Coming off a season that saw the team miss the playoffs for only the fourth time in their first 15 seasons, the Storm come back in 2015 with a revitalized roster that consists a mix of youth and veteran leadership. Highlighted by a pair of top three picks from this year’s WNBA Draft and a pair of perennial All-Stars, Seattle is set on a return to the postseason.

“The biggest challenge has been has been how much we are doing new and so we have a lot of new players that are new to each other, new to our coaching staff, we have a new coaching staff,” Storm head coach Jenny Boucek said. “But it’s been the flip side of the coin, I couldn’t be more pleased with how they are taking in new information.

“They’re coming together quickly, they’re already playing for each other, helping each other, and we’ve put in new systems and we’ve put, in some ways, a new culture and the two we’re trying to marry together. I think they’re doing a great job every single day of getting better than they were the day before.”

BACKCOURT

It all starts with Sue Bird. The 12-year veteran will once again be what makes the Storm go after averaging 10.7 points and 4.1 assists last season. Her leadership will also play a critical component this season as she will need to take a fellow No. 1 overall pick under her wing: Jewell Loyd.

Loyd, who was named a First Team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year this past season, left Notre Dame a year early to jump into the draft and drastically changed the outlook of the event. The dynamic guard, who was selected by league general managers as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, will attack the basket and should quickly make an impact this season.

The 5-foot-10 rookie has already led the team in scoring during the preseason with 15 points in her first game against Phoenix.

Renee Montgomery adds some much needed depth to the backcourt. Acquired in a trade with Connecticut, the former All-Star comes into her seventh season with a fresh start in Seattle after averaging 6.7 points and 2.4 assist last season.

Loyd’s entry into the draft bumped down Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and it allowed the Storm to grab her at No. 3. Mosqueda-Lewis comes in after a prolific career at UConn where she set the NCAA record for three-pointers made (395) and should give the Storm a deadly option from the three-point line.

FRONTCOURT

There are a lot of new faces in the post but one of the familiar ones is Crystal Langhorne. The 6-2 forward averaged 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds last season while shooting 56 percent from the field and will be called upon to anchor the middle again for the Storm.

Her ability to step out of the post and hit the jumper will continue to make her one of the better players in the Western Conference.

Alysha Clark, who started 22 games for the Storm last season, comes in now as one of the veterans of the squad. Entering her fourth season, she will be called upon to play critical minutes and to provide leadership to this year’s youthful team.

She will be joined by a pair of Aussie’s in Jenna O’Hea and Abby Bishop.

The 6-foot-3 Bishop returns to the Storm after spending the last four seasons in the WNBL in Australia, where she was named the league’s MVP after averaging 23 points and 10.6 rebounds in 2014. O’Hea is back for her second season in Seattle and was a key component coming off the bench a year ago.

One of the early surprises in camp has been the quick adjustment of Ramu Tokashiki. The 6-3 forward signed with the Storm in the offseason after averaging league best 18 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.13 blocks in the WJBL in her native Japan and has been impressive in the two preseason games, scoring 19 total points off the bench.

Quanitra Hollingsworth was also acquired via trade in the offseason and her 6-foot-5 frame will give the Storm another big body in the paint. Hollingsworth missed the 2014 WNBA season while playing with the Turkish National Team.