Former UConn star Nika Muhl emerged as one of the most popular basketball players during her time in college. This led to the Croatian-born guard making her way to the pros as a second-round pick by the Seattle Storm during the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Muhl’s success at the collegiate level, however, has not translated to her fledgling career as a professional. The 23-year-old has barely played in her rookie year for Seattle, averaging just 2.8 minutes per contest in 12 appearances thus far.
On Sunday, a popular women’s basketball Instagram account, overtimewbb, posted a photo of Muhl and Storm teammate Jewell Loyd. The snaps were taken by renowned sports photographer Bri Lewerke ahead of Seattle’s matchup against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
Unsurprisingly, the post instantly blew up online. Looking at the comments section, the majority of fans were saying the same thing about Muhl. The supporters are not at all pleased with how the Storm have refused to give Muhl enough playing time.
“They would be even better if we could see them on the court together,” said a fan.
“A picture of Nika getting some minutes would be even better,” reacted another.
“Y’all draft this girl just to be on the bench all the time is crazy,” a comment read.
“I mean.. kinda weird not to play the woman that clamped up CC when you’re getting smoked… but okay,” a fan said.
“Too bad Nika doesn’t get any playing time cuz her cry baby coach a 🤡” remarked a supporter.
“They need to let my girl play smh,” said another.
“Free Nika,” demanded a supporter.
UConn Huskies guard Nika Muhl (10) warms up before the start of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at XL Center.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
For what it’s worth, Muhl was able to take the court on Sunday against Indiana, but all she got was one minute of action, where she was unable to log any stats. The Storm got themselves blown out, 92-75.
There’s no denying that Muhl is far from the best rookie out there and that she still needs a lot of work to potentially become a viable role player in the league. However, unless she gets significant playing time, it doesn’t seem likely that she will be able to develop into one.
