{"id":915436,"date":"2026-07-06T02:40:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/915436\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T02:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:40:27","slug":"how-jade-melbourne-could-become-the-face-of-seattles-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/915436\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jade Melbourne could become the face of Seattle’s future"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE \u2014 When Jade Melbourne<\/a> was drafted by the Seattle Storm No. 33 overall in 2022, she didn\u2019t immediately join the team. By the time she came to the WNBA from Australia the next year, there was hope that the then 19-year-old was Seattle\u2019s point guard of the future, the answer to having no Sue Bird<\/a> for the first time in 20 years. <\/p>\n

But the next season, the Storm went in a different direction, recruiting veterans like Skylar Diggins<\/a> and Nneka Ogwumike<\/a>, instead of leaning into youth. So, during training camp, they traded Melbourne to a team where she\u2019d get playing time: the Washington Mystics. <\/p>\n

But after two seasons in D.C., she is back in Seattle, having signed a two-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, and ready to be the young team\u2019s point guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think honestly the two years in Washington were the best thing that could have happened to my basketball career,\u201d Melbourne told The IX Basketball after practice on Tuesday. \u201cWashington needed a backup point guard at the time. I moved into a role where I was playing. I was growing in the league. And I think, as a young player, when you can get game reps and game experience, that\u2019s unbelievable. So I was definitely able to grow. You hear from new voices, you play with new teammates, you understand the league. There was an opportunity there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it feels funny for Melbourne, coming back to a team that traded her at such a young age. But she says she has a lot of appreciation for the Storm finding a trade during training camp when it would\u2019ve been easier for them to cut her. She\u2019s come back feeling a little closer to expectations: the same player, but more mature.<\/p>\n

Seattle guard Jordan Horston<\/a>, who was a rookie alongside Melbourne on the 2023 Storm, thinks she\u2019s come back \u201ca completely different Jade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course she has the knowledge, games under her belt, so the experiencer, her physicality \u2014 everything I feel like just evolved over time,\u201d Horston told The IX Basketball. \u201cYou can just tell she\u2019s grown up a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Storm teammate Stefanie Dolson<\/a>, who played those two seasons with Melbourne in D.C., told The IX Basketball she has seen a lot of positive growth from the guard, particularly in her pace. That was one of the things Melbourne worked on with player development coach Marcus Tibbs as a rookie and now laughs about with him because she is pulling it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she first came here, she was super fast, didn\u2019t know an in-between speed. Now she looks like she has three different gears,\u201d Tibbs told the IX Basketball.<\/p>\n

Melbourne is averaging<\/a> 8.9 points, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.1 rebounds and 3.6 free-throw attempts in 23.2 minutes played per game. All except the minutes are WNBA career highs. Her shooting, another area of focus as a rookie with Tibbs, also improved to shoot 50% from inside the arc and 30.2% from outside. She hopes to continue to improve her shooting, particularly from 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of my goals coming into the season was just being super consistent with the way I showed up every time,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cSo bringing energy, bringing consistency, bringing a downhill presence, creating shots for myself and teammates has been huge, and I think I\u2019ve done a better job than any other season doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old could easily be a part of the long-term young core that the franchise is building around. Centers Dominique Malonga<\/a> and Awa Fam<\/a> are 20 years old and rookie guard Flau\u2019jae Johnson<\/a> is just 22. Melbourne was the starting point guard for the bronze-medal-winning Opals squad at the 2024 Olympics and was named the tournament\u2019s Rising Star. But Melbourne isn\u2019t taking anything for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m feeling more and more comfortable every day \u2026 so if that\u2019s a role I can step in and is where Seattle can see me in the future, that\u2019s fantastic. But it\u2019s one day at a time,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cI do also understand that I am 23 and, you know, I\u2019m only scratching the surface with what I can do as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back with a bang<\/p>\n

