SEATTLE — Let's be clear about three things regarding Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd before we get to the "but."

Actually, it's more like a BUT. In the meantime, though ...

1) There's a good chance the Storm don't have championships in 2018 and 2020 if Jewell isn't on those teams. The 15.5 points she averaged in each of those seasons — where she shot 37% and 39% from deep, respectively — helped propel Seattle to the top of the standings. And the six playoff games in which Loyd scored at least 19 points in those two years were instrumental in sealing the titles.

2) Her presence was integral to luring All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith to the Storm this season, where Seattle is tied for the WNBA's fourth-best record at 19-12. Ogwumike said she is here to follow the lead of Loyd — a six-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist — with Diggins-Smith adding "this is Jewell's team, and I wouldn't be here if Jewell wasn't here."

3) You could argue Loyd is one of the best clutch shooters ever to play pro basketball. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Loyd has the best career field-goal percentage in WNBA history in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime when shooting to tie or give the team the lead. After a three-pointer that beat Atlanta on Wednesday, Loyd is 12 of 24 from the field (including 5 of 11 from distance) in those situations. That's a full-portioned sample size.

BUT ... her shooting-percentage this year.

It's glaring, man.

Of the 54 WNBA players who have taken enough shots to qualify for the leaderboard, Jewell Loyd ranks 52nd in the league in field-goal percentage at .360. It is the worst percentage of her career, and .83 points lower than what she shot in 2020.

Of the 49 WNBA players who have taken enough shots to qualify for the leaderboard, Loyd ranks 48th in three-point field-goal percentage at .272. That is .77 points lower than her career percentage from deep.

This would be one thing if Loyd was a low-volume shooter known more for her rebounding and/or passing, but Jewell — sixth in the WNBA in scoring at 20.4 points per game — has taken more shots than all but three players in the league this year. And though she is adept at getting to the free-throw line, where she is shooting 87.9% (ninth in the WNBA), her true shooting percentage — a metric that takes field goals and foul shots into account — is still 97th out of 144 qualified players.

My thoughts in a second. First, hers.

"For me, I've been a high-level scorer, shooter my whole life. I think the numbers are something I definitely focus on, but at the end of the day you want to find ways to win. So if you go 1 for 1000, but that one shot gets you the win, you win," said Loyd before the Storm's 98-85 loss to the Liberty on Friday, when Jewell scored 20 points on 5-of-17 shooting. "I understand efficiency, I understand how we're trying to get the best shot for everyone, to make sure everyone's in their zone, but I'm not going to turn down good shots. That's something I'm just not gonna do. I practice too hard to turn those shots down. You stay confident. You gotta have the confidence to make it and the confidence to miss."

Loyd says she has had conversations with Storm analytics manager Mark Venetos and others about shot selection, but that ultimately "the shots I've been taking are the ones I've been taking my whole life. It's a matter of them going in."

She added that no matter how well or poorly she shoots, teams guard her the same way, which allows ample scoring opportunities for teammates.

And as mentioned, she has made a career out of knocking down shots in the most crucial parts of the game. Still, two things stand out to me.

The first is that the additions of Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike theoretically would have increased Loyd's efficiency. It made sense that Jewell shot a career-low 37.0% from the field last year while leading the WNBA in scoring for an 11-29 team. She had little help. Now she is surrounded with talented teammates that draw multiple defenders.

The second is, if a championship is the goal — this seems unsustainable.

Loyd is a gifted player with a Hall of Fame résumé, but the Storm aren't contending for a fifth banner if she shoots like this in the playoffs. And die-hard fans that know that a lot of these attempts aren't exactly a 1 out of 10 on the degree-of-difficulty scale.

As Storm coach Noelle Quinn repeatedly says, "She's a tough-shot taker and tough-shot maker."

But the coach isn't calling for any changes.

"There have been stretches where her percentages haven't been very high, but you stick with it," Quinn said. "With me, it's knowing that the law of averages are going to come around."

Loyd is the undisputed face of the most decorated franchise in today's WNBA. She earned that title. But if she wants to earn that other title, the one that comes with a trophy and a ring, the shots have to start going down.

If not, the number of attempts do.

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