Ezi Magbegor Is Coming For All The DPOY Votes » Winsidr

Nneka Ogwumike was practically bursting with pride talking about her new teammate, Ezi Magbegor, after a wire to wire 108-33 victory over the Indiana Fever on May 30th. 

“She’s just the marshall of our defense, like, she sees everything, she anticipates things, and she’s the finisher. I think it’s something that we’ve always known that she can do,” said Ogwumike. 

The 12-year veteran speaking so highly of the younger center is no surprise – their chemistry together on the defensive end of the floor has started to click, and that’s a scary prospect for teams facing off with the new look Storm as they begin to hit their stride. As of the end of May, they are 5-3, having won their last four contests. 

Said Ogwumike of Magbegor’s presence on the court, “There’s a stature that she has when she’s playing on defense that serves as, kind of like the anchor…like the protector that we have down there, not as a bail out, but as someone who can really just finish the job. And I love her attitude towards defense. I know what she’s capable of, but I think her attitude is what really kind of turns it up a notch.”

This season, you would be hard pressed to avoid Magbegor’s name on lists naming the top five shot blockers or board grabbers. She has been on a special streak in the former category, having recorded nine games in a row with at least two blocked shots in a game – meaning, she has had two or more blocks in each game this season. And, she doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. She’s even gotten a contract extension secured with the team, locking the Aussie in for more time spent building a new look contender at Climate Pledge Arena. 

That’s 200 career blocks for @ezimagbegor 🔥 pic.twitter.com/THf9EAhBot

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 31, 2024

Some names that these stat stuffing performances have landed her amongst? 

Lisa Leslie, Margo Dydek, Brittney Griner, and Sylvia Fowles have all recorded four or more consecutive games with 12 or more points, six or more boards, and three or more blocks in regular season history. And now, Magbegor joins that illustrious list, per Across the Timeline. 

Currently averaging three blocks per game (BPG), Magbegor is battling it out with rookie Cameron Brink (2.7 BPG) and last year’s winner of the DPOY award A’ja Wilson (2.6 BPG) for top rank. In addition to blocks, she’s also grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game (RPG), 1.1 steals per game (SPG), 1.9 assists per game (APG), and 13.6 points per game (PPG). She is practically averaging a double double between points and rebounds alone. She is also functioning as the Swiss Army knife in the post for the Storm, helping to keep plays alive with kickouts and her quick decision making at the cup. 

Not to mention, almost every block she’s recorded is highlight-worthy. Don’t believe me? Look some up. Her high flying capability rivals that of a superhero at the rim, which makes anyone attempting to get one floater over her feel futile. She rejects these shots with pride, and an attitude that Ogwumike and the entire Storm team look to emulate as they start to gel defensively. 

EZI SAYS NO pic.twitter.com/A5hdmUwKrA

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 29, 2024

Another list for good measure: according to Across the Timeline, her game against the Chicago Sky prior to their victory against the Fever where she recorded 13 points, 12 rebounds, a season-high five blocks, and three steals puts her on a list of one of 11 players to record those stats all time, joining former Storm player Lauren Jackson as the only Seattle players ever to have those numbers in a game. 

These performances aren’t an anomaly for Magbegor. Last season, she was named an All-Star and to the WNBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. Already a champion, Magbegor built a resume that shows why she’s considered one of the best bigs in the league. 

Magbegor is also the definition of the Storm’s defense: on time, decisive, and built up by chemistry that continues to grow each game. With new faces like Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, Magbegor has been able to steady the ship to open the season and allow for everyone to play catch up to her. Now that everyone has arrived on defense, she can steady the ship even further by just keeping up this high level of defensive play. That means more highlight blocks, more dominance of the glass, and most importantly, being a leader in a locker room stuffed with new star faces. 

When asked if she agreed with Ogwumike’s assessment of Magbegor being the team’s marshall, head coach Noelle Quinn emphatically said, “Yeah, whatever, all the synonyms, marshall, anchor…I don’t know if that’s a synonym…but yes, everything that encompasses that.”

Quinn said that coming into this season, Magbegor’s “number one goal was to be a defensive anchor.”

“She’s living in that. Early in the season, she was trying to figure out how to play with Nneka, and the cool part about it is like, I know Ezi may look at Sky and Nneka as these big superstars who she grew up watching, but they look at her in the same light.”

All stats provided by WNBA.