Melbourne particularly showed off her growth in possibly her best performance of the season, on June 25 against the New York Liberty. The team was on an 11-game losing streak and Melbourne had been ruled out of the previous game, an overtime loss to Dallas, due to a tendonitis flare-up. She returned with a vengeance, scoring a season-high 18 points, dishing out seven assists, plus recording two steals and two rebounds in 25 minutes in the 99-88 victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean she had open lanes and she made them \u2014 finishing school,\u201d rookie guard Johnson praised after the game. \u201cJade is super quick but she also made the right passes. Like when they started collapsing \u2014 boom, hit the pass, boom. Like she played with just great pace and poise. I think Jade is one of those players where it\u2019s like, I would hate to guard her. But she can really get those point threats and really make us better, and she just plays with the right mindset for real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dolson credited Melbourne\u2019s aggressiveness as the reason for her impressive stat line and contributions towards the team\u2019s win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she\u2019s being aggressive, it opens the floor for everyone else because she\u2019s so fast,\u201d Dolson said. \u201cI think in that New York game she was just being really aggressive, attacking the defense. She kind of knew exactly what they\u2019d give her and she took advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melbourne thinks it was one of the best performances of her entire WNBA career, or at least the best half. She described how she had two turnovers early in the third quarter, so head coach Sonia Raman, who has started to understand her player, realized she was sped up and needed a breather. Raman took her out and put her back in a bit over two minutes of game time later. That break allowed her the \u201cperfect\u201d opportunity to reset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I come back in and just be me,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cI\u2019ve always thought I was a smart player and maybe the skill and the pace of the WNBA has kind of left that in the dark because you\u2019re trying to keep up a lot. But I\u2019m finally coming into my own player and matching it with the pace and the physicality of the game. So I think that was able to come out. It\u2019s come out a bit this season, but I think especially in that New York game, I was able to back it up against Atlanta, and I hope that\u2019s my benchmark going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JadeSeattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne goes up for a shot during the WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on May 10, 2026. (Photo Credit: Chris Poss | The IX Sports)<\/p>\n

The next game, against the Atlanta Draem, Melbourne contributed 10 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and no turnovers in the 105-90 win. Before the back-to-back wins, Melbourne was on her own tough streak of five or so games, getting away from the aggressiveness that served her so well at the start of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, honestly, and I don\u2019t want it to be an excuse, but I think the build up of probably my foot,\u201d Melbourne said of her tough stretch. \u201cI felt it but I didn\u2019t kind of bring it up or anything like that. But I knew kind of something was going on in the background. I don\u2019t know if that was playing on my mind but I did get away from that and I think it probably didn\u2019t help the team at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She came back from four days of rest and her first missed game of the season, realizing how important that aggressiveness is. Getting to the rim, drawing fouls, and even missing layups causes defenses to overload her and opens opportunities to kick the ball out. The paint touches she initiates are really important, and her teammates and coaches have continued to reinforce that with her. She appreciates the belief they have in her, but also realizes the team relies on and expects it.<\/p>\n

During that winning week, Melbourne said she also felt she found her niche in the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething I\u2019ve always prided myself on as a player is, I love to do all the little things that help the team win,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cLike, I never want to be the person that scores 30 \u2014 that\u2019s never been my role \u2014 or had the big stat line. It\u2019s like, where can I fill the gaps for whichever group I\u2019m in with, to help a team succeed?<\/p>\n

Whether scoring or assisting, that aggressive play is key. That is why Malonga told The IX Basketball the team just needs Melbourne to be herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she\u2019s herself \u2014 aggressive, fast \u2014 not a lot of people in this league can catch her speed,\u201d Malonga said. \u201cTaking the shot that she needs to take too. She\u2019s a great shooter too and sometimes she kind of hesitates. So trusting her game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of any Storm player, Malonga, the team\u2019s leading scorer, has received the most assists from Melbourne. The young French player thinks the Aussie\u2019s aggressiveness and downhill drives naturally pair really well with her screening, pick and roll, and pressure on the opponent\u2019s posts.<\/p>\n

\"JadeSeattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne passes the ball out of traffic to teammate Dominique Malonga during a game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on May 10, 2026. (Photo Credit: Chris Poss | The IX Sports)<\/p>\n

\u201cJade is an amazing playmaker. She sees the floor really, really well. I think she\u2019s really, really smart,\u201d Malonga praised. \u201cBut I think, me or anybody, she can pass the ball to anybody. \u2026 She sees everything, so it\u2019s just super easy to play with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melbourne is doing all this while moving in and out of the starting lineup \u2014 starting 12 of the 21 games she has appeared in this season. Raman has trust in Melbourne in both situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe really exemplifies that she\u2019s ready, whatever you need. Whether it\u2019s plug her into the starting lineup, whether it\u2019s coming off the bench and give us a shot in the arm of energy and defense and toughness and floor general and all the things, she\u2019s very much mentally tough and able to toggle back and forth in that way. It\u2019s not an easy thing to do, but I think she\u2019s just really exemplified what it means to be a pro,\u201d Raman said.<\/p>\n

