, the tournament serves a larger purpose. It places her improved physicality under a spotlight designed to expose weaknesses quickly.<\/p>\n

For Malonga, that is the point. The Unrivaled season has not just added polish to her game. It has forced a shift in how she plays through contact, and that change could define her next step in Seattle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The leap did not start with a highlight. It started with contact. As Dominique Malonga navigates her first…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":573619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[100254,2184,4144,2336,2471,1494,62,67,132,3506,68,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-573618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-dominique-malonga","9":"tag-las-vegas","10":"tag-las-vegas-aces","11":"tag-napheesa-collier","12":"tag-paige-bueckers","13":"tag-seattle-storm","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unrivaled","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-wnba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116031223445731502","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}