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While Melbourne has enjoyed being a spark off the bench, she says she is happy to play whatever role the team needs from her. She has also played a lot of different roles in her short career between the WNBA, WNBL and national team, so she has been able to combine that knowledge, making the adjustment not too tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve started to figure out that, like, I brought a spark off the bench, but now it\u2019s like, how can I bring the spark from the very get-go?\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cYou just got to get used to the unpredictability of this league. It\u2019s all part of it, and as role players, we understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The adjustment hasn\u2019t been too tough, however, because of how many different roles she has played at different points in her career.<\/p>\n

Joy and grit<\/p>\n

It\u2019s become a theme for the Storm this season: playing with joy. And Melbourne is yet another one of those players whose teammates praise the energy she brings. Malonga described her as a \u201cwalking joy-ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has something special, like an energy,\u201d Fam said. \u201cIt\u2019s like Flau, you know, they are two people that have an energy that we need. \u2026 We can be a really good team if she\u2019s here, and if she\u2019s not here, we are gonna know that she\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the happiness that she exudes \u2014 you know, she\u2019s out there, she\u2019s always having fun and it\u2019s contagious for everyone,\u201d Dolson said.<\/p>\n

\"JadeSeattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne celebrates a 3-point basket against the Atlanta Dream on June 27, 2026, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm)<\/p>\n

Horston said she loves that this energy often comes through as singing songs, and that Melbourne has some pretty good jokes. Whether it is singing and dancing in practice and shootaround or her smile on the court, that energy is always there for her teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s always the one that will cheer us up, pick up our heads, especially mine,\u201d Malonga said. \u201cShe knows I can get hard on myself, she always kind of knows when I have my moments. \u2026 She\u2019s just the ultimate teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Melbourne is also incredibly tough. Malonga described her as someone who would \u201cnever give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a fierce player. She won\u2019t back down to nobody. \u2026 She\u2019ll take a charge. She\u2019s a gritty player and we feed off that. \u2026 She\u2019s always on the ground. If a tooth flies out or not, we don\u2019t know,\u201d Horston said, referencing when Melbourne re-lost her front tooth in the season opener<\/a>. \u201cShe\u2019s always going to come out with some blood or something after a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young veteran<\/p>\n

While Melbourne is still just 23, she is in her fourth WNBA season, making her less experienced than only four of her teammates. On top of that, as a point guard, she plays a position that naturally requires leadership on the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just who Jado is,\u201d Horston said. \u201cShe\u2019s kind of got an old soul, an old spirit. So everybody has a voice here, but off the court that\u2019s who Jado is. She\u2019s a goofy girl but we all listen to her, she has some wise things to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dolson, the team\u2019s ultimate veteran, said she thinks Melbourne has answered the call, teaching people where she can and leading on the court. While Melbourne is increasingly comfortable in the role, she doesn\u2019t feel completely like a veteran.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still feel like a young player to be completely honest with you,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cThere\u2019s some times when I feel like a veteran because of some of the stuff that rookies do, and it\u2019s not even on-court stuff. \u2026 I\u2019m like, \u2018oh, come on, grow up,\u2019 but then I\u2019m also their age.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019ve been playing professional basketball now for like six years, I feel like a bit of a veteran, but there\u2019s also mistakes I make and I\u2019m like, \u2018yeah, okay, you are also 23 as well.\u2019 So I think it\u2019s a fine balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Storm players, from left, Jordan Horston, Jade Melbourne and Stefanie Dolson huddle together during a game against the Toronto Tempo at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 13, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Storm)<\/p>\n

This time, more than ever, the team wants her to use her voice and take on a leadership role as a point guard. So she is owning it and finding how she can use her youth to her benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cool advantage for me is like, someone like Flau\u2019jae, who\u2019s only a year younger than me, can relate to me because we\u2019re like the same age,\u201d Melbourne said. \u201cSo just being able to speak to her about real-life like experiences and situations and stuff in the league, there\u2019s like that common kind of understanding rather than her speaking to like an older vet, for example. Because we like speak the same lingo, we have the same slang. \u2026 I definitely feel like I\u2019m young and old.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her teammates and coaches have also helped her feel comfortable in leadership, encouraging her to share her thoughts with the whole group and engaging with what she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that whenever anyone speaks in this group, you\u2019ve got the attention of the whole group, it encourages you. They take on the message. They\u2019re like \u2018hey great talk Jado,\u2019 and you\u2019re like \u2018okay that was welcomed, I\u2019m going to do that again,\u2019\u201d Melbourne explained. \u201cSo I\u2019ve definitely kind of moved into having that belief in myself to share the message and understand that I know what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melbourne still has plenty of room for growth in her game and her leadership, but if she continues on this path, she could solidify a role in the franchise\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

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